18. Secret Security #3
"I should have expected something like this coming from you!
" Augusta's voice shook with anger. Disgust thickened her words.
"You have always been such a disappointment.
An embarrassment. A stain on the family's name.
Such a vain, hateful child." Her mother paused for a moment, a strange clinking sound coming from the background.
It was gone a moment later, and the angry words started once again.
"You did this on purpose, trying to discredit us.
Your own parents. You better fix this or I'll make your life miserable. "
Iris lowered her head, each insult hurled at her hitting with painful accuracy.
Her mother always knew just where to strike to deal the most damage.
Her heart felt fragile enough already from Nash's distance all week.
She picked at her nails, a nervous habit that she developed as a young girl.
And when that failed to distract her enough from the vitriol spewing out of the phone's speaker, her nails dug into the skin at the back of her hand.
Hard enough to hurt, but light enough not to draw blood.
She learned long ago how to hide her habit.
"It sickens me to know that you have benefited from the life we have provided you.
You don't deserve this life." Her mother's voice rose to a crescendo.
"You were such a difficult baby, and you only got worse from there.
Always wanting to be held, cried all night long, never soothing yourself.
No wonder we had to move you to another wing.
We never would have gotten any sleep if you had your way. "
Iris bit her lip so hard she feared she drew blood. She knew that she had done nothing wrong. It was not her fault, her mother treating her like a nuisance had nothing to do with her.
Watching Daisy with her daughter showed her what motherhood was supposed to be. No matter what Dahlia did, Daisy would never scream at her like Augusta did. Holly was favored, but even she still faced humiliation from their mother's sharp tongue.
Why couldn't her mother love her? Why couldn't anyone? Perhaps there was something wrong with her. All she ever wanted was someone who wanted her. She thought she'd found that in Nash, but even he seemed to distance himself.
Tears tracked silently down her face, but she brushed them away. Crying only ever made it worse.
"If I had known that you would pull something like this at such a critical time for us, I would have—" Iris's phone beeped and she lowered it to see what caused it, cutting off her mother's voice.
Her screen lit up with Nash's name above the picture of them both on their wedding night.
The sight of her own face so genuinely happy made the tears fall faster.
If only she knew then how quickly her life would turn around.
Staring at the call, she wondered what she should do.
Anger her mother even further by hanging up, or infuriate Nash by ignoring him.
Neither option was a good one. She lifted the phone back to her ear, dreading how to tell her mother she needed to go.
With the phone pressed up against her face, she realized her mother had never stopped her tirade.
That's when Iris got an idea. One she never would have tried before she fled New York, but now? Bolstered by her call with Daisy moments before. She just might be brave enough.
She lowered the phone and quickly switched over to Nash's call. If his call was short enough, Augusta might never even realize that she placed her on call waiting. Not like she was missing much, a long list of insults and barbs.
"Hi," she murmured softly, hesitantly. Unsure why he was calling in the middle of the day.
"Leave your mother to me," he growled over the line, ignoring her greeting. Iris's eyes widened. That was the last thing she expected him to say.
"What?"
"Your mother. Ignore her. And your father, too.
The article, the gossips, let them say whatever they want.
" His deep voice somehow brought her comfort.
"It's not like it isn't true. They are terrible parents and I have every intention of ruining them socially.
Then financially and emotionally. They crossed a line. "
Iris's mouth dropped open. Her first instinct was to defend her parents.
But she hesitated. Why should she? She knew she could protest. Demand that he protect them like he promised back in Arizona.
But... she found she didn't actually care what happened to her parents.
Not anymore. Her siblings, and their children, yes.
She'd make sure Nash held up his side of the bargain when it came to them. But her parents?
Maybe this was the final straw. She just didn't care. Hearing they planned to sell her off to the worst possible bidder killed something inside her. And the only concern they had over missing her wedding was the slight they were given. She'd had enough.
"How did you know I was on the phone with my mother?" Was the only response that she could muster. Her brow furrowed. Silence was his only response. She glanced around the large room around her. "Are you watching me?"
Nash grunted, neither confirming nor denying it. But she rather felt that was answer enough in and of itself.
"Ignore her," he barked out. "She's a bitter old hag who should have known better than to cross me. I told her what would happen if she continued pushing me. If she thought that the worst thing I could do to her was damage her social standing, she's even more idiotic than I thought."
"What are you going to do to her?" Her tone was mild, curious, but not angry or offended.
"That doesn't concern you," he said harshly, before softening his tone.
"Don't listen to a thing she said, ma fleur.
You are exquisite, and the fact that a shrew of a woman like her was able to create someone like you is one of life's great mysteries.
" A small, fractured part of her healed when he said that.
"If your parents had cherished you as you deserved, I would reward them.
But after the way they continue to treat you, the way she speaks to you...
They'll be lucky if I leave them breathing.
" Something he said sparked a question in her mind.
How did he know what her mother was saying?
Was he listening in on her phone calls? It seemed outrageous to even consider it, but nothing else seemed to make sense.
But how could it be true? He was too busy to be so focused on her while he was out working.
His work was taking over his life once again.
He was happy to leave her locked away in her gilded cage and go on about his business. Wasn't he?
"What I want you to do is hang up the phone when we disconnect, and then immediately block her. It was a mistake to allow her your number." His voice darkened once more. "An oversight I plan to correct. And soon."
His words held a dark promise, one she shouldn't find as arousing as she did. But in a twisted way, it showed her he cared. He might not be here, but wherever he was, he was keeping an extremely close eye on her.
Her eyes finally found what she was looking for. She locked her gaze on a camera hidden in the room's corner. Was he watching her right now?
She smirked, a wicked thought taking over her mind.
How often did he watch the cameras?