Cruel Intentions

by Davis, Siobhan

  “Abigail Aveline Hearst-Manning. You have been in my life for as long as I can remember, but you’re more than just one of my best friends. You’re someone I’ve admired and respected for a very long time. Someone who is already an integral part of my family. More recently, I’ve realized how deep my feelings extend.”

  He forces a tear to his eye, and I want to shout, “someone give that man an Oscar,” but naturally, I keep that sentiment locked up inside.

  “I think I’ve always been in love with you,” he continues, “but I was too afraid to admit it even to myself.”

  I’ve got to hand it to Charlie. He’s putting on the performance of a lifetime. As he peers at me with adoring love-struck eyes, even I almost believe it. But I know better. This is my father’s Plan B; although I’m perplexed.

  While an arranged marriage to Charlie continues the elite bloodline, it does jack shit for my father’s business because Charlie’s father is a banker. He owns one of the state’s oldest and most reputable banking firms, but my father doesn’t need money for his auto-drive car program. He needs technical know-how, and an alliance with the Barrons doesn’t give him that. So, I’m confused why he believes this needs to happen.

  What am I missing?

  The sound of a commotion at the back of the room distracts me, but I can’t look away when Charlie is mid-proposal, so I keep my eyes fixed on his. “I love you, Abby, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Would you do me the enormous honor of agreeing to be my wife?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Hushed whisperings filter through the crowd as someone shouts, “Get the fuck away from me!”

  My head whips up, my eyes finding Cam’s across the packed room. Sawyer, Jackson, and Maverick are restraining him, and he’s livid. His eyes glimmer with confusion, anger, and hurt as he stares at me. Charlie tugs on my wrist, reclaiming my attention. His eyes warn me to stick with the plan, pleading with me to trust him, and I force all thoughts of Cam aside as I wet my dry lips and smile at the man on one knee in front of me.

  “I would be honored to marry you,” I dutifully reply, and the crowd breaks out into rapturous applause.

  Charlie stands, flashing me another adoring smile as he slips the ring on my finger.

  From the corner of my eye, I spy Trent glaring at both of us even as some brunette clings to his side.

  “This needs to seem real,” Charlie whispers as he draws me into his body. Clasping the nape of my neck, he pulls my mouth to his. He holds me firmly against his hard body, keeping one hand on my lower back and another at my neck, gently dipping me down as he kisses me passionately.

  I’m grateful he doesn’t push his tongue into my mouth, because that would take the charade a step too far, but he’s not holding back on this kiss, and holy hell, can Charlie Barron kiss.

  Must be all that practice with college girls, because I’m having trouble seeing when he pulls me back up and tears his lips from mine.

  The crowd whoops and hollers, and my father is grinning like the cat that got the cream. Charlie’s parents advance, enveloping us in hugs and loud congratulations, and I’m in a daze the whole time, wondering where Cam is and why the new elite are here. There is no way my father invited them so they must be gatecrashing.

  “Congratulations, Abigail,” my father says, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek. “I hope you’ll be very happy. Charles will make an excellent husband.” In my ear, he whispers, “And if you do anything to mess this arrangement up, you’ll be joining your mother in hell.”

  Charlie tucks me under his arm, as if he heard his horrid words, and I cling to him as my body trembles in very real fear.

  Daddy Dearest doesn’t realize I’ve already messed up his plans, and I’ve no idea what I’m going to do.

  Drew and Jane are next up, and it takes colossal willpower not to hiss and spit at my brother. “You are on my permanent shit list,” I tell him with a smile as I accept his congratulations.

  “Everything I’ve done is to protect you,” he says, returning my forced smile. “And you’ll see that in time.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jane whispers as she pulls me into a hug, both of us sporting huge fake grins. “I wanted to tell you, but Drew wouldn’t let me near you.”

  “We’ll talk later,” I say before allowing Charlie to pull me away.

  “On a scale of one to ten how mad are you?” he asks.

  “Oh,” I say, smiling up at him as if he hung the moon. “About a hundred.”

  “What is the meaning of this?” I hear my father say, and I glance over my shoulder at him. His face is slowly losing color as he glares at something or someone in the crowd.

  “Shit.” Charlie positions me in front of him, wrapping his arms around my waist as I watch a somewhat familiar tall man in a gray pinstripe suit advance through the crowd, followed by a lanky man, sporting glasses, who also looks a little familiar. Behind them are Cam, Jackson, Sawyer, and Maverick with two other dark-haired boys who look younger.

  “What the hell is going on?” I ask, leaning back to look up at Charlie. “And why do those men look familiar?”

  “The guy leading the charge is Atticus Anderson, and the man behind him is his brother-in-law, Wesley Marshall. I’m guessing we’re about to find out the real reason the new elite showed up in town.”

  “Guards!” my father shouts through the microphone. “Clear the room. The party’s over, folks. Thanks for coming, and be safe getting home.” He gestures at Maurio and Louis who are both standing off to one side, wiggling his fingers in a come hither motion as Atticus Anderson steps up onto the podium, snatching the microphone from my father’s hand.

  “Don’t be so hasty to leave,” he says, his voice projecting around the room. “Some of you will remember me. I’m Atticus Anderson. A descendant of one of the original founding fathers, and I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”

  Cam steps up onto the stage, leaning close to Atticus and whispering in his ear. Cam’s jaw is tense as he speaks, his harsh eyes locked on mine the entire time.

  The other guys step up behind them, and my father bristles as a line of armed men stand protectively to one side. I detect the bulge of guns strapped to their waists or shoved down the backs of their pants, and apprehension prickles my skin.

  Maurio and Louis reach for their guns, but my father shakes his head.

  Some men and women in the crowd have stopped, turning around to listen, but my father’s men are ruthlessly pushing people out of the ballroom whether or not they like it. “Whatever you’ve planned will have to happen without an audience, Atticus,” my father says, grabbing the mic back off him and handing it to Maurio.

  Atticus shrugs, a satisfied smile gracing his lips. “They’ll find out soon enough,” he cryptically says. “And the main players are all here.” He nods at Charlie’s dad before fixing cold eyes on Christian Montgomery.

  In all the confusion, I hadn’t noticed him and Trent making their way onto the stage. Trent’s date is nowhere to be seen, so I’m guessing he sent her home because this is elite business, and she’s no right to be here.

  The wide ballroom doors clang shut, and a row of my father’s guards line up in front, blocking the exit.

  “Fuck,” Charlie whispers in my ear. “This won’t end well.”

  Cam’s eyes lower to where Charlie’s hands hug my waist, and I’m tempted to escape his embrace, but I desperately need his strength, so I stay put even though it’s upsetting my lover.

  “We both know what you’re going to say,” Christian supplies, maneuvering into place beside my father. “And empty words mean nothing.”

  “Words aren’t empty where there’s proof,” Wesley Marshall, Cam’s father, says, speaking up for the first time.

  “Bullshit,” my father says. “You have nothing.”

  “We have the contents of your safe,” Atticus says, “and what a revelation that was.”

  My father laughs, but it’s humorless. “Nice try
, but I’m not buying it. My safe is impenetrable.”

  “Only because that’s what we wanted you to believe.” Atticus eyeballs an on-edge Drew. “If you don’t believe me, ask your son. He was involved.”

  A muscle clenches in Drew’s jaw, and my breathing has turned erratic. My brother might be on my shit list, but I want nothing to happen to him. I turn pleading eyes on Cam, but he’s still looking at me like he wants to strangle me.

  My father stares at Drew, seeing the truth in the sweat beads dotting his brow and the wild look in his eyes.

  All the blood drains from my father’s face, and he isn’t fast enough in disguising his panic.

  Atticus notices, grinning. “I’ve waited a long time for this day, Michael.” He steps right up to my father with no trace of fear. “You took everything from me, and now, I’ll return the favor.” Then he turns to Christian Montgomery. “And your day of reckoning will come too.”

  Atticus turns around, sending a sympathetic smile in Jackson’s direction as he holds out his hand.

  Wesley Marshall hands him a large brown envelope, and Atticus waves it in front of my father’s ghostly white face. “Genevieve came to see me before she passed because your wife had confided in her shortly before she died. Did you know Olivia had proof you murdered my wife? Is that why you arranged for her to have that car accident? Or was it when you realized you killed the wrong woman? That the love of my life was still on this Earth and planning to run away with me?”

  “What?” Maverick asks, stepping forward with a puzzled look on his face.

  Atticus steps over to his son, planting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I haven’t been fully truthful, son.” He looks to where Cam has moved beside the two younger boys. One of them is visibly upset, fighting tears, and Cam has his arm over his shoulder. “I’m sorry that any of you boys have to hear this, but nothing good comes from hiding the truth. Everyone in this room is about to learn that lesson.”

  He walks to the upset boy. “I loved your mother, son, but she wasn’t the love of my life. Emma always knew Olivia Manning was the only one for me, and if Olivia’d had a choice, she would’ve married me, but stupid elite bullshit, and that conniving asshole over there, stepped in our way.”

  My head is spinning, cluttered with questions, and I won’t waste this opportunity to find answers. “Did my mother love you in return?” I ask, and Atticus turns to face me as my father snaps at me to shut my mouth. I ignore him, grateful Anderson’s guards have their guns trained on him and that he can’t stop this without it turning into a bloodbath. While I know he doesn’t care about the majority of people in this room, he won’t risk injury to Drew, as his only male heir, even if he now knows of his betrayal.

  “Abigail, my dear.” Atticus steps toward me with a funny smile on his face, and I spot Cam’s shoulder’s tensing. “Your mother loved me. We were childhood sweethearts, and we were destined to marry until your father set his sights on Manning Motors and your mother. He deliberately seduced Olivia and knocked her up to get her away from me. I was heartbroken, but life moves on, so I married Emma. She was Olivia’s best friend, and I knew she’d always been secretly in love with me. It was a good marriage at the start, and things were good between us for those first few years.”

  He runs a hand through his hair, turning halfway to his boys with an apology in his eyes. “Until Olivia came to me for help. Michael was beating her, and he even stood by and watched while that monster raped her.” He glares at Christian, and my stomach sours. “Olivia feared for her life and yours.” His gaze bounces between me and Drew. “And I couldn’t abandon her when she needed me.”

  Charlie tightens his hold on my waist, and I wrap my hand around his forearm, clinging to him as I prepare myself for the bombs I know Atticus is planning to drop. “After we married other partners, we’d kept our distance from one another, but our feelings never changed. We began an affair—”

  “That’s why they stopped being friends,” I cut in, all the pieces forming in my head. “Your wife found out about it, didn’t she?”

  He nods. “Yes. She begged me to stay away from Olivia and I did, for a while, but I could never deny her anything, and we started seeing each other again, but we were more discreet this time. Or so we thought.” He glares at my father. “Do you want to take over this part of the story, or shall I go on?”

  “I’m glad you’ve used that word because a story is all this bullshit is,” my father seethes, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side.

  “Come now, Michael.” Atticus bravely slaps my father on the back. “At least have the balls to own up to your part. Genevieve gave me proof that confirms you murdered Emma. You paid for those pills in her name, and you forced them down her throat. Tell me, did you stay there and watch as her life force ebbed away?”

  “You fucking murdering bastard!” Cam lunges for my father, but Louis steps in front of him, pressing the muzzle of his gun into Cam’s chest.

  I break free of Charlie’s hold and run to Cam’s side, trying to pull him back. Louis is an unpredictable hothead, and I wouldn’t put it past him to shoot Cam deliberately to start a war.

  “He’s not worth it.” I tug on Cam’s arm. “Please, Cam. Walk away.”

  “He killed my mother!” he shouts, showing every emotion on his face.

  “What?” I stutter, as Charlie steps forward and pulls me back.

  “He really didn’t tell you, did he?” Atticus says, looking between me and Cam. “Camden Marshall isn’t his real name.” Atticus looks at Wesley, and his tone softens. “Camden Marshall was Wesley’s boy. He died when he was two.” Wesley hangs his head, and his shoulders heave. “My brother-in-law is notoriously private, and he kept the news out of the media. When I needed help, Wesley stepped in and allowed us to use his son’s identity to hide Kaiden so he could return to Rydeville and do what needed to be done.”

  “I fucking knew it!” Drew steps forward, jabbing his finger in Cam’s direction. “I fucking knew I knew you. How could you not tell me? You were my best friend!”

  “Until we were five,” Cam—Kaiden—says, unperturbed.

  “You could’ve at least told my sister!” he hisses, stalking forward and pushing his chest into Kaiden’s, confirming he’s known about me and him all along.

  “Okay.” Atticus separates them. “We’re getting a little ahead here. Step back, son.” Maverick pulls Kaiden back, and I stare at the guy I’m in love with, wondering if anything he’s told me or shown me is true.

  Atticus palms my face, reclaiming my attention.

  “Don’t touch her,” Kaiden says, and we lock eyes for the first time since the truth was outed. I see so much written on his face, but I don’t know what to believe.

  I can’t believe I’ve been sleeping with Kaiden Anderson, and I didn’t know it.

  I should’ve made the connection when I saw that picture in his room or when he slipped up and mentioned an older brother or when I met Maverick. Kaiden and Drew were joined at the hip when we were little, and while a lot of those memories are hazy now, Kaiden was a big part of my life at one time.

  I can’t believe he kept his real identity from me. Pain slices across my chest, and his betrayal cuts deep. I’m drowning, and Charlie is my only anchor right now. The only person in this room I trust. I look away from Kaiden, because I don’t want him to see how heartbroken I am.

  “Kaiden.” Atticus sends a warning look in his son’s direction, and he clams up, but he’s not happy about being reprimanded in front of everyone. The vein bulging in his neck and the fierce look in his eyes contest to that.

  “As I was saying, Abigail, your mother and I were together again, but your father found out, and that’s when he took my wife from me as punishment. Olivia was distraught.”

  “I remember,” I whisper. “She cried all the time.” I was only seven, but I’ll never forget her tears.

  “She blamed herself, as I did.” A muscle pops in his jaw. “But Emma was gone, and
I couldn’t bring her back, so my priorities shifted. I knew I had to get you all out of that house, away from that murdering bastard”—he snarls at my father—“and I needed to find a new home for my boys. One that didn’t remind them daily of what they’d lost.”

  He rubs a hand over his chest. “We had everything planned. We were going to take all you kids and move overseas, but we needed to bury the bastard first. Putting him in jail for Emma’s murder was the only way we’d be truly free, so Olivia got the evidence we needed, we bought a property in France, and booked open-ended flights.”

  He looks at me funny again, and this time, I read the expression.

  He’s torn.

  Like one part of him hates me and another part of him shows sympathy. “We would have succeeded if you hadn’t given the game away.”

  “Me?” I look between Kaiden and his father. “What did I do? I knew nothing about you and my mother! This is the first time I’m hearing it.”

  “You overheard your mother on the phone with me, talking about the new house. You blurted it out to your father, and he pieced it together from there.” An icy chill seeps into my bones. “You were the catalyst that ruined my life,” he adds. “I lost everything. My business. My wealth. My home. My reputation. My wife. The woman I planned to grow old with. My sanity."

  “She was only a kid, Dad,” Kaiden says, interjecting. “It wasn’t her fault.”

  “I see that now,” he quietly says, as I watch Louis slowly stepping back off the stage, his eyes darting to the side door. What the hell is he up to?

  “And you’re helping to put things right,” he cryptically says.

  “What have you done, you little bitch?” my father shouts.

  “Do not speak to Abby like that.” Kaiden glares at my father.