Chapter 48
288 Vouchers
His nostrils flared. I resisted the urge to laugh at him.
“Maybe,” a hesitant voice piped up. I glanced across the room and saw Mia shifting uncomfortably, eyes darting between us. “Maybe we’ve all let this get too personal. Maybe we should all take a step back and refocus…”
“Enough, Mia!” Xander snapped, shooting her a glare that could’ve frozen a volcano. She flinched and pressed her lips into a thin line.
When Xander turned back to face us, his gray eyes had turned to a bright shade of red. For a second, I thought he might actually rip through his overpriced suit and shift right there.
“You’re jeopardizing everything we’ve built,” he growled, voice rough and deep. His wolf was definitely right beneath the surface.
“No,” I said so calmly, I was certain it irritated him. “You did that on your own. With your endless drama and terrible decisions. You ruined everything for yourself.”
That seemed to shut Xander up. Even Rowan didn’t speak. They
couldn’t deny the truth. Xander Blackwood had acted like a child, and now faced with the consequences of his actions, he was trying to back me into a corner.
He was in for a rude awakening.
I felt a pair of eyes on me and turned to see Xander’s mother watching me. I watched her rise from her seat, elegantly and step forward like
0.00%
25
00
1524
Chapter 48
288 Nouchers
she’d been waiting for her cue.
“That’s enough,” she said, eyes never leaving mine. “We are still the Blackwood family. And our legacy, our tradition is bigger than any grudges we might hold.”
“The company needs you, Mr. Lorenz. We’re prepared to make concessions. Real ones.”
“Mother…” Xander protested. But she lifted a hand, and somehow, that was all it took to silence him.
“So, Mr. Lorenz… name your terms.”
*Aaron*
I remained calm, staring at Xander’s mother. Neither of us had said a word after her proposition. I was surprised by how calm she sounded. That wasn’t the Amelia Blackwood I’d heard so much about. It was obvious she was baiting me. But she had such an impressive poker face that I had no idea what she was thinking.
It was clear this wasn’t about business anymore. Hell, I’d anticipated all this. From the moment I walked through the doors of Blackwood group, I knew this meeting wouldn’t go well.
I had reheard every possible outcome in my head. I knew what to say if they tried to guilt me into staying, what to say if they threatened me, or brought up my loyalty. But most of all, I prepared for the moment they would mention Jane.
Oh, I knew it was bound to happen. They wouldn’t be able to resist the chance to remind me of my current relationship with Jane. Xander didn’t hesitate before throwing the fact that Jane now lived at my house at me. They’d somehow made everything my fault. Her decision to
31.38%
C
O
25
25
15.24
Chapter 48
288 Wouchers
divorce her cheating husband was all my doing.
I brought chaos into their lives. It was laughable.
But I also knew how Xander’s small mind worked. And that’s why I was fully prepared when he threw in a jab about how I’d stolen his Luna and was now gutting him further by pulling the plug on the partnership.
He definitely wouldn’t have let the meeting end without saying that.
“Aaron,” Amelia said, when I still didn’t speak. “We’d appreciate it if you stayed.”
I stroked my chin in thought. It was odd how committed Amelia was to playing peacemaker. I didn’t want to speak yet. I wanted to give her the chance to say what she really wanted before talking.
And like clockwork, she continued. “I did my best to raise my son. I taught him to be a good man, someone who would be useful to society.”
Well, he’s not very useful, Fen said inside me. He growled. He’s not worth our time. He was right. Amelia was painting her son to be someone he clearly wasn’t. Good men didn’t treat their Lunas the way
he treated Jane.
Amelia kept going. “But sometimes… Alpha’s don’t go in the direction their parents expect. They disobey. They marry low.”
How dare she refer to Jane in that way, Fen growled. I gritted my teeth and stared back at her with an expression that said, say it again.
“And worse…” She trailed off. Her voice was tight, as if she was forcing the words out. “They try to create HALF BREED children.”
65.94%%
00
