This Cruel Love

“Bullshit. Jackson had nothing to do with this! He wouldn’t do this to me.”

I couldn’t bring myself to think the worst about him. It couldn’t possibly be an act, not after the stories Sylvie had told me, and the bond we’d forged since our time together. I refused to believe it was all fake.

“For God’s sake, open your goddamn eyes, sis. The guy’s

a head case, a certified nut job. He wanted to ruin you and he has. He wanted to get back at Dad, and I’m pretty sure he’s achieved that too. When are you gonna wake up and smell the bullshit? He used you. He used both of us. Now he’ll go after Nate. He won’t stop until he’s destroyed everything that’s good in our lives.”

“No. You’re wrong. He’s not like that. This wasn’t him. I swear on my life, he hasn’t done this, Trav.” A switch flicked in my brain, and I suddenly felt like this was the last place I wanted to be. “You know what? Screw you. Screw all of you. You don’t know shit about us, and quite frankly, I don’t care. I know the truth. This crap…” I snatched the USB out of his hand and held it up to his face, “…Someone else took this. I don’t know who, but trust me, when I find out, they’ll be sorry.”

“It’s your boyfriend that’s gonna be sorry. Tell him when I get my hands on him, they’ll need dental records to identify his sorry ass.”

I pushed Travis with both my hands to get him out of the way, and because it was the next best thing to slapping him for what he’d said about Jackson.

“You touch him and I’ll never speak to you again.”

I marched down the corridor, heading out of Dad’s office, and making sure to avoid looking in the direction of the board room. So much for networking. I doubted anyone would want to work with me again after seeing my ass on display. But deep down, I couldn’t really give a shit about work. I had bigger issues to deal with. The first being, how the hell had a man that claimed his office was his empire, his kingdom, let a secret video of us leak out? Was he really as innocent as I proclaimed him to be? Could I handle it if I found out he wasn’t?

Throughout the drive over to the club, pure anger began to seep through my pores. I couldn’t deny I was fuming, and all of that rage was directing itself towards Jackson. How the hell had a video of us been recorded, let alone sent out to my father for every Tom, Dick, and Harry in his boardroom to see? I was beyond pissed that every man in my life seemed to want to fuck me over these days. Maybe a serious dose of alone time was needed. But then a stab of pain hit me at the thought of walking away from Jackson. I doubted I’d fair as well as I had when I walked away from Justin. Something told me he wouldn’t be that easy to forget.

As I slammed the doors of the club open, they banged against the plaster of the wall. Marching in, I was met by a startled looking Cillian.

“Woah, blondie. You look like you want to high five someone… in the face… with this chair.”

“Where is he?” I took deep breaths in through my nose to try and settle my growing rage that was bubbling out of control. It wasn’t really helping.

“I’m here. What the hell happened?” Jackson was leaning in the doorway that led to the stairs and his office space at the back. He didn’t look like a man who’d been avenged. In fact, it was obvious from his relaxed body language that he didn’t have a clue what had gone on this morning. So much for Travis’s theory.

“I think you’re gonna need to sit down for this,” I said, stomping over to the bar and pouring myself a generous amount of whiskey.

“Hey, no drinking. Whatever it is, you don’t need that shit.” I knew Jackson meant well, but right then I needed that drink to steady my nerves and calm the beast inside me that was ready to explode. I was seconds away from full Hulk mode.

“Just one, I swear. You’ll overlook it when you hear what I’ve been through this morning. You might even need one yourself.”

“I said no.” He grabbed the drink out of my hand and threw it down the sink, slamming the glass onto the bar as he glared at me.

I met his anger with my own and slammed the USB down onto the bar. I held my breath as they both looked at it, then back at me like I was going insane.

“What’s on the USB?” Jackson asked.

Was he testing me? My gut instinct said no, but I was still wary of my skills for reading people correctly after the debacle that was my relationship with Justin.

“You tell me, Jackson.”

He frowned and came to sit on the stool next to Cill.

“If I had a fricking clue what it was I’d tell you, but I don’t. So, enough with the cloak and dagger stuff, angel. Just spit it out.”

I was shaking all over as I tried to conjure up my most confident, assertive voice to speak.

“That, right there, is a delightfully fucked up home video of you and me. Taken right here in your office last week.”

His eyes grew wide as the cogs in his brain started turning and the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place.

“Oh, yes. Stuff you wouldn’t want your grandma to see. Thank God mine’s dead, but my dad and brother still got the pleasure, along with every board member in my dad’s company. I don’t even know if that’s the only copy. For all I know, my mum is settling down with her coffee morning buddies to watch us right now. We certainly put on a good show.”

I gulped down a sob as my voice cut off. I knew Jackson wasn’t behind this. Any fool could see he was as clueless about it all as I was, but I couldn’t let him get off scott-free. I had to vent my anger somewhere, and the fact it was his office and lack of security that had been my downfall today, made him my number one target.

“How could you, Jackson?”