Page 97 of Vow to Hate You

“Can’t what?” I asked. “I didn’t do anything. You heard those charges. He dug the hole himself. It’s not my fault he’s a stupid bastard.”

“You’re saying you had nothing to do with this?”

“I’m not saying that either.”

She shook her head. “You’re ridiculous. All he did was touch my wrist. How did you even do it?”

“You know how good Ash is with computers. Even with owning a security company, Grant Hammond couldn’t hide his secrets well enough. It only took Ash a week to dig it all up.”

She rolled her eyes. “What if his business wasn’t dirty? What would you have done then?”

“I would have still ruined him,” I stated, with no remorse. “You forget how much weight my last name carries in this city. When I threatened him with it, I meant every fucking word.”

She scoffed. “A little over-the-top, don’t you think?”

“Natalia. Nothing is over-the-top when it comes to you.”

The tension fizzled slightly when my phone went off. I grabbed it from the center console, seeing Kal’s name on the screen.

“I’m about to walk in,” I told him.

“Damian, I’m sorry, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer?—”

“Who?” I snapped, my gut knotting.

Kal hesitated. “Your dad. He’s here, in your office.”

I froze, dread spreading through my limbs. “What?”

“He showed up and threatened his way in. He won’t leave.”

“Fuck,” I cursed, glancing at Talie. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked when I hung up.

I put the keys back into the ignition. “I need to deal with something. You can drive home, or I’ll have Kal take you if you want.”

“What happened?” she pressed.

“I’ll talk to you about it once I figure it out.” If I told her my father was here, she’d want to come in too, and I didn’t want her anywhere near this.

She frowned. “You won’t tell me?”

“I will later,” I said, giving her a firm look. “Do you want to drive, or should I call Kal?”

She scowled, looking ready to argue, but she must have guessed I wasn’t budging on this because she finally sagged back and sighed. “I’ll drive. But you better tell me.”

“I will.”

I leaned over, giving her a quick kiss. “Go home, Talie. I’ll see you later.”

Pushing the door open, my heart raced as I jogged to the employee entrance. I glanced over my shoulder to see Talie staring at me, still sitting in the passenger seat. Cursing under my breath, I slowed down when Kal opened the door for me.

“I’m sorry,” Kal rushed out, panic in his eyes. “He shoved right past me after announcing who he was.”

“It’s not your fault,” I muttered. “My wife is sitting in my car. Do not let her come in. Understand?”

Kal stared at me, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, of course.”

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