Chapter 6
Six
“Little jailbird,”I muttered as I watched Jordan from my vantage point.
After our disastrous dinner, she retreated to her room on shaky legs. I was surprised at how easy it was to scale the balcony walls and watch her succumb to a tear-filled slumber.
There was a pattern to Henry’s tyrannical abuse. During their marriage, he confined my mother within these four walls, controlled her every move, and gaslighted her. After hearing it countless times, Mom started believing she wasn’t good enough.
It appeared Henry was also sucking the life out of Jordan. She was no longer the same bubbly woman I once met. The years had stripped away her optimism. According to Jenna, Henry insisted Jordan work from home to “maintain” a house fit to entertain his associates. He stole a rare gem and locked her away for others to marvel at from a distance but never touch.
Every day that passed, he drained the life out of the most revered of creatures.
Nonetheless, Little Miss Sunshine was still as beautiful as ever. She had captivated me from the moment her face lit up on that iPad screen. At the time, she was unmarred from the scars inflicted by men like my father. Now, I recognized my own despondency in her eyes.
How many times did I consider stealing her away?
For three years, I pined after her, even though I had nothing to offer her. No money or a home of my own. No career to fall back on. Worst of all, I couldn’t shield her from my father’s wrath.
I didn’t reach out or contact her once, determined not to let the pointless infatuation further consume me. I thought my obsession revolved around my bruised ego and had hoped to be cured after she witnessed my success. Life would be easier that way.
Instead, the sight of her made it worse. My chest wasn’t hollow anymore, and I couldn’t remember how I managed to walk away from her the first time.
My patience had waned.
She was my insanity, and I was tired of fighting this madness. I could give her the life she deserved now, one fit for a queen, and embrace this sickness.
Jordan would finally be mine.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Henry sneered, his face contorted with displeasure. “We are supposed to show this family as a united front.”
I hadn’t seen him since last night’s disastrous dinner and crossed paths with him after my run. Judging by his appearance, he had spent the night at his mistress’s house, or so I presumed from the faint smell of cheap perfume and the smudged makeup on his white shirt. He hadn’t bothered to shower, openly disrespecting Jordan by smelling of another woman.
“Like I said, I’m not making the trip to your office just so you can play the doting father.” I towered over him, unfazed by his disdain.
Henry insisted I show my face at his downtown office to disprove the circulating rumors, but driving back and forth to New York would turn the trip into an all-day affair. I’d become enslaved to forgotten emotions and couldn’t entertain the outing in my current state.
Disapproval etched every line of his face. “Jordan was also supposed to start representing you,” he bristled. “We agreed on this.”
Henry’s motives were as transparent as polished glass. He wanted Jordan to represent me only to control me through her.
His scrutinizing gaze followed me to the grand entryway of the lavish mansion. When I was young, I would’ve wavered under the weight of that glare. But now, my attitude was icy cold and indifferent at best.
“Jordan can still represent me,” I said. “And I’m happy to go to lunch if you want me to be seen in public with her.” My face remained placid, though I held my breath.
Hesitation filled his eyes.
No matter how much gallivanting he took part in, Henry rarely let Jordan out of his sight and surveilled her through the staff when he wasn’t around. He only stopped by to grab some paperwork and was due at the office, so his only option was to agree to my suggestion. A public appearance would quash the rumors about me growing distant from this family, and he was weighing whether Jordan’s role as the doting stepmother was worth it.
It was the perfect bait. Henry’s need for control had always been his downfall.
“Fine,” he conceded, though dissatisfied with the outcome. “You better make sure everyone sees you together. Gossip has already spread that Xander Maxwell can’t stand his own father.”
I met his gaze with frosted eyes, every look as icy as glaciers. “Gossip?” It could hardly be considered gossip when it was the cold, hard fact.
“Don’t act smart with me, boy. You have been away since graduation to play dumb games. This is the least you owe me.” His stern, condescending words jumped off the page. It didn’t matter that I paid him back for my college tuition and every penny he gave me. “We are a family company, and the board expects us to act accordingly. I won’t let you make a mockery of me.”
I shrugged. “Then have the press come here. Throw a party for New Year’s Eve before I leave, do your big feast, and let the board witness our damn happiness.” The sentence wasn’t meant to be sardonic, but it was a joke for my father to represent a company based on family values.
He raised a finger, ready to deliver another snide remark, but ultimately decided he needed the publicity more than this petty argument.
“Take Jordan to the club for lunch and make sure everyone sees you there. I’ll have Jordan organize a party for tomorrow night, and you better be on your best damn behavior.” With the final warning, he dropped his hand and left.