“Well, I didn’t tell you, but when he died, he left everything to me.” I pause, seeing his jaw clench. I know, he doesn’t want this getting personal. He’s made it clear he’s not interested in talking, but he asked -- and for some reason, I find I want to confide in him.
I’ve carried all this alone since it happened. Justine doesn’t get it, but I remember, Vaughn lost his father too. Maybe he can understand how this news has turned my life upside down.
I take a breath and continue. “We didn’t know why he put me in the will, but they had a DNA test done. It turns out, he’s my father. Ashcroft was my dad.”
Vaughn releases me. He gets to his feet, turning away from me. I feel a lurch of regret.
“Why are you telling me this?” Vaughn demands. He turns back, and I can see, there’s a weird tension in his eyes. “What’s this about?”
“Nothing,” I reply, confused. I reach for the blanket, trying to cover myself up. “You asked what happened, and I’m telling you. Finding out about Ashcroft, it changed everything. I realized, I didn’t want to let you slip out of my life the way he did. I never knew my real father, it made me think, what else I didn’t want to miss out on when I had the chance.”
Vaughn’s expression relaxes, just a little.
“You didn’t know you were his kid?” he demands.
I shake my head. “Never. It turns out, my mom had a relationship with him before she even met my dad. They broke up right around the time she got pregnant. I guess he never wanted me around.”
I look down, feeling the sting of rejection for the first time. I didn’t have time to think about this part: how Ashcroft could pretend like I didn’t exist for over twenty years.
I’m surprised when Vaughn moves to sit beside me on the bed. “Hey, it’s OK,” he tells me, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “You’re better off this way. Some people just go through life wreaking havoc and destruction. They don’t care about the mess they leave behind.”
I look into his eyes, and wonder if he’s talking about his father. A suicide like that, it must have destroyed him as a young boy.
“So Ashcroft left you everything?” Vaughn exhales.
I nod, self-conscious. “I still don’t understand it, but yes. The company, estate, it’s all mine.”
“What are you going to do?”
I give a helpless shrug. “I don’t know. The company headquarters are in New York. I guess I should go out there, figure out how everything works. And I should meet his adopted kids again, face to face. Maybe I can make them see, I’m not trying to take anything away from them. But... I’m scared,” I admit. “This is so big, I don’t know how I’m going to deal with it all on my own.”
Vaughn’s grip on my shoulder tightens. “You won’t be alone,” he says suddenly. I look, and find a fierce look in his eyes, something dark and determined.
“I’m going with you.”
19
VAUGHN
Twenty years ago, my life was ripped apart by one man’s evil plan. He drove my father to suicide, destroyed my mother, left me to try and raise my kid brother on my own.
I swore I’d have my revenge.
But that man is dead now, beyond the reach of justice. The only way I can tip the scales is to obliterate his legacy, and tear down brick by brick everything he worked to build.
Ruin the one last person that he loved.
Keely Fawes.
She’s become my obsession, my conquest, my darkest desire. I’ve only had a taste of what her delicious cunt can do, and now I know she’s Ashcroft’s daughter, I only want her even more.
Yeah, this girl doesn’t know what’s coming. I’m going to fuck her a thousand different ways, show her what it feels like to need my cock more than she can stand. I’m going to claim that mouth, dominate that sweet pussy, be the only man to slide deep in her virgin ass.
And then, when she’s broken -- when her body aches to be filled, and she can’t live a single day without begging for my cock -- that’s when she’ll learn the truth.
I wanted to protect her, now, I have no choice but to destroy her.
One way or another, she’s the key to my revenge.