“Don’t you mean our son?”
Steven’s body stiffens, and I tighten my hold on him. His body trembles, but his gaze doesn’t leave the screen.
Her face fills with red rage. “The son you left when he was only four? The one I raised so you could run off to California with your other family you never told me about?”
“Those are technicalities.” He arrogantly shrugs and takes another drink. “He has financial expertise I need to hide the pension money.”
Beth’s face drains. “What pension money?”
“The money Giovanni Rossi is shuffling into my accounts. They are getting too large. We need to create a different system.”
“My son isn’t a criminal. He will never work for you, and I want you to leave him alone.”
Maximillion slams his glass down, and Beth jumps. “He will work for me, or you’re going back to jail.”
More tears fall down Beth’s face. “You would let me rot there?”
He takes three steps toward her, yanks her hair back, and moves his face so it’s inches from hers.
Quinn gasps, throwing her hand over her mouth. Steven’s hands turn to fists.
“What part of the name Giovanni Rossi do you not understand? I put those accounts in your name. The ones you buy your designer clothes and expensive spa treatments with. Where do you think that comes from? Hmm? It’s not from my pittance of a governor’s salary.”
Beth’s lips shake. “I didn’t know. You never told me where it came from.”
“Now you know. And our son, the financial genius, he’s going to help me find a way to hide it.”
He releases her and pours another drink. She stands with her eyes closed, and her face scrunched.
“This is what’s going to happen, Beth. Steven will come work for me. He’ll be rewarded very generously. All the charges will be dropped against you. In fact, there won’t even be a record you were ever arrested.”
“How? The FBI is involved. I was in court today.”
“Darling, who do you think owns the FBI agents who arrested you? I do. Giovanni Rossi does. No one is going to ever know where you spent last night.”
“My children know,” she cries out.
He takes another long drink. “They’ll get over it. Tell them to keep their mouths shut. Although I’m sure it won’t be something they want to run around and spread.”
She wipes her face. “I don’t understand.”
“What?”
“How can you say you love me and do this?”
He points with his index finger on the hand that holds his cup. The cut crystal shines in the screen. “You’ve always been over-emotional. When you get a good night’s rest, you’ll see things more clearly.” He finishes his drink and walks back to her. He kisses her, but she doesn’t return it. “Are we going to play this game?”
“What game?”
“The one where you pretend to leave me, go away for a few days, then come back, and tell me how you can’t live without me?”
She closes her eyes, and her body trembles. As the tears flow out of hers, they flow out of mine. He’s so arrogant and hurtful. And I may not have known her long, but the realization he doesn’t love her is apparent.
And she knows it.
“Goodbye, Maximillion,” she quietly says, as if she hardly has the voice but is forcing herself to say it.
He sarcastically laughs. “I have a present for you. It’s in the bedroom. Let’s skip the drama.”
She takes off her earrings, necklace, bracelet, and watch. She puts them on his desk. Her hand is shaking, but she removes the three-carat ring on her left hand. “I don’t want anything from you ever again.” She turns to leave.
He steps in front of her. “You’ll be back. Pick up your jewelry, and—”
She slaps him so hard, her hand leaves a mark.
His hand flies to his cheek and his jaw clenches. “You bitch.”
“I loved you. I gave my life to you. And I don’t even know who you are. Stay away from me.” She shoves past him and slams the door on her way out.
“Steven is here tomorrow, or you’re going back to prison,” he yells after her. “Fuck,” he mumbles.
He sits at his desk then starts lifting papers. Where’s my damn...” His face turns white, and he gets up and walks toward the screen. “Godda—” The screen turns black.
Steven’s phone rings. “Mom, get out of the office, go to the coffee shop next door.” He moves toward the door. “No. I saw it all. Just go next door. I’m coming to get you.”
He runs out of the room, with Quinn on his heels. Jamison turns off the TV.
And I wonder if it’s possible for the years of pain between the three of them to somehow start to mend and if they can ever fully heal.
29
Steven
Hope my mother would leave Maximillion got buried in my soul a long time ago. I never thought it would happen. For decades, I wanted her to free herself from his grasp. But I only thought about the positive points of her not being under his control, and I didn’t ever think about the aspect of her broken heart.
And now, I see how I missed a big piece of the mystery I could never figure out.
When my mother said she loved Maximillion, and that was why she stayed, it always angered me. I didn’t understand it. But I didn’t have Harper. The feeling of not knowing how you can exist without another person wasn’t anything I had felt before.
Now that Harper is in my life, I identify with that pain. But I don’t have over thirty years of history like my mom had with Maximillion.
Nothing will ever justify or convince me their relationship was good. But it doesn’t negate the hurt my mother feels. She’s trying to be strong around Quinn and me, but I see how broken she is.
It’s been two days. Maximillion was arrested, along with Giovanni Rossi. Maximilion’s wife filed for divorce this morning, which is another big headline. And everyone wants to know who the mistress is. All of Chicago is talking about it, and no one in my family can go outside without reporters following us.
The only place Harper and I have been to is Quinn and Jamison’s, where my mom is staying. Every time I look at her, my heart hurts because she hurts. I still don’t understand how she can feel anything for Maximillion, but Harper reminded me that I’m not her. She said it wasn’t my place to comprehend or accept her love for him. My role is only to love my mom and help her if I can.
Harper and I just returned from Quinn and Jamison’s. Ethan sent over a proposal for me to run their new subsidiary, and Shira’s offer is included. I asked her to come to our place. Anywhere public is going to be crazy due to the press.
“Want something to drink?” Harper asks Shira when she comes in.
Shira smiles. “No, thanks. I’ve drank so much coffee, I might be up all night.”
“Oh, I know that feeling.”
“Yeah. Sucks.”
Harper kisses me on the cheek. “I’m going to rearrange the kitchen.”
“That didn’t take long,” I tease.
She winks and happiness stirs in me.
Shira smirks.