“Where did you get this?” I look at Jarred who’s back in his chair, watching me intently with those stormy eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“I went to Ares and asked him to help me make an offer to Bradford to get you out of your responsibilities. I told Ares that I will take your place at the table, so you can live your life freely, without recourse.” When he explains slowly, the words sink in, burrowing their way right down into the marrow of my bones.
“You did what?” This has me pushing to my feet. He should never have done that. I have to take my father’s place because it was my destiny. Even though I don’t want it, I will not forsake what was given to me. I may have been a bastard who fought my father tooth and nail, but I knew that the legacy of the Thornes goes way back, and I knew I had to do something about it. I couldn’t allow our name to disappear and be forgotten.
“It would be the same as if you were there, I would represent the Thorne name, but you get to live a life of your choosing,” Jarred continues, and that’s when I realize what he’s doing.
“You can’t sacrifice yourself for me,” I tell him.
“I don’t understand what is going on, guys,” Zaria says suddenly, dragging both our attentions back to her. I am still shocked at the news about her mother. She looks at us confused; her brows furrowed. I mentioned the Society to her on our trip to meet the Lancasters, but I never went into too much detail. She isn’t my wife yet. It makes me weary. Until she’s a Thorne, I am not sure I can trust her fully.
“Did you know your mother was the one who set up the arranged marriage with my father?” I ask, turning my full attention on her. If she did know, she would tell me because if she lies, I’ll torture the fucking truth out of her.
“No.” She shakes her head. “It was my father, he spoke to me about it before he…” Her words falter, but she doesn’t break eye contact with me. She’s been trained to be poised around people, especially when being questioned. I’ve watched her on red carpets, at events her parents attended, I’ve studied her, and I know that she has tells. But right now, none of them are present.
“It’s in black and white,” I tell her as I pull the contract from the folder on my desk and hand it to her. “Your mother thinks that my link to the Silver Sovereign will ensure the Abadi name will be connected to the Elders, who can bring her more money than fucking God.” The woman is nothing more than a gold-digging wench. I didn’t see that in her at the funeral, but then again, when you’ve spent your life pretending, it’s easy to lie with a poker face.
“I don’t understand,” Zaria mimics her previous words. “She had never spoken to me before about any of this.” Golden eyes scan the pages, before lifting to me. “I really had no clue about any of this.”
“I believe you,” I tell her. “What I don’t get is why my father decided to agree to it.” Honestly, there’s nothing in the documentation that says anything about the Thornes. It doesn’t even mention the Havens: the other family who owns this town. When I think of them, I wonder briefly if they will also become a part of the Society. I doubt Creed would ever set foot in one of those meetings. Or Keirin. Or Brody. They’re too independent and prefer doing their own thing.
“Another thing,” Jarred says, bringing my gaze back to his. “Have you looked at the photos in the folder? I mean really looked.” He moves around me, to the desk where he lifts the polaroid and hands it to me. It’s the man who married Zaria’s mother. He looks familiar, but if I had to take a guess, I would say he’s some celebrity or something.
“I’ve seen him, but can’t place the name,” I tell Jarred.
“Really?” he challenges me, and I know I’m missing something. I bring the image closer, focusing on his features, trying to figure out why he looks so familiar to me. It’s as if I’ve seen him somewhere before, but never met, so I can’t quite put my finger on his identity.
Jarred picks up the frame on my desk and hands it to me. The image inside is of the three Thorne brothers on the day of Damien’s wedding. Beside my eldest brother is the beauty that stole his heart. The moment I look at her, my heart sinks down to my gut.
“Fuck,” is all I can manage. Last night when I first saw the article, I knew I’d seen this man before. There was just something too striking about him, but as I look at her right now, I realize I’ve just found Nesrin’s long-lost father. “How did I miss this?”
Jarred steps up beside me, with Zaria joining us. The two photos side by side are living proof the Nesrin’s father is in fact alive and well. I need to talk to Marcia. Nesrin’s mother, my stepmother, needs to know that her ex-husband is back.
“Is that your sister-in-law?” Zaria takes the photo from me as she makes the connection, staring at her mother’s new husband. She’s just as shocked as we are as she stares at the image.
“Yes,” I finally answer as I pull my phone from my pocket. I hit dial on my stepmother’s number and hold the ringing speaker to my ear. When she answers, I don’t greet her, instead, I say, “Nesrin’s father has just married Zaria’s mother.” She knows my fiancée, so there is no need for introductions. Silence answers me, and for a second, I wonder if the line went dead, but then I hear her.
“Where is he?” Her voice croaks, and I can imagine the look of shock on her face. When he walked out on them, leaving Marcia alone with Nesrin, after cheating with her sister, Mallory, the bastard never made contact again. He never spoke to his daughter, never even tried to be a good father. It’s not like he didn’t know she existed; he watched her early years while keeping the sordid secret of what he did.
“Currently in Los Angeles, but I have a feeling he’ll be coming to Thorne Haven pretty fucking soon,” I tell her. “I’m calling Nesrin because she needs to know this piece of shit is back.”
“I’ll do it,” Marcia says in a rush. I don’t trust that she’ll tell her daughter; she’s kept so much from Nesrin while growing up. But, I’ll give her twenty four hours.
“You have a day to do it, or I’ll call her myself,” I inform Marcia. She doesn’t argue with me because she knows I’ll do it.
“I’ll call her right now.” I hang up without a goodbye. As much as my father loves the woman, I can’t stand her. But I don’t need to spend too much time around her, so I can deal with the odd greeting while we pass each other in the hallway.
“This is definitely the man I saw the night of my sixteenth birthday,” Zaria whispers. She looks up at me, questions dancing in her eyes. I wish I had the answers, but right now, we’re all in the dark.
“I fucking hate secrets,” I mumble as I move around my desk and settle in my chair. Jarred sits down while he holds out a hand to Zaria. For a second, she glances my way, and I nod. As much as I want to be angry at him, I know I don’t blame him. He’ll have a lot to make up for with me, but Jarred knows I’ll never leave him. And I can never allow him to leave me.
“Now what do we do with this?” Jarred asks as he pulls Zaria into his lap with a squeak. They’re beautiful together; it’s fucking distracting. I have so much work to do, but all I can think of is to finally have them both in my bed, while I devour each one slowly.