Page 48 of Culmination
“Ah, there’s that naivety Adrian so adored. A fool, my son was, and a fool you are now. Of course my life is more important.” The matter-of-fact way he says it unnerves me. “I am the backbone of this company. Hell, Iamthis company. Without me, there is no Morningstar. Without the baby you carry, there is no future for Morningstar.”
I ignore his threat as well as the desire to protectively cover my belly. “And that makes your life worth more than my father’s? My mother’s? More than mine?”
“That’s life, Gabriella. We’re all cogs in this machine. Some of us are essential. Others? Small pieces are inconsequential. If I’m gone, tens of thousands suffer. Your father? The only one left suffering is you. So, yes, my life over his.”
Though it’s never been in my nature, I lift my hand to slap another. Just before my palm makes contact on his cheek, Theo’s fingers circle around my wrist. He yanks me towards him until there’s no space left between us.
I’m staring up into a replica of the eyes of the man I love, and for the first time, I despise those eyes. Bile rises in my throat, but when those eyes turn cold, it recedes, because Rafe’s eyes could never pierce me with such disdain.
“Be careful, little girl. The last person who attempted to hurt me has been decaying in a cold grave for nearly five years. It’d be a pity to harm you, especially when you have so much left to give the world.”
His chilling words cause goose bumps to rise on my skin, and as I try to break away, he only holds me tighter.
“Let me go,” I insist, my nostrils flaring, hoping my face isn’t revealing the fear that’s crept up my spine at his close proximity.
“You should be thankful you’re alive, Gabriella. After all, there were supposed to be three bodies in the carnage that night. But you… Somehow, you keep escaping death.”
I set my chin. “So you admit you killed my parents.”
“You know, idle conversation isn’t usually my forte. However, you’ve come a long way from the meek little girl you portrayed grieving at the funeral, and I find myself wanting to explain.” A shadow crosses his features, and if I hadn’t been staring at him intently, I may have missed it. “Ms. Latham, we both know the truth about what happened that night. There’s no need to go over the details.” He scoffs. “Imagine my surprise when the news only mentioned two bodies and the traumatized daughter who was now an orphan.”
Tears threaten to rise, but I force them back. I cannot let this man affect me.
“Why did you kill them?”
He waves my question away as if it’s inconsequential. As if their lives were inconsequential. Just like he’s said. “I sent Adrian to the funeral. My idiotic son was supposed to eliminate you. No loose ends, he was ordered. Imagine the tragedy of the poor girl dying just days after her parents. The media would’ve had a field day. Yet here you are.”
“How did you plan on not raising suspicion? My parents’ murder and then mine? Why would you risk that? I knew nothing.”
“Yes, you would have me believe that, would you?” Theo’s dark eyes bore into mine. A devil’s smile crosses his lips, and God, it reminds me so much of his elder son that I nearly close my eyes to escape it. “Yes, a tragedy. Suicide, unable to cope with the loss of your mother and father. You were suddenly all alone in this world. No one would’ve blamed you. No one would’ve suspected. But no. Adrian took one look at you and fell hard. He tried to fool me, but he was always weak. Too much of his mother in him. But God, then my hired hand fell for you, too? I do suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise. You’re as beautiful as your mother was.”
“Don’t speak of her,” I hiss through clenched teeth. “You have no right.”
“Ah, finally. A little fire coming from you. It’s such a pity you’re finally finding your spirit when it’s nearly too late.”
As bile burns the back of my throat, I maintain my composure, resting a hand over my belly. “I have what you want. You won’t hurt me. Not until you get it.”
I’m calling his bluff, but it’s the only card I have.
There’s a crack in his steel demeanor—evident for the slightest of seconds before his lips twist into a sinister smile.
“I don’t care if my son is the father of your child. He’s dead, and even if he weren’t, he’s proven to be less of a man than I gave him credit for. He had so many chances to get rid of you. All he ever did was let me down.”
“All Adrian ever did wasexactlywhat you wanted.”
“If that were true, Gabriella, you’d be dead.”
Those three words echo all around us. Cold sweat runs down my spine.
His words rush back to me.
“I wasn’t trying to kill you, Gabriella. I was trying to save you.”
Adrian was telling the truth.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a brief moment as hot tears sting my cheeks. He was telling the truth and all I did was constantly accuse and turn my back on him. Not that I had any choice. Just… I should have known him better. Hell, if I’d ever known him at all.
“Ah, I see you’re finally realizing that perhaps my son wasn’t the terrible man you decided he was.” The amusement in his tone breaks through my mental anguish. “How unfortunate for you that he died before you learned the truth. He tried to save you. And in turn, you betrayed him.”
