Page 70 of My Boss's Sons

“If I could tie the three of you up and throw you in the ocean, I would. You sorry pieces of shit. You hurt my sister and I’ve had to wait a full goddamn week to be able to leave her side so I could come here and tell you all about yourselves.” She cracked her neck from side to side and shook out the hand she’d punched Alex with. “Sophia is a better woman than any of you deserve. She always will be. She-”

“She’s a thief.” Noah had a death wish. He went toe to toe with Jack and shook his head. “She’s a thief and a-”

“I suggest you think about how you finish that sentence, Noah.” Jack looked even larger than he normally did and while I figured Noah would give him a good fight, I had no doubt that Jack would end my brother.

Alex appeared next to Ava with a bag of ice. “Solid right hook but you probably just broke something.”

She took the ice while still glaring at him. “I hope I broke something in your face.”

I could already see a black eye forming but we Andersons had harder heads than that. Alex shrugged and sat down next to me. “Sure.”

“I get that you want to come in here and fight for your sister and friend, but you probably don’t have a clue what she did. I doubt she admitted everything.” Noah let out a bitter laugh.“Unless you’re all in on it together and this is her new attempt at some sort of shakedown.”

“Jack, hit him.” Ava snarled. “Or put a piece of tape over his mouth. Either way, just shut him up. How Sophia managed to like you when this is who you are is beyond me. My sister is normally smarter than that.”

Jack narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. “You heard her. Shut the fuck up and listen to what we have to say.”

Noah held up his hands and sat back down. “Please. Enlighten us. Waste our time more than your sister already did.”

“Sophia cared about the three of you and you tossed her aside like she never mattered to you at all. She sacrificed parts of herself to protect you assholes.” Seeing Noah start to interject, Ava raised her voice. “She’s complained about your father for the entire five years she worked at that company. In the last three years, it was worse, but these last few weeks were hell with him. He made her sit in his office and listen to him take calls while he stared at her tits. He made endless innuendos and offered her a jobunderhim every time he blocked her for the promotion she deserved. When he thought she was going to tell you idiots something about how he treated her, he attacked her. That bruise on her wrist? Your father.”

“Bullshit!” Noah was on his feet again, shoving Jack. “You’re just spilling more lies for her.”

“She knew you would never listen to her so she never said anything to you. And then she couldn’t. Your father threatened to release revenge porn of her!”

“So she did have sex with him?” The words were out of my mouth and a sour feeling filled my stomach.

“No, you jackass! She had sex withyouin the office!” Ava stopped as emotion filled her voice. She shook her head and when she spoke again, she was in control again. “He watched you two have sex and threatened to release the tape. He touchedher. He touched my sister and he deserves to be in prison. Instead, he’s still sitting pretty at the top of his game, facing zero consequences!”

Alex frowned at me. “You had sex in the office?”

“On the old records floor. There aren’t supposed to be cameras in those rooms, just on the open offices.” I raked my hands through my hair. “No. There can’t be a tape. There aren’t cameras in those back rooms. Why would there be?”

“There were cameras. He watched enough to spew filthy things to Sophia that he heard you saying to her.” Ava saw the look of horror on my face and nodded. “Yeah, now imagine you’re my sister with a seven-year-old and no trust fund to fall back on. Imagine being assaulted and not being able to tell the men you care about because you fear for your safety and security. Imagine the man who assaulted you still tries to ruin your life, even when you didn’t tell anyone what he did.”

“You’re full of shit. Sophia blackmailed our father. She stole millions of dollars from us. Scream at us all you want. It doesn’t change who your sister is.” Noah walked over to the windows and looked out. “You can leave.”

“You’re a piece of shit, too. Just like your father.” Ava smiled when Noah spun around to glare at her. “Oh? What part of that don’t you like, Noah? That I think you’re a piece of shit or that I think you’re like your father?”

“Get out.”

Jack shook his head. “I hoped you three weren’t all complete monsters, but the way I see it, you support everything your father has done and said. I hope you can live with that.”

“I hope you all rot in hell. My sister deserves better than you three. The three of you together aren’t half the man she deserves. She’ll get over this. She’ll pick herself up and make gold out of this shit, but you? You three will spend the rest of your lives wondering what life could’ve been like, standing in Sophia’ssunshine. That’s what you bunch deserve.” Still shaking her hand, Ava looked at Jack. “Let’s go. I can’t stand to be around them for another second.”

With perfect timing, Mom walked out of the elevator. I hadn’t even noticed it go down or come back up again, but she was there to let them in, her face twisted in an emotion I couldn’t place. She looked at our guests and lowered her gaze to the floor. “They aren’t the bad guys.”

Jack pulled Ava into the elevator and punched the button for the ground floor. “Sure looks like it from this side of things.”

Mom watched them until the doors shut and then she turned to us with tears in her eyes. “I think we need to talk.”

56

***Alex***

“I’m your half brother.” I blurted out the words I’d been dying to say and didn’t look at Mom’s face. She was already crying but I couldn’t hold it in for another second. Noah thought Dad was perfect and it was time he knew the truth. Maybe then he would do more than blindly take Dad at his word.

“Oh, Alex.” Mom hurried over and cupped my face in her hands. “I should’ve let you tell them whenever you wanted to. I’m sorry, honey. I’m afraid I’ve made a huge mistake with you boys and I’m terrified to know what it could cost you.”

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