Page 159 of House of Payne

Mason

Mathew’s voice drones on in the background, but I have my back turned to him as I stand at the window.

Even though he’s on speaker, it feels like my father is in the office with us.

His presence is already suffocating.

I don’t even know why Mathew is here.

He shouldn’t be here, but he’s almost gleeful as he stands on the other side of the room, agreeing with everything my father says. He’s even chimed in with a few ideas, all of which my father has unsurprisingly shot down.

Mathew has never been one to use his head.

Of all the qualities he possesses, he doesn’t have a head for business. It’s one of the many reasons I’m the one that must take care of our problem.

Mathew will only make it worse.

Worse than getting so distracted, you couldn’t close a simple deal, and you let a woman get inside your head? Those are Mathew-level fuckups, and you know it.

I’m surprised my father hasn’t flown over here and ripped the door off its hinges on his way to crucify me. I expect him to burst in, veins bulging in his neck, and his face a dark and angry shade of red. I can’tremember the last time he was this pissed.

Can you blame him? You’ve been assuring him for months it’s all taken care of, and yet here you are, on the precipice of war, and you have no one to blame but yourself.

Fucking London.

I should’ve known she was trouble when I first laid eyes on her in the diner.

A smart man would’ve kept it professional.

A little too late for that, don’t you think? You’re not going to leave her to the mercy of your enemies.

I tell myself that London should’ve known better than to get involved with me and then sneak away, but the guilt churning in my stomach says otherwise.

No matter the cost, I can’t condemn her to that fate knowing it won’t be merciful or quick.

Frowning, I move to take a drink and pause when I realize the glass is empty. My frown deepens as I walk over to the tray with the decanter and pause. Mathew’s eyes are still on me, but he’s unusually quiet.

Bastard.

It figures he’d be around when everything is falling apart, almost as if he planned the whole thing.

Upon further reflection, I realize he isn’t smart enough or stupid enough to engineer any of this in the hopes of removing me from the equation. He doesn’t have the finesse or patience to put something like this together. He knows, head of the Payne empire or not, I wouldn’t hesitate to go after him if I found out he’d set me up.

Despite our rivalry, there are lines we don’t cross, and turning on each other is one of them.

Maybe he needs reminding.

I eye Mathew over and consider my next move carefully. His face gives nothing away.

Has he learned how to be a better liar during his time away?

It isn’t until I finish the drink I’m holding that I realize my father is calling my name.

I blink. “There’s no need for you to come down.”

“There is every need,” Jack says. “I knew you’d fuck up, but this is big, even for you. Luckily, I have business that still needs tending to. Clean this shit up, Mason.”

“I will.”