Page 84 of Twice as Forbidden

My skin crawls, and my stomach churns at the thought of ever touching someone so vile. “What does any of this have to do with Vince and the ledger?”

Craig tosses a stack of printed emails onto my desk. “I’d tell you to sit down and read through these if you have the time, but it would take a while. To sum it up, she’s the mastermind behind all this.”

I flip through a few pages, my mind spinning. Shock, confusion, fury… the weight of it builds with every email I skim.

“Seems they both share a hatred for Daddy Burt,” Craig continues. “Veronica for not getting the wealth she thought she deserved. And her son? For the life he was meant to have, stolen from him.”

“Still, why is this my fucking problem?” I snap, anger bubbling to the surface.

“Because you hold the key to everything they want.”

The ledger.

“While everyone thought Vince was attending an elite school, he was actually being trained. He infiltrated your company and sabotaged the system from within.” He pauses and tosses a photo onto my desk. I pick it up, and read the name typed under it. Jethro Brock. Even through the heavy disguise, I can identify those cold eyes of his. Craig continues. “My guess is that it was a diversion to distract you while they retrieved the ledger. Once he pulled that off, they figured they were ready for the final stage of their plan. Then Noah came home with Georgia, and when Vince got wind of what was happening behind closed doors, they saw their opportunity.”

“So... what? They thought they’d blackmail Georgia, get the ledger, and sell the next level of the program as their own, and no one would bat a fucking eye?”

“That was one option. Veronica, however, has this twisted fantasy that you two will reunite. That you’ll pair up and bring the medical coding program to life together.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “And why the fuck would I do that when I already run a multibillion-dollar company?” My skin crawls at the very thought.

“Because if you didn’t, they had a plan B.”

My fists clench. “And that was…?”

“They’d get rid of Georgia. Veronica is insanely jealous of the girl who brought you to your knees. Then they’d expose you, leak the videos, and ruin your career, your name, your entire life. And when you had nothing left, she figured you’d crawl back to her.”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, dragging a hand down my face. “And Burt? I don’t believe he’s completely in the dark about this.”

“That’s the thing—” he replies, his tone shifting, “Burt hasn’t been seen in weeks.”

“Because that coward is fucking hiding,” I spit.

“No.” His next words land like a hammer. “My guess? He’s dead.”

Noah’s face twists in disbelief. “The fuck? Why? That makes no sense.”

I wipe the blood from my lip and glare at Noah. “Vince isn’t working alone. His mother is helping him. Listen, I can’t get into all the details right now,” I snap, my patience running thin.

He throws his hands up in frustration. “You’re throwing a lot of shit at me right now. I think you at least owe me the cliff notes.”

I take a steady breath, knowing there’s no way to sugarcoat this. “Veronica and I dated in college.”

“What?” His voice spikes with disbelief. “Did Mom know?”

“Yes,” I admit, bracing for his reaction.

Noah grabs fistfuls of his already unruly hair and begins to pace. When he finally turns around, his eyes are piercing. “Why have you never said anything?”

“Because it’s ancient history.”

“Is it, though?”

He’s got me there. I let out a sharp breath. “Son, listen—” I reach for him, but he jolts his shoulder back, avoiding my touch.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” he snaps. “You’re no father.”

His words slice through me, but I push the pain aside. “Fair enough,” I concede, stepping back to give him space. “But there are more important matters at hand. Georgia could be in danger.”

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