Page 1 of Daring Wicked Love (Wicked Dade #2)

“Medusa was just cleared by security.” Isaac stood in the doorway. “She’s three and a half minutes out.”

“Unbelievable.” I slammed my laptop shut. “Have security on stand-by, ready to escort her out when necessary.”

“Already done.” Isaac disappeared with a curt nod.

Medusa, also known as Maura, had to be joking. Of all the days, of all the times, today was the day she decided to spontaneously drop by my office.

Then again, my entire day had been nothing more than a cluster-shitstorm, so why not have the Wicked Witch of the fucking West fly in on her broom to really top if off?

The cherry on the poison-iced cake.

My patience had long since expired when it came to dealing with Maura.

Our tiresome, drawn-out divorce squashed any dwindling respect I once had for her.

She turned an already unpleasant process into a living nightmare, sinking her teeth into everything she could and sucking the life out of me in the process.

All feelings I ever had for her, except for detest and loathing, vanished the second I found out she’d been lying to me for two whole years.

I could have seen past her greed, her selfishness, if it were only about money.

Money came and went, it was replaceable.

But my daughter was not.

Maura sauntered into my office without knocking.

“Your personal assistant informs me you only have ten minutes.” Her lips pinched into a pout as she shrugged off her coat and took several long seconds to fold it neatly, ensuring that every crease was smoothed out before setting it down.

“I never cared for Isaac and his attitude. He acts like he is superior to everyone, not what you need in a personal assistant. I much preferred your former assistant, the one with the mustache.”

“You mean the one you fucked on more than one occasion.”

“The very same.” She smiled without a hint of warmth. “At least he knew how to speak to a woman, unlike your latest assistant.”

“Isaac is well-versed in speaking to women,” I said. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t been taught how to speak to creatures from the underworld.”

“You’re comparing me to Satan now?”

“Satan is far too high a title for you. Think lower, much lower.”

“And here I thought we could have a civilized conversation. How silly of me to forget you are incapable of doing such a thing.” Maura inspected her red-polished fingernails with feigned boredom. “Doesn’t it get tiresome treating me like your mortal enemy?”

The only tiresome thing was being in the same room as her for longer than five seconds.

It was bizarre how the very person who used to make my pulse quicken was now the one who gave me a blinding headache just by hearing her voice.

I once believed, a very long time ago, that Maura was my future.

I believed she would be the reason I became a better person, the reason the wounds of my past would finally cease to keep me up at night.

I foolishly thought she was going to be the one to silence the constant thunder storming in my mind and clouding every decision I made.

The worst thing was that at the very beginning of our relationship, she did exactly that.

She didn’t look away from the broken ugliness writhing beneath my skin.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the moment her wedding ring slipped around her finger and cemented her at my side legally, she showed her true colors — the demon hiding beneath the stick-on, fluffy white angel wings.

Don’t get me wrong, I was no saint.

Fuck, I was more than a sinner. I’d done things that would have made the devil himself cringe, but not once had I hidden that part of me from her.

Medusa, on the other hand, had the unnatural ability of looking me in the eyes, pretending to love every side of me, while plunging her greedy fingers into the depths of my wallet and revealing her one and only true intention of marrying me.

It took me a long time to accept that she never loved me.

I was so blindsided growing the company and chasing revenge for my childhood trauma that I didn’t notice her fake adoration only bloomed brighter with each additional number in our bank account.

“Why don’t you save me the displeasure of your company and get to the point?” I twisted the black titanium ring on my right index finger. “I have work to do.”

She clicked her tongue. “Trust me when I tell you I’d rather be anywhere else than here. But seeing as you have refused to return any of my phone calls, you left me with no other choice but to drag myself here and speak to you face to face.”

“I’ve been busy.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Work had been a total disaster since Jaxon, my younger brother and fellow CEO, threatened to quit. The leak of such a threat got out before I could stop it, sending ripples of uncertainty to our shareholders and clients.

The whole thing was a near-fucking-disaster.

It took a lot to steady Jaxon’s nerves and get him to remain in the company — for now .

But he was still refusing to work alongside me; hell, he barely spoke to me anymore. Not that I could entirely blame him. The bullshit that went down a year ago between me, him, and his now wife was still too raw, too unresolved.

He wanted an apology and for me to admit I was wrong for trying to destroy his wife’s family name.

Unfortunately for him, he’d be waiting a long time if he thought I was going to do that willingly.

“As much as you dislike me, you can’t dodge my calls like some immature boy. It’s bad enough I have to live in this forsaken city for you, the least you could do is return my messages,” Maura snapped. “What if something was wrong with Penny, hm?”

My whole body went still as blood thrummed violently between my ears. “Is she okay?”

She sighed heavily. “It was hypothetical. Penny is fine. But this is my point, I need to be able to reach you in case something is wrong.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Maura, when it comes to my daughter, I will always return the call.”

She scoffed, raising my blood pressure.

“But in your many messages, you didn’t mention Penelope once.

” I reasoned with myself to remain calm.

I loathed her, more than I thought humanly possible, but she was still the mother of my child.

“The terms of our divorce were very clear. Our contact is to be about one thing and one thing only. I have no interest in your personal life.”

“I only thought you’d like to hear from me firsthand that I’m getting remarried.”

“Why do you think I’d give a shit about that?”

“Because my new husband-to-be is the owner of a banking tech firm,” she grinned excitedly, “and his company, well, his whole life for that matter, is based in New Zealand.”

Concreted lead weighed between my lungs as I twisted my ring again. “And?”

“We will be moving there to be with him.”

“ We ?” I no longer bothered to suppress my hatred. Flames burst to life as I pictured her taking Penelope on a plane and disappearing to the other side of the world. “You can move to the center of the fucking sun for all I care, but Penelope is going nowhere with you.”

I never wanted to be a father.

The very thought of spending my days chasing after a snot-nosed, sticky-fingered, crying machine who demanded attention twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week — fuck that .

I could think of a million and one other ways to spend my time.

Not to mention the lackluster father model in my own life. His lack of care for anything except the bottom of a vodka bottle assured me that bringing a child into the world was a disaster waiting to happen.

But the second Maura walked into my office three years ago with a bright-blue-eyed Penelope on her hip, I knew I was in deep trouble.

Long gone were my plans of a childless life.

Long gone was my determination to live and die alone.

Because from the moment I set eyes on my daughter, there wasn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do to ensure her happiness and safety.

I’d burn the entire world, country by country, to the ground and bathe in the ashes for her.

“Be reasonable,” Maura said tightly. “Think about what a better life she will have there.”

“This is me being reasonable,” I seethed. “She isn’t going.”

“We have already been looking at houses, and I found the perfect private boarding school. Kevin has connections with the school board, so she is guaranteed a place. It’ll be perfect for us.”

“If you set one foot on an airplane with my child, I will take great pleasure in having you arrested and charged with kidnapping.” I stood suddenly.

The room was closing in around me, the corners of my vision turned black as all I could think about was stopping her from stealing my whole world. “You’re not taking her from me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” She ran her manicured nails through her bleach-blonde hair.

“I’m sure we can work something out. She can spend her summers with you, if we don’t have plans, of course.

This summer won’t suit obviously, we have to get her acclimated to her new home.

Christmases are definitely out of the question, but we can figure something else out. ”

“I’d advise you to reconsider,” I said, lethally quiet, “or you’ll force my hand.”

“Are you threatening me?” She laughed. “Get a grip on yourself, Frederic. You weren’t even present in her life for the first two years.”

“Because you hid her from me!” I roared. “You only used her to get more money in the divorce and secure yourself monthly child allowance payments!”

Maura rolled her eyes, unbothered by my outburst. “I got what I was entitled to. Let’s not forget all the times you told me how much you didn’t want to be a father. Think of this as your way out. Kevin will be a perfect substitute.”

She was out of her goddamn mind.

My final thread snapped.

Our divorce agreement stated Maura and Penelope were to live in Ontario, giving me rights and access to my child. Though Maura threatened me with a custody battle a year ago because she didn’t want to live in Canada anymore, she folded quickly after I handed her another check.

When all was said and done, Maura cared more for the money than her own daughters’ welfare.

And the fact that she was even considering moving to New Zealand and breaking the terms of the settlement showed the true selfish ugliness hidden beneath all her cosmetic work.

I rounded the office table. “Is your lawyer still the same?”

She sucked air through her teeth. “Yes.”

I straightened my tie, busying my hands from reaching out and throttling her. “Advise him to expect to hear from mine first thing in the morning regarding a custody hearing.”

“Seriously?” Maura scoffed. “You’re really going to go down that route?”

“Yes.”

“But we have a flight to New Zealand on Saturday.”

“Cancel it,” I warned, taking pleasure in watching her unphased demeanor start to wither away.

No amount of Botox was able to hide her true feelings from me; unfortunately, I knew every inch of her inside and out.

The twitch of her fingers, the scrunching of her nose, and the way her lips rubbed together — she knew she wasn’t going to win with me, not this time.

“Penelope will be going nowhere with you unless a judge says so.”

“I have an interview with a potential client on Monday.” She tried and failed to keep her voice level.

“Kevin secured me the interview, it’s too big of an opportunity to cancel on them.

Plus, I have houses to look at, not to mention several wedding venues.

There’s too much to do before the wedding. ”

“Then you go. Penelope can stay here with me.”

“You’re going to keep her? All by yourself?” Maura cackled. “You’re hardly Father of the Year.”

Copper coated the inside of my mouth, my cheek bleeding as I sunk my teeth into the soft flesh.

Penelope needed a mother in her life, no matter how much of a selfish sorcière she was.

Killing her with my bare hands would have brought me a lifetime worth of pleasure, but for my daughter’s sake, I restrained myself.

One day, she’d get what she deserved.

One day.

Just not today.

“Fine,” Maura relented as she grabbed her coat. “I’ll fly back for the court hearing. I expect the judge will rule swiftly in my favor, considering I am her mother. So, I suggest you enjoy your last weeks with my daughter because after all this, I promise you that you won’t be seeing her again.”