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“So, William Hastings hates you for selling the same product as him but cheaper?”

“Yes,” Matthew replied. “I haven’t seen any new developments come out of Hastings Laboratories in years, and they rely too much on this one drug. I think he’s suffered a big hit to his bottom line because of it.”

If what Noah had told me was true, it sounded like my father’s actions were sinking the Hastings’ company entirely. Whether Matthew knew that or not, I wasn’t sure. Still, I felt a sense of relief at his explanation. I took no joy from the fact that the Hastings’ business had suffered due to my dad’s actions, but it sounded like Matthew was simply trying to do the right thing.

He was also yet to mention my aunt. Like Noah, Matthew had focused only on the business side of the rivalry. But I now knew it was so much more than that. Maybe my father found it just as difficult to talk about as Noah.

I cautiously continued my questioning. “I understand there’s this history of business rivalry,” I said. “But I still don’t understand what it’s got to do with me. Why are you personally so against Noah and I dating? You warned me about him before I even met him.”

Matthew swallowed, and his eyes glassed over for a moment. He quickly glanced away before I could see his expression clearly. My question seemed to have hit a nerve. His throat bobbed as he swallowed again and slowly faced me once more.

“There’s more to the story.” He paused, but I didn’t press him as I could see he was going to tell me. He was just steeling himself for whatever it was he had to say. I sat silently, but I leaned forward slightly as I waited.

“My sister, Georgina, went to Hastings Laboratories one night.” As Matthew spoke, his eyes fell and his head lowered slightly. “It didn’t end well.”

I swallowed because this was what I’d wanted to hear more about, but seeing the pain in Matthew’s eyes, I quickly decided not to push my father for any more of an explanation.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I said softly. “I already know about the fire and the affair.”

“Affair?” Matthew’s eyes snapped to mine.

“Noah told me everything,” I explained. “He told me his father and your sister were having an affair. That’s why they were at the lab together the night of the fire.”

“That’s not true.” Although Matthew hadn’t raised his voice, his words came out so forcefully it was impossible to miss the certainty with which he spoke them.

I shook my head in confusion. “But Noah said...”

"Noah was just repeating what his grandfather told him,” Matthew replied. “William Hastings simply assumed my sister was having an affair with his son. He never would have believed what they were really up to.”

“So, if they weren’t having an affair, what was Georgina doing with Noah’s dad?”

Matthew let out a sigh. “It’s my fault she was there,” he said. “I thought that I could work with Liam Hastings to try and repair the rift between our families. Georgina was helping us. We wanted to put all the toxicity behind us so we could work together once we had more control of the companies. But we had to do it in secret because our parents never would have understood. Their hatred of one another was too ingrained.

“I’ve regretted trying to work with the Hastings family every day of my life since. All Liam and Georgina wanted was peace, and yet their deaths only drove our families further apart.”

He sat up a little straighter in his chair and took a deep breath, regaining his usual calm composure. “So, as you can imagine, this conflict between our families isn’t something I take lightly. I hope you can see why I didn’t want you anywhere near the Hastings boy. It felt too much like history repeating itself, and I don’t think I could endure the pain of losing you too.”

“I understand,” I said, nodding slowly. Both Noah and Matthew had lost so much because of their families already and were scared to lose any more. I didn’t want to be the cause of more pain for either of them.

“Given what you guys were up to, do you think the fire that killed them was an accident?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your grandfather thought William started the fire that destroyed his work all those years ago. You don’t suspect he started this one?”

Matthew shook his head. “I might not like William Hastings, but I know he would never risk his son that way.”

“And your father?” I hated asking the question, but it felt like it needed to be asked.

“I’ve considered the same thing many times myself, but I always come back to the fact that, despite their faults, neither of our parents would ever want to hurt their own flesh and blood. It was simply a tragic accident.”

He sounded so certain, but there was the tiniest flicker of concern in his gaze, and I had to wonder if perhaps my dad still wondered the same thing sometimes.

I glanced at my bowl. There was still some soup left, but I’d lost my appetite after talking about my aunt’s death.

“Do you have any pictures of Georgina?” I asked. “I’d love to see her.”

“Of course.” Matthew smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He flicked through it for a moment before turning it so I could see the screen. The picture on the display was of a young woman, maybe in her twenties. Her eyes were bright with mischief, and she looked a lot like Matthew. They both had the same dark hair and light-blue eyes. Matthew had told me before that I looked like her, and I thought I could see some similarities. We shared the same eyes but also the same smile and small button nose.