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48: Nightmare

The moment the door clicked behind us, Charles came around the desk, swept his arm across his chest, and then let it fly, backhanding Wes with a sharp, loudsmackthat caused me to yelp. Wes’s face turned violently with the force of the hit, his whole body staggering back.

“Wes!” I screamed just as Marissa yelled, “Charles!”

“Never defy me again, boy.Never. Consider this your final warning,” Charles sneered.

I stepped toward Wes, grabbing his arm and turning him so I could look at his face. A small trickle of blood dripped from a cut on his bottom lip. I cupped his cheeks, but Wes shook me off, wiping off the blood with the back of his hand.

Both Calvernon men stared at one another, venomous glares that spoke more than words could ever say. Charles broke the silence first. “Leave my office.” Wes narrowed his eyes at his father before facing me and taking my hand. “She stays,” Charles ordered.

“Fuck no,” Wes spat out.

“Watch it, boy,” Charles snapped, “or you’ll regret it.”

“I’m not leaving without her.”

“Wes,please,” Marissa begged, coming around the desk to grip her son’s arm. “Please…for me?”

I remembered in that moment what Wes had shared with me before, that the more he disobeyed his father, the more Charles hurt Marissa. She was a weapon against him—a noose that kept Wes chained to obedience. Wes opened his mouth to protest, pulling his arm out of his mother’s grasp. But I couldn’t bear to see his father hit him again. Not because of me. And even though Marissa didn’t like me, I felt bad for her. I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of someone’s abuse, and I didn’t want Wes to have to choose between us.

I reached out to him, grabbing his shirt in one hand while cupping his cheek in the other, bringing his eyes to mine. “Hey,” I whispered, “it’s okay. I’ll be fine. Just go with your mom outside. I’ll be right there.”

“Whatever he has to say to you, he can say to me,” he argued.

“Please,” I said. “Pleasego outside.”

“Listen to Mara,” his mother coaxed, grabbing his arm again.

“I’ll be right there,” I assured him.

Wes searched my eyes, weighing my request.

“Please,” I pleaded. I dropped my voice low so that only he could hear. “Remember your mom, Wes.Please.” I watched as he broke, his shoulders slumping. “Thank you,” I whispered.

He took in a deep breath, glaring at his father one last time before looking at me again. “I’ll be outside.”

I nodded.

Wes turned away, Marissa taking his arm again, touching his face, trying to tend to him as they walked out of the room. When the door clicked closed, the room sat in silence, and instantly,my heart pounded as I heard a languid clap behind me. With one deep breath, I slowly faced Charles.

“Well, you’ve certainly fucked that boy up. He was a pain in the ass to begin with, but now…” Charles let his sentence trail off.

“What do you want?” My voice came out tart, clearly displaying that there was no love lost between us.

“Watch it, girl. Mind your tone, or I’ll remind you in ways you’ll never forget.” Ice. His words felt like piercing ice. And suddenly, I felt like a child back in Telvia. Charles paced in front of me, arms behind his back. “You’re going to sign over Telvia to me.”

What? That made no sense. What the hell was he talking about?

“When you return from the tower, you and your brother will both sign a treaty that relinquishes your claim to Raúl’s lands. Do you understand?”

I shook my head. “You’re already getting the South when I marry Wes. I don’t under—”

He stormed towards me, causing me to jump and take several steps backward. “Don’t question me, girl. You’re going to do as you’re told. You’re going to sign the fucking treaty, and then you’re going to convince your brother to do the same. As long as you convince Jacob de la Puente to cooperate, then perhaps the verdict of his trial will be favorable.”

My stomach bottomed out. “What? What do you meanhis trial?”

Charles smiled, and it was a smile that would haunt me for days to come. “For his crimes, of course.”