Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
The bottle of Macallan Valerio Adami hits the wall, shattering the glass and splashing what was left of the amber liquid everywhere.
“Fuck!” My scream echoes through the room. The twelve-foot ceilings give the perfect acoustics.
My knees hit the floor. I did this. My father warned me about the risks of going against The Court and I did it anyway. But fuck, how the hell could I vote a yes to what they wanted to do?
Now I’m paying the price. My parents paid the price.
Fucking hell, what have I done? I knew there would be repercussions, but I never expected this.
I didn’t think they’d go after my parents.
My businesses, sure. But not my parents.
My chest constricts and my lungs struggle to get the air they need as my mind spirals. Guilt consuming me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to no one.
My parents aren’t here. They’re never going to be here again. Because of me. Because I made a choice, and it wasn’t them. Fuck. My hands tug at my hair, my forehead hitting the carpet as I hunch over. Tears fall freely, and I do nothing to stop them.
I deserve to feel this pain. I brought this on my family…
I push myself off the floor as soon as realization hits. There is nothing else. The Court can’t take anything else from me. I have nothing to lose now.
I smile. They’ve made a huge fucking mistake. They can come after my businesses. I don’t give a fuck about any of it. They do, though. Money is everything to each and every one of them, and I’m going to take it all. I’m going to ruin them one by one.
The door to my bedroom opens. I don’t bother to turn to look at who it is. I already know. I can feel her. I knew she’d come. She really shouldn’t have.
Jasmine slowly walks into the room, coming to a stop right in front of me. “Jacob?” Her voice is soft, quiet, so damn quiet.
I look up at her through watery eyes, and she gasps right before she drops to her knees in front of me.
“I’m so sorry,” she says, her arms wrapping around my neck.
I let her pull me into her embrace, my head resting against her chest. I grab on to her waist and hold tight.
Tighter than I have a right to. I know she shouldn’t be here.
I need to send her home. And I will, but first, I’m going to take the comfort she’s offering. The kind I can only find with her.
Jazzy’s fingers brush through my hair. “I’m sorry,” she says again, her voice croaking.
I can’t help but hold her even tighter as I let the tears fall from my eyes. All the while, she whispers sweet, sweet promises, and I soak up her lies when she tells me everything is going to be okay.
It’s not going to be okay. Nothing is okay with this.
My parents are dead. Because of a choice I made.
And the fucked-up part of all this is… I’d make that same choice again, even knowing the outcome.
Better me experience the loss—the pain—than her.
My Jazzy. I’ve already caused her more anguish than I ever wanted to. I will not inflict any more on her.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I try to compose myself. I do not fall apart, especially in Jazzy’s arms. I was always the strong one out of the two of us, fighting any battle she ever had at school. Even the ones she had no idea about.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I whisper.
“I know,” she says. “But for now, let’s pretend I should be.”
“No, you don’t get it, Jasmine. You’re not supposed to be here.” I pull away from her, wiping my face with the bottom of my shirt, hating the coldness that seeps into my bones the instant I lose her warmth.
“You know what, Jacob Westmead? You don’t always get to call the shots and choose where I should and shouldn’t be.
You can’t tell me what to do. If I want to be here, with my best friend, to support him when he’s experiencing a huge loss, then I will be.
And there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it! ” she shouts at me.
I smile. “Best friend, huh?”
“Shut up.”
“How did you get in here?” I have no doubt that there are reporters swarming this house, just waiting for a shot at me.
The distraught billionaire heir, who just lost his parents while simultaneously becoming one of the richest men in the country.
I don’t have any siblings. My father has one brother who shares the Westmead wealth, and he has two children.
Cousins I barely see. But my parents’ side of that wealth all falls on me.
Right along with the responsibility of it.
“Brad sneaked me in. I hid in his car so no one saw me,” Jazzy says.
“Brad’s here?” Fuck? Did he know?
“He’s in the living room,” Jazzy tells me.
“Wait here.” I’m on my feet and at the door when I stop and turn back towards her. “Remember when we were kids and we would play in all the hidden rooms?”
“Uh-huh.” Jazzy nods.
“Do you remember how to get to the hidden room in here?” I ask her.
“Yes.” She looks directly at the large mirror on the wall, the one that doubles as a door.
“Good. If you hear anything abnormal, get in there. Call your father and don’t leave that room until he comes for you,” I tell her.
“Jake?” Jazzy stands. “You’re scaring me. Why would I need to hide?”
“My parents were just murdered, Jasmine. Think about it? I’m the last one in line for their money.”
“You think this is about money?”
“Isn’t it always?” I shrug. “Stay here.”
I turn and walk out of the room, feeling like shit for lying to her.
This isn’t just about money. It’s a warning, a threat that they can and will target anyone I care about for going against them.
For not agreeing with their plans. The thing with The Court is…
all six family representatives have to agree in order to green-light a plan.
And up until now, I’ve never had an issue agreeing with their bullshit.
I find Bradley pacing the formal living room. “Did you know?” I ask him.
“Did I know what?”
“That they were going after them? Did you fucking know?” I yell. He’s been one of my best friends since we were in elementary school, but he’s also a member of The Court.
“No,” he says. “Of course I didn’t fucking know. I would have said something.”
“Would you?” I narrow my glare at Brad. I don’t trust him. I don’t trust anyone.
Actually, that’s a lie. I trust Jasmine. I always have. She’s the only one I’ve ever trusted completely. Even now, when I don’t deserve her compassion, her friendship, she’s here trying to comfort me.
“Do they know about her?” I’m not sure why I’m bothering. I doubt Brad would tell me.
“After you vetoed that plan, they suspected something but they don’t know,” he says.
“Why the hell would you bring her here? Do you have any idea the danger you’ve put her in?” Now I’m fucking pissed.
“I could either help her sneak in unnoticed or she was coming in on her own,” he counters, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m not the fucking enemy here, Jake.”
“Except you are. You are one of them.”
Brad shakes his head. “You’re grieving, so I’m going to forget that you said that.”
“I want you out of my house, out of my life. Don’t come back. And stay the fuck away from Jasmine,” I warn him.
“What the hell?” Jazzy steps into the room. “What’s going on here?” She looks from me to Bradley.
“Nothing,” I grit out. “Bradley was just leaving.”
“I’m not leaving without her,” he says defiantly.
“She’s not fucking going anywhere with you, asshole. Get the fuck out of my house.” My ribs fucking hurt from the beating I took yesterday. Everything fucking hurts.
“Jazzy?” Bradley asks, and I step closer to her.
Jasmine doesn’t know what to do, what to say. But I have no doubt, which is why I stay silent.
“I’ll be fine. You should go,” she says to Brad, and I smirk. Asshole actually thought she’d choose him. She will never choose someone over me. We are the same. Because there is no one I would choose over her either. Even my parents…