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I press my lips together as her breathing calms. Her brows finally relax, and her eyes shrink to normal proportions.
“This is the part where you beg me to keep your secrets,” Denny snarks.
“I did…Denny.”
“What?” she asks, confused.
“I loved you. I have a hard time saying it because the people I love most tend to leave me. Of course, I didn’t want another mother. It would’ve been too painful to lose you, too. Up until about ten minutes ago, you were my friend. Friendship is the base of some of the strongest relationships, even moresignificant than bloodlines and family.” I point right at her. “But thank you for showing me your true colors. I don’t need to pity you anymore.”
Denny glances over my shoulder. “She makes you weak, boy.”
I turn to see Lennox standing in the doorway in just my shirt, clutching tightly to an envelope. She’s staring at Denny. If looks could kill, Denny would be a limp body on the ground.
Instead, she keeps talking. “A better man would at least try to defend what’s his. You were never cut out to lead this company. There’s not an ounce of Harrison in you.”
“You sure are obsessed with the man you claim to hate,” I say. “Like I said,poison.”
“Shut up,” Denny snaps back. “And by the way, Lennox,thank you.I had my suspicions, but your little tip before the charity dinner really helped put things in place. I thought I’d have to get rid of you, but it’s been kind of fun watching you ruin your husband. I can always rely on your loose lips to get you in trouble.” She winks.
Lennox takes a few angry steps towards Denny and ends up right by my side. Her fists ball up. “You snake. Kat told me you set me up for that article, and you sent Richard over to my table that night at the charity event, too, didn’t you? You told him to make me think the merger had gone through so I’d say whatever.”
Denny smiles. “And tipped the server an outrageous amount to keep your champagne glass full all night. Too fucking easy. You’re all just puppets.”
“Get the fuck out, Denny,” I roar, finally hearing enough.
“I thought I made it clear when I said this was my office now.”
“Get out!”I bellow, making both Denny and Lennox jump. “Call your lawyer. You want a fight? You got one. Good luck toyou. But as of right now, you’re not the CEO, and you’re not an heiress. You’re nothing but fired. Get the fuck out of my sight.” My clenched fists and throbbing temples must be enough warning because Denny, without another word, brushes past us and exits the office, a sickening smile on her face.
The moment she’s gone, I pick up the DNA test she left behind, trying to make sense of the paperwork. Outside of the “no match” at the top of the document, it’s just a lot of medical jargon I don’t understand.
“This is what you were trying to tell me, isn’t it?” I ask, spinning around to face Lennox.
She nods somberly. “I didn’t lie to you. I had my suspicions but never proof.”
I hold up the paper. “Here’s proof.”
“I didn’t want you to be mad, Dex.”
Lennox has never lied to me before. Her honesty is my favorite thing about her, and admittedly, I feel a little betrayed. But at the same time, how could she explain? To walk into all of this as a stranger and have to shatter everything I thought I knew about my family…how could I ask that of her?
“I’m not mad at you, Lennox,” I interrupt. “I get it. Some secrets aren’t yours to share.”
She closes the space between us and weaves her fingers in mine. Squeezing my hand hard, she adds, “Not at me, Dex. I didn’t want you to be mad at your grandma. She had her reasons. I asked you to read the letters because they tell her story. She left them in plain sight in her office. Come to think of it, she probablywantedsomeone to find that box of letters. She wanted someone to know her real story.”
I’m trying not to be angry. All that time Grandma preached loyalty and love, yet she lied to me. I look at Lennox, her soft brown eyes calming me. “I never knew my father. Now, I don’tknow my grandfather. All I have is what Grandma told me…except now she’s a liar.”
“I knew your grandpa,” Lennox says with a small smile.
I blink at her. “You’re suggesting Jacob?—”
“Not suggesting.Confirming.” Lennox pulls me by my hand to the sofa, guiding me to sit. She hands me the letter, now wrinkled where she was clutching it so hard. “I’ve been reading the letters for over a month now, piecing the story together. Jacob used to write these tragic poems about ‘Daisy’ and how he missed out on his long-lost love. When I met your grandma, I assumed they were about her.” Lennox taps her temple. “It dawned on me tonight that he wasn’t writing about your grandma. He was writing about his daughter. The baby he never got to meet.”
My chest constricts, the familiar ache anytime someone brings up my mom. I hate this topic. I hate longing for what I can’t have. No matter how much money I have, I can’t turn back time and save the years with my mother that I was robbed of.
“What’re you saying, Len?”
“I was poring over that box, trying to find the perfect Dottie letter to begin to explain everything. But when you left a few moments ago, I foundthis.” She points to the letter in my hands. “It’s the only letter in the box that wastoDottie, notfromher. She kept this close because it must’ve meant a lot to her. This letter has all your answers, Dex. I promise.” She tilts her head to the side, studying my expression.