Page 82 of The Phyre that Burns
“I’m ready to leave when you are,” she said, and I nodded.
I couldn’t leave without confronting my father. He’d been getting away with cheating on my mother, right under her nose, for over three decades, and even had a child. My mother was far from perfect, but she didn’t deserve this.
“I need to talk to my father for a minute. We can leave after that.”
Her eyes showed concern as I kissed her forehead before going in search of my father. I found him not too far from our table, talking with a few of his friends.
“Gentlemen, it’s good to see you all. I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I grab my father for a few minutes?”
“Of course,” one of them said. “We’ll be here when you’re done.”
My father followed me to a corner, and I didn’t waste a moment’s time.
“Linda? Of all the women to have an affair and a child with, you chose Linda. A woman who works for our family, but who Ma views as family, and quite possibly a friend.”
“Son—”
“Does Ma know?” He shook his head. “You’re disgusting.”
I started to walk away, but he put his hand against my chest.
“Wait. Let me explain.”
“As if anything you say would make this okay.”
“It won’t, but I need to say this.”
“I would ventureto say the majority of men in that banquet hall have a mistress or two,” I commented after Phyre told me the conversation he’d overheard between his father and a woman who had worked for their family for years.
We’d just left his mother’s birthday party and were on our way to his house. I could tell something was bothering him as soon as he returned to the table after looking for his father. I thought he might have run into Kavia, but this was even worse.
“I’m sure they do, but that doesn’t make this any easier to process.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t, and I didn’t say that to be callous, but a lot of wealthy men take advantage of their status.”
“Maybe if they’d stop with these arranged marriages and let people marry who the fuck they want, it would be easier to be faithful.”
“Do you think that’s why your father cheated?”
“It is . . . at least that’s what he told me.”
“Oh, wow. What did he say?”
“Apparently, he’s been in love with Linda since he was a teenager. Her family was poor and not a part ofThe Collective, so his parents would never approve of her. He and my mother were promised to each other and went through with the marriage. He stopped seeing Linda for a while, but he said he was miserable. Linda had tried to move on with her life without him, but he couldn’t bear to see her with anyone else. Her cooking skills were excellent, so he convinced my mother she needed a cook so she’d have more time to focus on us and more important things. My mother agreed, and they hired Linda.”
“That’s . . . wow. That’s unbelievable. They’ve been doing this right under her nose all this time. I’m not very fond of your mother, but I feel bad for her.”
“She has many flaws, but this, she doesn’t deserve. And get this, our brother works with Phoenix.”
I gasped. This was too much. Mr. Jordan should’ve been ashamed of himself for all the secrets and lies.
“Oh my God. How do you think Phoenix will feel?”
“I don’t know, but I gave my father thirty days to tell her and my mother everything.”
“You think he’ll do it?”
“It’s either him or me, and I think he’d rather they hear it from him.”
