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The conversation goes exactly how I expect. I offer her the help she desperately needs, and she tells me to fuck off, that she doesn’t have a problem. She then proceeds to rant that she doesn’t need my help, that she has Bruce.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Mum? Bruce is the one who got you hooked on this shit, and then forced you to whore yourself to pay for it. He’s the one you should get rid of,” I shout, no longer able to keep my emotions at bay.

She waves her hand dismissively, giving me an eyeful of the track marks that now adorn her arm. “Bruce loves me. He only wants what’s best for me, and I won’t let you come back here, after you abandoned us, and talk shit about the man who loves me.”

“I didn’t fucking abandon you, Mum. I went to university.” She clearly has a different fucking version of the story in her head, and it’s clear I can’t argue with her about this.

“You fucking did. You fucked off once, so you can do it again,” she shouts, pointing at the door.

I let out a despondent sigh. “Fine, I’ll walk away and leave you alone.”

Before I’ve even stood up, she opens her mouth and things turn to shit. “I want Courtney back. Whatever you’re doing with her, it ends now. I want my daughter brought home, today!”

I shake my head as a humourless laugh slips out. “That’s not going to fucking happen,” I snap.

“I’m her mother,” she screeches, slamming her fist on the table.

I shake my head, turning my face into the dangerous mask I’ve been practising for when I’m working with Marcus. I want her to see I’m not someone she can mess with.

In my darkest, most dangerous voice, I spell it out for her. “She is not your daughter anymore. You have spent the last three years either allowing her to be abused by your boyfriend, or you’ve neglected her to the point you didn’t even remember she existed. There’s no way Courtney will be returning to this house. Not while you’re on drugs, and definitely not while that bastard, Bruce, still lives here. She’ll be staying with me.”

Mum’s eyes flare, and she looks wild as she snarls at me. “I will fight you, Miles. I will take you to court to get her back. I’m her mother, I have rights.”

I smile at her almost manically as I laugh. “Do you even have any money to fight me through the courts, Mum?”

She pauses for a second, like she hadn’t considered that she’d need money for legal representation. Unfortunately, giving her time to think about money results in Mum stooping lower than I ever thought she was capable of.

“You can keep Courtney, if you pay for her. Give me ten thousand pounds, and I promise, she’ll never hear from me again. I’ll sign any paperwork you want, giving up all my rights as her mum.”

I shake my head in disgust, my face twisting into a sneer, as I face the monster my mother has become. “How have you gone from demanding you have parental rights to giving them up for cash?”

She shrugs her shoulders in an ‘I don’t give a shit’ way, and anger scorches my veins. “Fine, I’ll get you the money.”

I don’t even wait for her reply; I storm out of the house, a plan forming in my head as I get into my car. Before I’ve thought it all the way through, I find myself at Morelli Mansion, face to face with Maximus Morelli.

Although we’ve never really been close, Maximus has always been kind, and he saw my potential as Marcus’ security, which is why he’s been funding my education and training sessions.

He’s also the only person I know who might have the money I need, since I don’t want to involve Marcus directly—it would ruin the holiday he’s on.

Even if Maximus is surprised to see me, he invites me in like we’re old friends. When he sees I have a lot on my mind, he encourages me to talk to him. We sit in his office and I tell him about Mum, Bruce, and Courtney.

When he knows everything, there’s a moment of silence where he contemplates what I’ve told him. He then pulls himself up, so he’s sitting taller, and switches into professional mode.

“I know which Bruce you’re referring to and, unfortunately, he’s aligned with the Santoros, so there’s not much I can do about him without putting the treaty at risk,” he says, and an overwhelming feeling of sadness and panic hits me.

My shoulders slump as my whole body seems to deflate, my stomach sinking as any hope I had left seeps out of me. Maximus must be able to see the look of desperation on my face, as he quickly continues talking.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t help you and Courtney,” he adds, and my head springs up, listening intently. “I will get you and your sister set up in a two-bedroom apartment, which will be paid for by me, and I’ll give you the money you need to pay off your mum.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Maximus, I?—”

Before I can say anything more, he cuts me off. “You can pay me back by keeping my son safe. That’s all I want from you.”

“I can do that,” I tell him firmly. “Thank you.”

I don’t think Maximus even realises how much relief he just gave me. Not only can I protect my sister, I can care for her and give her the safety that she desperately needs.

This will then give her back her childhood, so she can have normal teenage years. We will both owe him for the rest of our lives, but if the only payment he requires in exchange is me protecting his son, that’s a deal I’m happy to make—I would have done it without him asking.