Page 50 of Ruthless Knight

“Keep him away from me.” I do nothing to contain the threat in my voice. I don’t want to.

“He’s right, you know.” A storm stirs in his stony expression, lightning striking in his eyes. “Your grandfather has always taken far too much pity on my bastard children. But it’s time to put a stop to that.”

His message is received loud and clear like a bullet straight to the heart, but I say nothing. Not because I can’t or because I feel any sort of threat from him, but because it’s better I don’t.

I remember having the same thought at ten years old when he told me to stay the fuck away from his family, and he’d wished I’d never been born.

Back then, I was the eager little boy who refused to believe his father didn’t want him.

Mom had brought Jericho and me back to New York to visit our grandparents for the summer. During that time, I was hellbent on meeting my father. Every time we’d visited in the years before, Mom told me I couldn’t. When I did, against my mother’s wishes and warnings, I regretted it.

It’s funny, the sting of his words has always stayed with me. As strong as I am, it’s there now as I watch him walk away with Bastian. Those words never leave, even when they turn the corner, and I can’t see them anymore.

Monsters aren’t born; they’re made. My father can take a bow for that one.

And if he or that bastard Bastian believes they’re going to take my legacy from me, they have another thing coming. For now, I‘ll allow them to think they can threaten me and break me down with their words, but I will never give either of them the satisfaction of seeing me fall.

I shake off the angst from the confrontation and proceed to my grandfather’s office. I find him inside, sitting behind his desk with a cup of coffee. He looks like his trip to Hong Kong was more of a vacation than work.

“My boy.” He raises a hand in greeting and gives me a warm smile that erases the sordid encounter from my mind.

“Morning.” I return the smile and make my way over to sit in front of him.

“You alright?” He searches my face, probably noticing the remnants of my rage.

“I’m good.” All thoughts of Bastian and Father are already non-existent to me. It’s like the last five minutes never happened.

“Great. Do you want some coffee?”

“No. I’ll grab some later.” I sit back and cross one leg over the other.

We look at each other and smile like two villains who’ve just come up with a super plan.

“So, how are things at home? Is yourbride-to-besettling in okay?”

“As good as can be.”

“I’m sure she’ll do what she must to ensure things go smoothly.”

“Don’t worry. She will.” I have to give him credit. He already knew what I’d have to do to get Sunset Cove. Get rid of Nathan, dig up dirt on William, then steal his maiden daughter and marry her. My grandfather knew all of that before he even sent me on this quest. He just needed me to action the plan by getting the incriminating evidence to make it all happen.

“Wonderful, and will I be meeting her officially at my party on Friday?”

“You will.”

“I take it she’s aware ofallthat is required of her.”

He means the fine print. The part that covers no talking shit to the media, and the other part I covered with Aurora last night about no fucking around with Tom, Dick, orNathan.

We have to look and act like a couple. The press are like bloodhounds, always searching for some secret something they can reveal to the world, so I know I must never give them anything to talk about.

“She’s aware of what she needs to do.” I sound confident, but there’s a hint of doubt in my voice, revealing the part of me that questions whether or not Aurora will honor my terms and conditions. I mostly believe she will because of her father, but I’m not certain of her feelings for Nathan.

It might be logical to think that a woman who’s in love would never allow a stranger to get so intimate with her at any time, much less their first meeting. But I’m not sure.

So far, their engagement seemed no different from ours. But the fact that she’s known him for years makes me question my assumption. It doesn’t matter. Whatever she feels for him doesn’t affect me one way or another. As long as he keeps his dick to himself.

Grandfather nods his approval. “And Sunset Cove is?”

---