Page 169 of His Forsaken Alpha

“Of course you won’t,” Vaughn snapped.“The golden childwill take care of you, Papa.”

“Not here, Vaughn,” Wilder said, jaw tight.

“Oh, it’s clear that Dad told his attorney quite a bit considering what was just read. He knew about Papa’s lover… I bet there’s all kinds of family secrets he knows about. Maybe even a few we haven’t heard yet.” Vaughn sat up straighter. “Have any good ones to share, Max, old boy?”

Max rose from his chair, ignoring Vaughn’s question. “I’ll allow you all a moment to discuss things.” He circled the table and exited as quickly as his thick legs could get him outside theroom. The door closed with a thud, trapping them all inside with Vaughn’s fury.

“I don’t want the house, Papa. You should have it,” Wilder said.

I don’t want to be haunted by the ghost of Warden Jaymes or the life we shared there.“I don’t want it either. There are too many bad memories.” Wynter sighed. “Though, I might need a place to land temporarily until I can figure out where I go.”

“You can stay with us as long as you need,” Wilder murmured.

“I don’t want to keep abusing your hospitality… and I doubt Avery wants his papa-in-law hovering around forever.” Wynter smiled wistfully. “Though, I don’t dislike having such easy access to my newest grandson.”

Wynter squeezed Wilder’s arm, thankful. Slowly, he turned to eye Vaughn. “Perhapsyoushould take the house.”

Vaughn scowled. “What the fuck would I do with that big old mausoleum?”

Wynter shrugged. “I don’t know… but that garage full of cars is there and you’ll need someplace to house all those if not that property. Who knows? You might have a family of your own someday soon.”

“I’d rather sell them all and be done with it,” Vaughn said. “I don’t want the houseora family, for that matter.”

“Then perhaps we sell it,” Wilder said. “And divide the profits evenly b?—?”

“Evenly?”Vaughn asked, sneering. “Haven’t you gotten enough? He wasn’t evenyourfather.”

“If you’d allowed me to finish,” Wilder barked. “Evenlybetween you and Papa.It would give Papa the means to get his own home and the rest would be…his son’s.”

“What about the stocks,Wilder?”Vaughn asked, jumping from the chair. “He gave you the controlling interest of a company that should be mine.”

“He chose his successor,” Wilder said. “I don’t want to fight about this again, Vaughn.”

Vaughn chuckled mirthlessly. “The one thing I actually wanted—and he gave it to you.”

“The last time he handed me stock, I split it with you, as I recall. I have every intention of doing the same this time, unless you give me reason not to trust you with it.”

“Not to trust me with it?”Vaughn asked. “I’m the rightful heir and can’t be trusted? You narcissistic bastard.”

“I’ve already told you Wilder’s as much a Jaymes as you,” Wynter spat under his breath. It was afamilycompany… and regardless, they were family, for better or worse.

“Narcissistic?”Wilder bellowed, one finger jabbing into the middle of Vaughn’s chest. “That’s rich coming fromyou!”

Wynter whistled loudly, getting both boys’ attention. They whipped their angry stares his way. “Your relationship is more valuable than that company. Don’t allow him to manipulate you from the grave.”

“Says the man who bent over backward to ensureoneson got the CEO’s chair. Fuck the other two, right? Family doesn’t matter to the Jaymeses.Never has.”

Wynter clenched his jaw. There were tiny slivers of truth in what Vaughn said, enough he couldn’t find the words to argue them. “Do you remember just a few months ago? When you and Wilder stood shoulder to shoulder against your father?”

Vaughn’s eyes narrowed.

“You threatened to leave the company if Warden removed Wilder as CEO. I saw my two young alphas on the same sidefor the first time, and while I was upset by the fighting, I also felt pride seeing you two working together for once. You won that battle, and you could win more in the days and months to come—as long as you don’t allow Warden’s final manipulation to destroy whatever relationship you were building before his death.”

Wilder lowered his hands, the fight leaving him—but Vaughn didn’t seem ready to give in. “It was a mistake to think I could find any common groundwith a bastard.We’re barely brothers.”

“At least we’re notcousin-brothers,”Wilder snapped back angrily, clearly not as calm as Wynter had assumed.

Wynter gasped, stung by the comment. Vaughn’s eyes widened with pain before they hooded, his mouth twisted with contempt.

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