Page 134 of Merry Fake Bride

“No? You’re saying no to me after—you know what, I came here to see my in-laws and I’m going to do just that.”

“No!” I suddenly reconnect with my body and lunge forward as Axel starts toward the house, grabbing his arm. “Don’t! I’ll come with you, I’ll come! Just leave them alone!”

34

KAIRO

“You’re going to rot for this, do you hear me? You’re going down and I’m making sure that when the cell doors slam closed behind you, you’ll never hear them open ever again!” Ryan’s face is almost purple from the sheer volume he’s yelling at, repeatedly slamming his hand against the table we’re seated at.

“Ryan—”

“No! You don’t talk. I talk! Have you got any idea how many lives you’ve uprooted because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants? How every one of us is going to be under the same magnifying glass because the fucking CEO wasfuckinga potential business acquisition? And on top of that, you married her! The conflict of interest basically writes its fucking self becauseyouordered our lawyers not to fight that land appeal, and she won! So we can add fucking fraud to the list! Every deal we’ve ever made is going to be picked apart, every client or acquisition that felt even ahintof flirting is going to take this to trial, and you know what? They’ll fucking win! Everything your father built, everything this company relies on, is crumbling because of you, Kairo!”

No one else around the table says a word.

Everyone’s been pulled from dinners, story time with their kids and more to be here while Ryan explodes and the rest of the Silver Canopy board stares at me with a mix of defeat and hatred.

I don’t blame them.

They’re right.

Deep down, I knew this would always be the outcome when someone found out. I just didn’t expect it so soon.

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” Ryan rages on, but as soon as I open my mouth, he launches into another tirade. “We’re already on the brink with the deal thatyoulost, and now, this close to Christmas, we can say goodbye to those bonuses. Goodbye to any hope of making it to the New Year in the green and why? For a fucking woman? You know this looks like you plotted to undermine us from the start, right? Every time you dug in your heels, claiming some moral struggle against your father’s memory? It was all bullshit, wasn’t it? Our lawyers are going to pick you apart until there’s nothing left but the marrow of your bones if I don’t kill you first!”

Silence falls.

Ryan pants, the tirade taking it out of him, and he points one thick finger at me. “How are you going to fix this?”

I slowly look at them all in turn.

Erin was on a date, judging by her dress.

Donald is still in his pajamas.

Harvey has spent the entire meeting sending countless emails.

Penny has her phone glued to her ear, and Trent sits next to my mother while she sits, woefully silent, staring at me like my presence is a bigger betrayal.

I know what I should say. I should defend myself, come up with a plan to save the company and the reputation of everyone working here.

Tell them it wasn’t intentional.

But listening to Ryan’s rant alerted me to one single realization.

I don’tcare.

I don’t care about this company that has grown from painful, underhanded deals since its inception.

I don’t care about my father’s reputation because he held no love for me and his final act was to scar me.

I don’t care about the people around this table who have likely done worse than me and simply not been caught.

The only people who will truly suffer are our employees.

I care about Devon.

I care about how she makes me feel, how she makes me want to be a better, decent man.