Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Scandals 3)

Leigh and I bounced a few more ideas around, but we really couldn’t come up with anything solid based on what she overheard. It did seem to confirm that my father didn’t just fall in love with Leigh’s mother—he used his new marriage to get rid of my mother. He could have kicked her out at any time, but he did more than just expunge her from his life—he broke her. There had to be a reason for that, and it sounded like part of his plan involved my sister. I forced myself to bottle everything up for Jenny’s sake when I wanted to confront my father. Biting my tongue didn’t seem to help anything—my father still planned to come for her. It was bad enough that Leigh was living under his roof. I sure as fuck wasn’t going to allow my father to pull Jenny into whatever twisted game he was playing.

At least I know it’s coming, so I have an advantage. I should be able to get a few steps ahead of him—for once in my life.

Leigh and I stayed at the villa for several hours before I returned home. Jenny and my mother were asleep, but I had some things I needed to take care of—no matter how late it was. I had already consulted with an attorney, and I knew that the only way my father could force Jenny to move back to Sinn Manor was by gaining custody. My mother would be instrumental in making sure that didn’t happen. I just hoped she had enough willpower to stand up to my father—he might have broken her, but Jenny was still her daughter. There had to be some maternal instincts in there somewhere. She had to know that my father couldn’t have Jenny’s best interests in mind after finally seeing what kind of cruel monster he could be.

It took her a long time to see the man I always knew he was.

I didn’t get a lot of sleep after making preparations, and I really wasn’t in the mood for more meetings at work, but that was all my morning consisted of. I spent some time with my team after lunch to make sure everything was moving along—basically earning my check—and then I called Addison Regan to let her know there was a good chance we would need her services soon. She promised to draw up the paperwork and send it to me by the end of the day. The only thing that would be needed was my mother’s signature.

Rather than waiting for my father to file a custody suit, we were getting in front of it, and having my mother named as Jenny’s legal guardian. My father could challenge it, but it would stop him from being able to file for an emergency custody hearing. It was the start of having the case tied up in court until Jenny turned eighteen, and my father no longer had any way to get custody of her. It wasn’t necessary as long as my father kept his distance, but Leigh’s information had given me a damn good reason to antagonize him—otherwise, we would get caught with our pants down when my father made his move.

I hate the fact that Leigh is in the devil’s lair, but this information is very beneficial.

The rest of the afternoon was spent dealing with some stuff at work. I checked in with Leigh to see if we could meet after she finished her shift, but she had a few assignments that needed her attention. I’m sure she was behind because I had been consuming a lot of her time—not that I thought she minded. It was probably for the best. I needed to sit down and talk with my mother. I had to convince her to sign the paperwork, and the sooner it was filed, the better. I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation, but it was unavoidable. I mentally prepared for it the entire way home. Jenny wasn’t there when I arrived, which was another positive in my favor. I didn’t want to worry her unless I had to.

“Mom?” I knocked on my mother’s door and pushed it open.

“Hey Damien.” She was lying in bed, but I got a half-smile when she looked up at me.

“Did you eat anything today?” I pulled a chair over to the edge of the bed and took a seat next to her.

“Yeah, a little bit.” She nodded and started to sit up. “I promise I’m not going to just lay in this bed all day for the rest of my life—I’ve just been so tired lately.”

“It’s okay.” I reached over and patted her hand. “I went through a tough time myself after Caroline’s accident.”

“You weren’t too stubborn to talk to someone about it…” She sighed. “Maybe I need to make an appointment.”

“I did everything I could, but the psychiatrist just wanted me to pop pills—ultimately, I had to find my own way to come to terms with it.” I looked down and exhaled sharply.

“What do you have there?” My mother motioned to the paperwork in my hand.

“Custody paperwork” I laid it on the bed beside her and reached for a pen. “For Jenny.”

“Do you really think that is necessary?” She picked up the paperwork and stared at it.

“You said yourself that he told you she was supposed to stay at Sinn Manor after you moved out.” I shrugged. “We can both agree that isn’t in her best interests.”

“I don’t know…” My mother flipped the page. “Maybe she would be better off with him—I’m not doing anything to take care of her right now.”

“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “First, she’s perfectly fine taking care of herself. Second—how could you even say that? After everything he did to you?”

“He’s still her father.” My mother looked up from the paperwork. “I know you were never close with him, but he still loves you…”

Wow, this is going to be a lot harder than I realized. She still hasn’t opened her eyes—not fully.

“Mom, he’s a fucking asshole.” My words came out before I even thought about what I was about to say. “He treated me like shit my whole life!”

“He was hard on you because he wanted to make you stronger.” She grimaced. “He wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“How about when he convinced my grandfather to name him as the next CEO of Sinn Technology?” I growled under my breath. “How did taking what was rightfully mine make me stronger?”

“You were in no condition to run that company.” My mother looked down, and I saw tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “After Caroline’s accident—you…”

“Sinn Technology was the only thing I cared about after Caroline died.” I narrowed my eyes. “I lived and breathed that company because I didn’t have anything left!”

“It wasn’t healthy…” She shook her head back and forth. “You were hurting—you needed time to mourn.”

“Well I certainly got it, didn’t I?” I tried not to lose my temper, but I was getting close. “Five years of it…”