He hasn’t spoken up about what happened, and I can only imagine it’s because Dion threatened him. The official story seems to be that he was involved in a violent robbery. I never asked Dion about it, because truthfully, I didn’t want to know the exact details.
Perhaps I should’ve felt some remorse, but when I read the news, all I felt was relief. All of a sudden, this man that had such an uncontrollable hold over me no longer seemed untouchable.
“Robbery,” he repeats, fury blazing in his eyes. He takes a step toward me, but Theo places a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly. Father’s expression transforms from anger to pain, and it’s a fascinating sight to see. I’ve never felt so numb looking at him. When was the last time he stood in front of me without inciting fear in me?
“It’s one thing to touch me, but it’s something else entirely to touch my mines. You’re insane if you think you can pin it on me. I’ve been accused of insurance fraud because of you. You will not get away with this.” He grits his teeth, his anger so vehement that he’s shaking. “Here is what will happen. You will pay me twice the amount of damage you caused, and I will continue to feign ignorance about my injuries.”
I stare at him blankly while Dion plays with my hair, his attention entirely on me. I don’t think he’s even looked at my father yet, and it’s clear that it’s unnerving Father.
“I’m not walking out of here without a written agreement. Fail to meet my terms, and I’ll go talk to The Herald. They’d love to hear all about how the Windsor brothers rounded me up and beat me, one by one, taunting me as they told me about the bombs they placed in my mines. You will never get away with this.”
Dion sighs and gently brushes the back of his hand over my cheek. “There’s evidence of your father buying those bombs,” he tells me. “Courtesy of our favorite Kingston brother. Just thought you should know that. Even if he talks, there’s a paper trail leading directly to him. It’ll just sound like he’s trying to frame and exploit us. If you want to talk to the press, we can spin the story so he’s outed for the abusive, controlling asshole he is, and every single word he utters will just be another stone pulled from his foundation, until it all comes tumbling down on him. As for his injuries? There’s a huge paper trail proving his countless debts. You don’t need to fear the press, Faye. No one will believe him.”
I look into my husband’s eyes, surprised he managed to cover all his bases. He’s right. No matter what my father says, with Windsor Media on our side, we can push whatever agenda we want, even if the other half of the media spins a different tale. A thrill runs down my spine, and I smile involuntarily. I’ve never thought of myself as a vicious person, but it feels good to no longer be powerless.
Dion continues to stroke my hair, as though he couldn’t care less about my father’s threats. “What do you think, Faye? I’ll do whatever you want me to do. You don’t need to worry about the miners either, Windsor Enterprises offered all of them jobs.”
I nod and steel my spine as I turn back toward my father. Years of pain and humiliation, of tearing me down and bending me to his will, only for him to end up standing in my living room, at my mercy.
“I think your kindness was wasted on my father,” I murmur. “It’s clear he doesn’t value his life, so why should we?”
Dion chuckles, the sound a low rumble that brings a smile to my own face. He looks at me with such pride that I can’t manage to hold his gaze.
“Dion, I don’t want to see him anymore. Not ever again. I’m tired of being threatened and exploited. If we give in now, then where does it end? I can’t do this anymore.”
He nods before leaning in and pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead. “Understood,” he says.
His gaze is ruthless when he pulls away, pure venom dancing in his eyes. It’s odd, that duality. The man he is with me is so different to the version the rest of the world gets.
“You heard my wife. Get him out of our house, and out of our lives. Give him a chance to run, but if he doesn’t heed my words and attempts to appear in front of my wife ever again, remove him permanently.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Dion
I tap my finger against the table in the conference room, my gaze on the shitty London weather. I should be at home with my wife, but instead, I’m here, negotiating some bullshit deal for Sierra. Why the fuck does she need to buy an office block here anyway?
“I’m afraid we can’t accept your offer, but perhaps we can meet somewhere in the middle?” the CEO of the development firm tells me. Maggie? Margaret? What was her name again? “Might I suggest we reconvene tomorrow? Perhaps we can discuss this more over dinner.”
The way she looks at me irritates me. I never used to mind it — if anything, I’m quite accustomed to charming my way into great deals. But that was before Faye. Now, all I can think about is the disappointed frown she’d have on her face if I smiled back at the lady in front of me.
I rise to my feet and sigh. “No,” I say simply. “I’m sorry to hear you don’t find our offer acceptable. Though Windsor Enterprises would have loved to work with you, it appears that won’t be possible at this time.”
I offer her my hand to shake, and she stares at it with mild panic. It’s obvious she expected me to entertain some ridiculous back and forth before finally agreeing to the price I’ve offered, but I don’t feel like indulging her.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Faye. She seemed fine when I left, but I know her father showing up at our house left her rattled. I noticed her double checking the doors and windows a few times, and she seems easily startled. It’s like she’s expecting some kind of retaliation from Jimmy, and I want to be there to put her at ease.
Mathilda? Marjory? What’s-her-name shakes my hand reluctantly while I ignore my secretary’s displeased gaze. What’s the point of being a billionaire if I can’t even go home to my wife whenever I want? Hell, I only do this job out of duty to my family, and I know they’d understand. Sierra isn’t going to care if she misses out on this office block — unless Xavier snaps it up instead. I’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t needle her unnecessarily. Getting a reaction out of her seems to entertain him endlessly, perhaps because he doesn’t have a sister of his own. He needs to knock it off before he finds out the hard way just how psychotic baby sisters can be.
“Dion,” Maria says as I walk out. I sigh as I glance back at her, already annoyed when she’s barely spoken a word yet. “She would’ve come round, and you know it. This is a great deal. Sierra isn’t going to be pleased if she hears you backed out of this without good reason.”
I raise a brow and clench my jaw, irritation running down my spine. “Since when do I work for my sister? And at what point did you gather the courage to speak on her behalf like you know her at all?”
Maria blinks and shakes her head. “I didn’t mean it that way,” she says hesitantly. “It just feels like you’re walking out of these negotiations prematurely.”
“Last I checked, that was my call to make. I don’t recall second-guessing my decisions being part of your job spec.” She falls silent as my driver holds the car door open for us, her expression guarded. “Look, Maria. I appreciate you as an employee, I truly do. But you need to understand this is not a partnership.”
Sometimes, she acts like we’re Luca and Val, and we will never be like them. Theirs has always been a true partnership, both at work and outside of it, but the boundaries between Maria and me have never blurred — not on my part, anyway.
“You’ve changed,” she says, her voice soft, disappointed.
I lean back and glance out the window. “I should hope so,” I tell her. “I’ve never felt more like myself than I do these days. I’m no longer going through the motions, obsessed with work merely because it was an escape. You have no idea, Maria. I used to love going to sleep more than anything, because it meant a few hours of peace on nights my nightmares would spare me. Now? Now I’m scared I’ll blink and miss a moment I want to commit to memory. When I married Faye, I told her I’d start counting my blessings, because that’s what I thought each day with her would be — a blessing. I didn’t realize how true those words would turn out to be.”
She looks so pained that I feel bad for a moment, but it fades quickly. I’m tired of feeling guilty, especially about something so beautiful as my love for Faye.
“You’re in love with her,” she says, her tone bitter.
“Hopelessly so,” I admit.
“Does she feel the same way?”
I smirk then, my heart overflowing with happiness. “Yes. I believe she does.”