5. Noah
NOAH
My little rabbit has definitely changed.
When that interview started, it was like she was an entirely different person. She didn’t even flinch when my father was basically cross-examining her against her own resume. She’s confident, and she knows she’s a damn good lawyer.
I followed her on the cams as they walked down the hall to the lobby.
I watched my father’s eyes trail down her body and settle on her ass.
A fire began to burn beneath my skin, seeing him look at her like that.
As if she’s just another toy for him to play with. Not this one, though. This one is mine.
*Knock* *Knock*
“Come in,” I practically snarl. I know exactly who it is.
“You ready for lunch?” my father asks as he steps into my office.
When I look at him, all I see is my future. He’s literally just an older version of me, but with less muscle. My uncle is his identical twin, so to say the genetics are strong in this family would be an understatement.
I round the desk and pour a glass of cognac before tilting the bottle toward him. He waves me off like it’s a bottle of poison.
If only.
My father knows I have demons. I’ll disappear for a few days at a time. He’s said it before; he can see the darkness in my eyes. He’s seen the same look in some of the murderers we represent. He doesn’t know the reason for my darkness, nor would he ever care. He’d only see me as weak.
“I’m not hungry,” I say as I take a sip of the cognac.
It’s delicious. A Ferrand S.D.A. Cognac.
“You’re not hungry, yet you invited the new toy you’re interested in to lunch?”
“She’s not a toy.”
I try to keep my tone neutral, just like in the courtroom. Don’t give any emotion away that might show your guilt.
“Mhm. Well then, you won’t care that I decided to hire her on…As my personal assistant.”
He waited until the glass was at my lips to say the last part. I know he’s lying because I heard everything through my hidden cameras, but I still can’t control my reaction. The clench in my jaw, the tightening of my fingers around the small crystal glass, it all gave it away. He knows.
“That’s what I thought,” he chuckles darkly as he turns to walk out of my office.
“Dad?”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the rage festering inside. My fist tightens around the crystal glass, feeling the slight give, but not enough to let it shatter.
“Yes, Son?”
“If you lay a finger on her, I’ll kill you.”
I finish the remaining drops from my glass before calmly setting it back down on my mini bar.
“Who is she?” he asks, his tone just as calm as mine despite me just threatening his life.
“She’s no one. No one you need to worry about. No one you’re allowed to ruin. Hire her if you want, but she won’t be for you to use as your personal fucking assistant.”
“What? You want her as your assistant?” he laughs dryly as he shakes his head, disappointed in me as usual.
“Something like that.”
I pour another glass, adding an extra ounce for good measure.
“Fine, have the little bitch. She’s not my type anyway. She looks like she’ll break too easily.”
Lies. I saw the way he looked at her. He watched her as she walked in front of him like a wolf stalking its prey. I could practically see the sick thoughts running through his head about what he would do to her.
“Just remember what I said, Dad. Not a single. Fucking. Finger.” My words are finite. Clipped and laced with poison.
“Fine. You can interview her for her second interview and offer her the job. Secretary, maid, I don’t give a flying fuck. She’s too weak to ever be in the rooms we deal with, so she’ll never survive on our legal team.”
“That’s for me to decide, Dad.” I turn my back on him and walk to my office window overlooking the city skyline. “You might not be around for much longer.”
“Is that a threat?” he growls as I feel him take a step closer.
“No, sir. It’s a promise. Don’t even let me catch you looking at Willow Bennett, or I’ll rip your fucking eyes from your skull.”
I don’t even turn to look at him. I can hear the small gasp he takes from my threat. I’ve never threatened his life before today. Never once have I shown my true colors like I am right now.
The darkness is starting to bleed out of me, and I need to get it back under control before I scare my little rabbit.