Uncovering You 9: Liberation by Scarlett Edwards Page B

worse. I’ve dealt with his son. Hugh doesn’t hold a candle to Jeremy in any way. He’s less direct, sneakier. The only way he’ll get what he wants—whatever that may be—is if I respond to him.
    And if I simply shut him out? Well, that leaves him powerless. He’s bound by whatever rules Jeremy’s placed on him. If he’s trying to weasel his way out, somehow, through me, it‘s not going to happen.
    At least, not with my willing participation.
    “Two times, now,” he says softly. “That’s some lovely coloring you’ve got on your cheek. Tell me. Did my son give you that?”
    No .
    I touch my face. I’d done an impeccable job of covering up the tiny bruise this morning. There’s no way Hugh could have seen through it.
    I look over my shoulder. He has his hands steepled in front of him, fingers joined together to make an upside down V. He is the image of composure.
    “Goodbye, Hugh,” I say. “Don’t seek me out at work again.”
    “Goodbye, sweet Lilly,” he says. Just as I close the door, I hear him add, “We’ll be seeing each other much sooner than you imagine, I think.”
    ***
    On the drive home, I make no mention of my encounter with Hugh. Jeremy, occupied by a telephone conversation, does not say anything about it, either.
    It’s only when we pull up to the mansion that I decide to bring it up.
    “Your father came to see me again today,” I say. “He tried giving me that envelope from before.”
    “Damn,” Jeremy growls. “Really?”
    “You didn’t know?” I ask. “I thought you…”
    “No, I didn’t know.” Jeremy puts down his phone and looks at me. “Next time it happens, you come straight to me. You understand? I don’t care if I’m in a meeting or who I’m with. I don’t want him interacting with you. I’ll have to explain the rules to him again. It seems like your presence at Stonehart Industries has emboldened him.”
    “Emboldened him to do what?” I ask. “Jeremy, I have a right to know, after all this time, exactly what sort of arrangement you have with your father.”
    “It’s complicated,” he says off-handedly. He gets out as Simon opens the door. I follow. “I don’t want it troubling you.”
    “I’m sure I can keep up,” I say dryly. “Not knowing bothers me more.”
    “Ah, yes,” Jeremy says. “Always the curious one.” He strips off his jacket, hangs it up, and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. “Fine. I don’t mind telling you. Where do you want me to start?”
    “How about letting me know why the man you so despised in your childhood is a board member of your company?” I face Jeremy. “Doesn’t that strike you as a little bit odd?”
    “No, it strikes me as practical ,” Jeremy stresses. “I’m not one to waste talent. And say what you will about Hugh, he has good business sense. I mean, I inherited mine from someone. I don’t begrudge him that.”
    “But you took over his company in court,” I say. “You told me that was your most triumphant moment.”
    “True,” Jeremy admits. “It was when I first revealed myself to him and my brothers.”
    “And then?” I ask. “What happened to them?”
    “ They don’t matter,” Jeremy says, in a way that leaves absolutely no doubt. “They had too much…” he searches for the right word for a moment, “… misplaced pride. They refused to accept that their youngest sibling stripped them of all they had. They thought they could bargain with me when I laid down the rules for their continued employment.” Jeremy sneers. “Selfish pigs. Both of them learned exactly how unyielding I can be.” He snorts a laugh. “Comical, really. It was a trait I picked up from them.”
    “So they are…?”
    “Completely ruined,” Jeremy says. “Living in absolute poverty. One of them was somewhere in South America, last I heard. Neither has a penny to his name.”
    “What did you do?” I wonder.
    Jeremy winks. “I gave both of them criminal records.”
    “You forged them?