One night, Jasper and I had a fight, and like normal couples, our fights didn’t end in silence. It just got worse, and it ended up becoming a screaming match with Tyler brawling at the top of his lungs. Before Jasper could backhand me like he’d done before in the past, I slipped on my silky robe and made my way downstairs. Breathing in the same room as Jasper had gotten hard.
All the shouting had made me thirsty so I made my way into the kitchen to get myself a drink. I didn’t bother to switch on the lights as I pulled out a chilled bottle of water from the refrigerator and took a sip. I coughed up some water, but I was able to keep it from spilling.
My heart almost stopped beating when I heard a sound in the room. I turned around to find Vince pulling out things from the refrigerator. A bottle of mayonnaise, tomatoes, and cheese. He noticed me on the bar stool. His eyes crinkled as his lips formed into a smile. “My lady, how nice of you to have graced me tonight with your presence in the kitchen.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “My lord, it’s late. What are you doing here?”
“Making myself a snack,” he said as he struggled with cutting the long French loaf. “I have midnight cravings when I’m studying in my room.”
“We’re similar. I get midnight snack cravings too.”
“And yet you decided to marry the older brother rather than wait for me.”
I knew Vince was joking, but it still sounded like a quick jibe.
I smiled, unable to come up with a response, and climbed down from the stool. “You suck at this. Let me help you.”
Vince stood back and watched as I sliced the bread and decided to prepare the sandwich for him. I began slicing the tomatoes and lettuce, all the while watching from the corner of my eye how he observed me doing it.
After I was done, he said. “Thank you.” And I knew he meant it.
Those words hardly came from Jasper’s mouth. He placed the plate of food on the island counter, his back towards me. “Jasper’s still awake?”
I shook my head. “He is asleep.”
Vince patted the stool beside him. “Would you mind joining me for a little chat?”
“Sure,” I said.
I sat down beside him and watched him eat. In a soft voice, Vince asked, “How is your leg now?”
“Better,” I said. “All thanks to you.”
Vince waved his hand like it wasn’t a big deal. “I like helping people.”
I let those words sink in. Vince liked helping people. That was so unlike Jasper who took pleasure in hurting people close to him. Then again, Jasper had offered a helping hand during my difficult times, hadn’t he? But it had all come with a price. Vince didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d keep someone close for a hidden agenda.
A few minutes passed in silence, but it wasn’t awkward or forced. I felt oddly comfortable in his presence. Vince was the first to break it. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I heard you and Jasper argue tonight.”
I failed to come up with a suitable answer. Yes, we were fighting, and yes, we were having issues.
“Tyler tells me how scared he feels around Jasper,” Vincent said as he placed his hand on mine. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, Kiara, but I’ve seen the fear in the little boy’s eyes, and he reminds me of myself when I was his age. I know I made a mistake by not getting in touch with you sooner, but I want to help you now.”
“Did you know Jasper has antisocial personality disorder?” I asked, keeping my voice low in case any servants were still awake and loitering around.
I knew his answer would either destroy me or relieve me from my doubts.
“I suspected it. There’s no man who could say the most outrageous things in public and have people think it’s charming. He used to do that since we were kids, and I looked up to him like he was god. Whatever Jasper did, or said, it was always the right thing. When we grew older, he continued to manipulate people into liking him, and it worked.”
“Can you tell me more?” I asked curiously.
“As you’re aware, Jasper was our father’s illegitimate son, born out of an affair with a housekeeper. Father wasn’t really fond of him, but he was fair. Jasper convinced our father to let him help in the company, and before we knew it, he’d used some magic wand. Everyone was under his spell. The company was doing far better after Jasper was part of the board.”
“And how did he meet his ex-wife?”
“Ava and Jasper went to college together. She was from a good family as well. Her father owned several car dealerships. They were happy together, and then she committed suicide. Jasper wasn’t himself for a long time. I noticed he became more detached, but I realized it was just a phase. He used to be far worse before he met Ava. And then when he met you, I told him he shouldn’t play with your feelings, but he assured me he’d developed real feelings for you. I believed him, Kiara, just like old times.” A pause later, he said, “He’s still my brother after all, and we had only each other after our parents died. I realized I was so stupid. He used me just like he had used everyone else around him.”
Vincent looked away as if he couldn’t fathom to look into my eyes.
“I’m glad you’re here now,” I said, pressing his hand.
“Morgan,” he murmured.
“Morgan?”
“Morgan called me one night and told me that you needed help.”
I was shocked. Why would the housekeeper even care for me? Morgan: the man who’d never defied Jasper’s word; the man who would listen to us argue in our car endlessly and pretend he hadn’t heard a word.
“I’d been busy trying to set up my hospital, but I wanted to come home as soon as I could.” He continued. “You can’t stay with Jasper. He’s toxic.”
“He would never divorce me. If I even speak of that, he would keep me away from my child. Jasper knows a lot of things from my past, and he will use them against me. I can’t take that risk.”
“I will help you.”
“I’m so scared,” I confessed. “He doesn’t even love me.”
“I may not be too experienced where love is concerned, but I know that if he loved you…” He wiped a tear off my stained cheek. “…he couldn’t bear to see you cry like this. If I was in his place, Kiara, if I had the chance to love you, I’d want to see you smiling all the time. I would sit with you and talk to you for hours about nothing in particular, and then if I made you cry, I’d lick your tears dry. And if that still didn’t work, I’d set you free.”
***
The pattern of my life had changed in just a few days. Whenever Jasper would lash at me and disappear to do some work, I found myself in the kitchen where Vince waited for me during the wee hours of the night; when the kitchen staff were already back to their quarters. It was the only time I could converse with Vince without any barriers. During the exact time Jasper returned to the bedroom, I’d sneak back in and pretend to be asleep.
It’d been years since I’d spoken so openly to anyone, and it felt better to talk to a person who really understood me. Vince told me some of the things he knew about Ava. He told me how Jasper had driven her nuts by watching her every step, mentally torturing her, doubting her with the gardener which finally led to Ava taking the final leap off the third floor.
One night, when I woke up to meet Vince, I found Jasper missing from our bed as usual. In place of him were the wrinkled sheets, so I walked into his study and found it empty. I noticed a shadow outside, so I approached the window and saw Jasper walking through the courtyard.
Something was fishy. I climbed down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Vince was seated at the island bar as usual. As if he’d sensed something, he stilled. “I saw Jasper walk through the courtyard,” I whispered to him.
“At this hour?”
I nodded. “I’ve been noticing this for a long time. He says he’s going into his study, but the last time I checked, he wasn’t there. Even now, I couldn’t find him there so I looked outside the window and saw him.”
Vince climbed to his feet. “I’ll check what he is up to.”
“I’ll come with you,” I insisted.
He shook his head. “It’s really late, Kiara. Go to bed, I’ll follow him and see where he is going.”
“But--”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll tell you all about it. Don’t worry.”
I was tired and didn’t feel like arguing with Vince. It was nice to rely on someone finally and not have to burden all the problems. I’d already mentioned my concerns about Jasper being unfaithful in the marriage, and Vince assumed the role of a private investigator; one who did all the work free of charge, merely out of family obligations.
That night, Jasper returned about two hours later and I pretended that I wasn’t aware of his disappearance, but I remained vigilant, and sometime around dawn, I heard the door creak open. Jasper walked inside, and then I heard the sound of the shower in the bathroom. I remained silent all the while. In the afternoon of the next day, I asked Vince what he’d found out and was disappointed to learn that Jasper was seen in the stables, tending to his favorite mare, Bonnie. Vince added that Jasper was brushing the mare with precision and care.
I knew at once that it wasn’t a mistress but Bonnie who he’d been visiting during midnight, and I couldn’t help but wonder if all this time I’d been competing against a horse for my husband’s affections.
“Do you really think he just goes there to tend to the horses?” Vince asked me in a whisper.
“I don’t know what to think,” I said. “It is pretty clear he doesn’t leave the property.”
“I’ll find out. If he is associating with a drug lord and hiding drugs in the forest to smuggle them out, I’ll know. I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
“Just be careful, Vince.”
Chapter Thirty
It was decided that we were having dinner tonight in Lockhart’s Legacy Hotel which was one of the many hotels owned by the family. I threw on a simple off-white dress, the bodice decorated in beads while the skirt had pleats. It made my waist look trim and gave my look an elegant touch. I picked a matching Dior handbag to go with it, and since Vince had told me to avoid wearing high heels, I picked a pair of Jimmy Choo flat sandals.
The hotel was grand and opulent like a palace. We had a lot of dinners here, but each time was a different experience. Jasper sat beside me, Vince in the seat opposite ours, and Tyler wedged between Jasper and me. Since the hotel was owned by the family, the services we received were obviously extraordinary. Jasper was digging into the chef’s special steak. Vince glanced at me and back at Jasper. It was a clear indication that he wasn’t comfortable with this family dinner.
I took a bite of the salad and pushed it down with a glass of white wine.
“Doesn’t seem like either of you are enjoying my company,” Jasper said, his expression unreadable.
”What would you like for dessert, Kiara?” Vince ignored Jasper like he was the air.
“What were you doing yesterday in the kitchen after midnight?” Jasper asked, analyzing me, waiting for me to speak.
My stomach lurched with that question. The fork in my hand dropped to the table with a clank. I didn’t dare look at Jasper.
“You think I don’t know what’s been going around since the last week?” Jasper asked in his icy voice. I looked up to see the brothers’ gazes locked in a stare down.
“Excuse me?” Vince asked.
Jasper gritted his teeth and lifted an accusing finger towards Vince. “You have been fucking my wife behind my back.”
”Jasper!” I covered Tyler’s ears with my hands. but it was too late.
Vince passed him the same angry look. “Trust me on this, brother. If I was having an affair with Kiara, you’d know about it. And you need to watch the way you talk to her.”
Jasper forcefully pushed a plate aside which shattered to pieces. Vincent closed his eyes. People around us had stopped having their meals, their confused eyes fixed on us. I recognized their judgmental looks. I only hoped there weren’t any reporters or paparazzi’s sitting around here.
Jasper’s jaw was working, his blue eyes blazing inferno. Vince began in a low voice, “People are looking at us, and you’re creating a fucking scene. You wanna continue this conversation, let’s take it home. Because unlike you, I give a damn about my reputation, and I don’t think I can allow a scandalous dinner night to be featured in a magazine and ruin it.”
Jasper threw his napkin on the table and stormed out of the hotel without sparing us a glance. His stride was so angry that people automatically cleared out of his way.
The waiter approached us cautiously. He seemed worried. “Is everything alright, sir?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.” Vince sighed. “Please tell Joy that it was a lovely dinner.”
***
The ride home in the car was silent. Jasper was in the passenger seat while Vince was driving the car. I was in the backseat with Tyler sleeping on my lap. He’d been too tired, and I didn’t want him awake for the drama waiting to unfold once we were back at the mansion.
When we reached home, neither of the men said a word, and Vince picked up Tyler in his arms and assured that he would put him to bed. I didn’t miss the look of worry that crossed his eyes when we parted ways. I didn’t pass him a pleading look because I didn’t want Vince to worry about me and feel helpless about the situation.
I entered our bedroom to find Jasper looking out the balcony. I didn’t know how to react, so I decided to avoid conversation at any cost. I opened a dresser drawer and began taking off my diamond earrings when I felt Jasper’s presence behind me. I stiffened.
“You didn’t answer my question.” He shifted his gaze toward me from the mirror. “I asked you, what are you doing every night with Vincent in the kitchen?”
“We didn’t do anything,” I said.
“I have my sources, Kiara. I know what you’re exactly doing. Sleeping with my brother. Have you no shame? How could you live with yourself knowing you’re cheating on your husband?” Jasper asked in the calmest tone; the manipulative one.
“You’re being outrageous!”
He punched the oval mirror. The mirror cracked and his fist began to bleed.
“Your hand....”
“What did Vince tell you about Ava?” he asked.
I didn’t understand how this was even connected to her.
Before I could answer, he said, “I’m sure he told you that it was me who compelled her to kill herself which is a goddamn lie!”
”What are you talking about?”
“He stole Ava from me.” Jasper shrieked. “He did every fucking thing with her that he is doing with you right now, and when it didn’t work out, he pushed her from the balcony.” Suddenly, Jasper’s eyes softened. He closed the distance and pulled me towards him. “Listen to me, precious. Vince is not a good man. He is not interested in you. All he wants to do is ruin my life; he wants this company, this house, the inheritance. He is just using you like a little pawn in his game. He is breaking our family.”
“This family is already broken.” I admitted and saw the clear confusion in his eyes. “I wanted to help you get better, but one can’t force a person to mend their ways if he doesn’t wish to. I lost all hope in keeping this family together the day you raised your hand on me.”
“What do you want from me, Kiara?”
Was he genuinely asking what I wanted, or was this a trick question? Regardless, I decided to be honest. “If you refuse to go for treatment then I want to separate.”
That was the last straw. His stare became hard. “You will go against me?”
“If that means protecting my son from you.”
In two easy strides he closed the distance between us and caught my jaw in a death-grip. “Listen to me very carefully, Kiara, because I won’t repeat myself. You can beg me, run from me, hide in any corner of this planet but I will move heaven and earth to bring you back. That’s how mu
ch I want you.”
“You can’t stop me from leaving,” I said, trying to wiggle out of his grip on my jaw.
“Why don’t you try?” Jasper said in a challenging tone. “You killed your father. I knew it was by accident, but I have the resources to make it look like you did it on purpose. And then there will be a trial.”
“No one will believe what happened four years ago. I don’t think you even have proof.” I pointed.
“You think I’m bluffing?” he asked and picked up his iPhone. “I’ll make just one call, and we’ll see how much of that really is just a bluff. You see, sweetheart, when you have a lot of money, everything in this world ceases to be impossible. Money can buy silence, and may as well start a storm.”
I was utterly speechless. He was threatening me. “I’ll also tell them how unfaithful my wife is. Everyone suspects you were ‘a nobody’ before you married me. I’ll just prove their suspicions correct and then it wouldn’t be hard for people to believe that you are a gold digger who jumped from one rich brother to another for personal gains. And if let’s say, you managed to file a divorce, I will see to it that my son remains with me.”
I’d lost the battle. If I thought I had any fighting spirit remaining inside me, it died the minute he mentioned Tyler. My chest tightened with dread. Jasper knew how much I doted on our son. He knew I couldn’t live without him, and he was using my weakness against me. I slumped back on the bed knowing he was right and had me where he wanted me to be. I was helpless and under his reigns. I didn’t say a word, neither did I scream or beg like I wanted to because it was obvious that once Jasper made his mind, there was no turning back.
He would ruin me with a bat of an eye.
I felt his fingers linger on my neck. In a swift move, he unclipped my hair and his warm lips touched my shoulder blade. He pulled my hair, and I heard the sound of the zipper as he peeled the dress off my body with ease.
Psycho Billionaire: A Dark Romance Page 22