Handle With Care (Shacking Up 5)

“He had an affair because that’s what men do.”

“No.” I shake my head, seeing exactly who my mother is, and how much Armstrong is like her. “He took care of them. If it were just an affair, why would he put Hope through college?”

“Because that home-wrecker threatened to go public with Hope.” Her hands shake as she slams the folder closed, cutting off the view of Hope.

“Who the hell is Hope?” Armstrong asks.

“Your sister,” G-mom grinds out.

“Wait. What? Since when do we have a sister?” Armstrong seems completely confused. “Is this some kind of ploy to divide up the Moorehead shares? If anyone has to give anything up, it should be Lincoln.”

I ignore my brother, as does everyone else. The alternative is throwing him through a window, and I would like to avoid a murder charge today. I keep my focus on my nervous, edgy mother. “I think it was you doing the threatening, Gwendolyn. Dad bought Jacqueline a house, and he bought Hope a house too. That penthouse they had together? It looked like it was used often. For as long as you’ve been married to him, he was in love with her, and you’re so caught up in your bank account you kept him tied to you.”

“I did it for you and Armstrong.” Gwendolyn’s voice shakes along with her hands.

“Bullshit! Everything you did was for you! You shackled yourself to misery to spite him and took us all down with you. Congratulations on ruining every single relationship you had because you were too selfish and materialistic to let Dad go. I suggest you leave Wren and her family off your path of destruction. I think you’ve done enough damage to the people who are related to you by blood. You don’t need to add to the pain you’ve caused everyone.”

My mother blinks several times, maybe absorbing what I’ve said, or maybe she’s thinking about all the money she stands to lose now that there’s another potential hand in the cookie jar. “What’re you going to do? You can’t go public with this. Think of the scandal. How will it impact Moorehead Media? You’ll drag your father’s name through the dirt, and for what? To get back at me for trying to do what was best for my family?”

“I don’t get what the big deal is. So Dad had an affair? Like that’s anything new. At least she dealt with it instead of pulling an Amalie, running off like a bratty, little girl and screwing the first available asshole who showed interest in her,” Armstrong says.

It’s honestly a miracle that my brother has survived this long without having his entire face rearranged multiple times. I turn to Wren. “What does it take to invoke your self-defense clause?”

“And Mom’s not wrong.” He motions to Wren. “Obviously this one sees an opportunity. Wrap your rod, brother, or next thing you know, she’ll be telling you she’s having your baby and you need to marry her.”

“I’m gonna punch him,” I mutter to Wren, who nods in agreement.

So I do. But I don’t aim for the stomach. I aim lower. He falls to his knees, sucking in high-pitched breaths while he cups his balls.

“Not sure why you didn’t expect that, you dumb twit.”

“Lincoln!” Gwendolyn shrieks.

“Oh, shut it, Gwendolyn. He deserved it. Can’t keep his mouth shut or his pants zipped for five seconds. Also, what he’s accusing Wren of is exactly what you did to my son. You stole his future, forced him to ostracize his own blood, and you’re the reason Armstrong has no moral compass.” G-mom gestures to Armstrong, still folded in half, cupping his balls. “Enjoy the perks you have right now, Gwennie, because you won’t have them much longer.”

“You can’t take what Fredrick left me!”

G-mom crosses her arms. “The only thing he left you in the will was the house and ten percent of the shares in Moorehead. Everything else is to be equally divided between his children, or didn’t you listen when Christophe was going over the will?”

“I devoted my life to Fredrick!” Gwendolyn shrieks.

“You devoted your life to spending his money, and while you might have sat on the board of every charity, I’m well aware that your contributions have been minimal. I wonder what else I might find out if I dig deeper, Gwendolyn.”

“I was pregnant first.”

“You lied about that and tricked Fredrick into marrying you. If you hadn’t gotten pregnant on the honeymoon, he would’ve left you and you know it.”

“He wasn’t supposed to end up with her! I saved this company by being the best partner for him. I did everything I needed to maintain order and present a strong front.”

“But you didn’t love him.” The sadness in G-mom’s voice is etched into her face.

Gwendolyn throws her hands in the air, exasperated. “Love is a worthless emotion. More than lust, even. I did what I had to do to make a better life for myself and my family. I gave us power and status, and what did that other woman do? Stole his attention once in a while when he needed a fix, and left a stain on Fredrick’s name. She might have had his heart, but I had everything that matters.”