Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
“Do your worst, you despotic prick, I’m not going to waste a second longer of my precious time in your company.”
“Elizabeth—” He started to say, but was interrupted by one of his staff—all of whom had been discreetly gathered at the other end of the conference room pretending not to pay attention to the conversation between the Hawthorne men and Beth.
“Mr. Hawthorne, Dante Damaso on hold for you.”
The Old Man swore beneath his breath, it was clear that this must be a call he’d been waiting for. This Dante Damaso had to be their new client.
“We will continue this conversation later,” he told Beth.
“I don’t think so,” Beth said dismissively, and walked out.
Gideon hadn’t seen Beth all morning. She wasn’t in their room and she wasn’t even checking her texts. He’d been eager to find her and tell her about his breakthrough with Niall, but now he was increasingly concerned that she might have regrets about last night.
The house wasn’t so big that she could simply disappear.
He was on his way to the patio where he knew Kenny and a few others had gathered to play lawn cricket, figuring Beth would follow the sounds of the commotion. Instead, he found Nox, sitting in the solarium right next to the patio, going over some documents.
“Do you ever take a break?” Gideon asked, keeping his voice warm but neutral, hoping that he could have a breakthrough with Nox as well.
“Some of us care about strengthening the company and carrying on the family legacy,” Nox said, and Gideon sighed.
Not an auspicious start.
“Nox, come on, I’d probably do more damage at HC&E than good. You know I never had a feel for business.”
“You didn’t even try, you fucked off without a care or concern in the world, didn’t you? Leaving Niall and me to do the right thing. Nice to be a selfish prick and follow your bliss, isn’t it?”
“Where is this coming from? Are you pissed off because I left? Do you resent me for having the guts to stand up for myself? To at least try to do something different?” The flicker in Nox’s eyes told Gideon that maybe he was onto to something. That Beth had been right again.
Nox wasn’t the happiest of them, as Gideon had once assumed. Nox was miserable and filled with toxic anger toward Gideon. No. It wasn’t anything as simple as anger, it was bitterness, and it was resentment. He didn’t even recognize his brother beneath the roiling cloud of dark, furious emotion swirling in his eyes.
“And then you show up with that fucking woman who doesn’t know her place, who speaks to our father like he’s a nobody.”
“Watch it, Nox,” Gideon warned darkly. Nox could spew this shit in his direction—it was long overdue—but Beth was off-limits. His fists clenched and he bristled. Nox noticed the change in his body language and a thin, cold smile touched his lips before he got up and instantly invaded Gideon’s space.
“What? You think she’s so special? She couldn’t wait to sing like a little canary once she had an audience with Dad. Told us all about those precious tattoos you’ve been doing for Kenny’s patients. Told us that you barely earn enough to afford the rent in the shitty little house you live in. So much for making it without your inheritance, huh? Gideon Hawthorne –too good for his own inheritance. So talented, he can earn his own way. When you’re nothing but a pathetic loser, right?”
Gideon could barely breathe as Nox’s words hit him like boulders. Beth wouldn’t divulge his private business, she had no reason to, not even if she was trying to pave the way toward some kind of reconciliation between Gideon and his family.
It didn’t make sense.
“Beth wouldn’t…”
“She told us about your so-called relationship with her. How she thought you were a—how did she put it?—aah yes, an arrogant, lazy, first-class leech, I believe were her exact words. Not a very good friend, is she?”
Gideon swallowed as those words swirled through his head, creating confusion and doubt. She might not be a very good friend, but she’d always taken great pride in being top notch enemy.
“She told us about your little contract too, Gideon,” Nox jeered. “Finally, something you could hold up and show to the world, right? Proof of your worth. Do you think Dad isn’t going to nip that right in the bud? That he won’t find a way to make it disappear like he made all the others disappear? He wants you in the company. And he’s so damned certain you’ll come to your senses soon. Your precious Elizabeth Finch just handed him his next weapon, eagerly and with great pleasure.”
Gideon couldn’t stand to look into his brother’s smirking face for a second longer, and he lashed out without thought.
Before either of them even knew what had happened, Nox was laid out on the carpeted floor, wiping blood from his nose.