Chapter 38

Chapter 38

“How could you do this!”

Dalton Steyn slammed his hands on his desk, rattling the pens as the contents spilled onto the wood

and over the floor. He glowered at the son standing across from him.

I grabbed the bottle of whiskey still sitting out on the coffee table with the two other unfinished drinks.

As I poured myself another drink, I listened to another round of shouting between father and son.

“For that last time, Father!” Ashton snapped, pacing back and forth in front of the expensive wooden

desk, “The club had a strict no-reporter policy! Those reporters were trespassing!”

Translation: I didn’t know I would be caught. Nothing is ever my fault.

I snorted, downing my third glass of whiskey for the night.

“Regardless of the reporters or not, you have shamed this family!” Dalton yelled as he slammed his

hand on a copy of this morning’s gossip tabloid. The pictures of Ashton and his mistress were

everywhere, on the front page of practically every magazine.

I scrolled through my phone, every social media app had blown up with this piece of news. I had to

admit I did enjoy how the Internet was raking him over the coals for this.

The meme they’d made was particularly hilarious..

Even more so because Ashton deserved every bit of hate he was receiving right now,

“The picture was taken out of context!” Ashton tried to explain. his face turning red from the hour-long

shouting match I had to be here to witness. I knew he was seething at my presence, and it made me

that much happier to know I was making him uncomfortable.

“You think you can weasel out of this with flimsy excuses?” our father growled, glaring at his son the

way he would an enemy.

“This is everywhere! You’ve dragged our family name through the mud. Now, they’re questioning me. I

can’t keep cleaning up your messes as I did before! Everyone has seen this! Now, the wedding has

even been postponed!”

“I get it! I’ll talk to Corinna, and we’ll set another date,” Ashton crossed his arms, begrudgingly. “She’ll

get over it! Trust me, she doesn’t even really care. Her only concern is how it’s making her look.”

“You think this is just about that mistress’s child?” Dalton said, darkly. “This goes so much further than

that! The Hildebrands are trying to have your entire engagement nullified, and your grandfather is

pestering me to agree!”

My head snapped up in interest at this piece of news. Ashton paled, staggering back on his feet.

“Grandfather is?” he murmured to himself as he collapsed onto the couch opposite of me. He grabbed

his whiskey glass and downed it in one gulp.

I had only met our grandfather a handful of times. He’d retired long before I had been accepted into the

family. Unlike Dalton, whose personality was like a tyrant who’d spent fifty years being a drill sergeant,

Grandfather was relaxed.

He sent postcards from every vacation he and my grandmother took.

For him to be going to this extreme, it was more serious than I thought.

“I have done my best to pacify him, but it is up to you to convince him that this.” Dalton grabbed the

magazine, shaking it in the air with a snarl on his face, “was taken out of context.”

Ashton lowered his head, his hands clenched by his side. His nostrils flared in anger.

“Yes, father. I apologize,” he bit out.

I raised an eyebrow, both amused and impressed. I had to wonder how much it hurt him to have to take

responsibility for once. Normally, he’d argue for another two hours that it had to be my fault somehow.

Guess he wasn’t a complete “sshole after all.

I poured myself a fourth drink, pretty pleased with the way this had gone until my father opened his

arrogant mouth.

“The election is coming up,” Father said coldly, as he smoothed back his hair. “It’s time for you to shape

up, or the only thing you’ll be winning is the dunce of the year award.”

I paused, irritation rising as I set my untouched drink back onto the coffee table, turning to Dad with

anger.

“Yes, Fath-” Ashton automatically replied, but I cut in.

“Perhaps,” I said loudly, glaring at my father, “He should shape up because his wedding was supposed

to be today. He was supposed to be getting married today. Perhaps he should shape up because he’s

going to be a father soon. Is the election more important than that?”

Ashton glanced at our father with wide eyes, and Father narrowed his gaze upon me.

I thought I had stopped being disappointed by my father and brother a long time ago. I thought I had

stopped expecting anything but scorn from them since I was a child.

I guessed there was still something left to be disappointed about.

How could they place the election over being a good father and husband? How was I related to them?

“Don’t lecture me, boy,” my father sneered, his voice full of contempt. Crossing his arms, he continued,

“You’re worse than he is!”

And with silent permission from our father, Ashton leaped on his chance to insult me. He got to his feet,

glaring at me as his mouth ran off.

“That’s right! You’re nothing! Just a nobody with no drive and no prospects to your name!”

“You think the family’s money can protect you forever? I can cut you off at any time!”

1 sighed as their voices continued to get louder and louder until I could barely hear myself think.

“A stupid party boy!”

“An illegitimate child with no future!”

“You are the shame of this family!”

I should’ve known. They only ever cared about their reputation, their jobs, and their money. My mother

had suffered under Father’s thumb for so many years just to keep me in this family, but her efforts were

a waste.

I never wanted to be a part of this family.

They didn’t want me either it seemed. They’d both made that clear enough. I didn’t know why I even

expected them to act like respectable humans. They were never going to be good people.

I got to my feet, not even bothering to say goodbye. I didn’t say a single word as the two kept

screaming insults I had heard a

million times before from them.

At least now I was strong enough that they wouldn’t dare to hit me. They both knew they’d lose in a

battle of fists with me.

“Where do you think you’re going. Damon? Get back here!” my father screamed, but I knew he

wouldn’t bother chasing me

out

“Hey!”

Ashton, on the other hand, had no problem doing so.

I pulled my keys from my pocket as Ashton followed me out of the house, spit flying from his lips as he

threw every insult he had at me, but I couldn’t care less. I had already tuned him out.

“Adelaide is still in love with me!”

Heaving from exertion, Ashton stood just behind me as I halted in my tracks.

Ashton smiled smugly as I pivoted on my feet to face him, a dark look on my face.

“What?” I bit out.

“You heard me.” Ashton sneered. “Adelaide has always been in love with me. She only married you

because I dumped her. You’re nothing to her.”

“Nice try,” I snapped. “But Adelaide hates you.”

“It’s you she hates!” Ashton bit back, leaning back on the balls of his feet as he smirked. “Didn’t she tell

you what happened when she invited me over to her apartment?”

I stiffened. I remembered her vaguely mentioning it weeks ago. How Ashton had come over but

according to her…

“You forced your way in,” I said, coolly. “Adelaide told me herself.”

“Is that what she said?” Ashton snorted, crossing his arms. “That’s not what really happened. She

called me, begging me to come over. She tried to win me back, but I refused. She’s cute but not exactly

wife material.”

“You’re a liar,” I glared at him. “Adelaide would never lower herself to that.”

“Really? Why don’t you ask her about it then?” Ashton smirked.

The silence that fell between us was thick like a fog, a dark mist that rose like my self-doubt.

I took a step forward until the two of us were eye to eye, neither one of us backing down.

“I don’t care what happened between the two of you in the past,” I smiled. “Enjoy it while you can

because Addie is with me now, and I won’t ever be giving her up.”

I watched in smug victory as his face crumbled, the jealousy behind his eyes more than enough for me.

“Goodbye, brother,” I sneered, then slid into the car. As it rumbled to life, I glared at Ashton in the

rearview mirror, still standing in the driveway.

I was unaware as I drove away that a seed of doubt had latched onto me.