My Dad’s Billionaire Enemy

by Winters, Bella

“Yes boss,” Misha replied with a firm nod.

  Then Malcolm turned his attention back to me, specifically looking at my leg. He winced as his eyes landed on the gash.

  “Aurora, what happened to you?” he asked, his voice soft and full of concern. This was not the anger that I had suspected from him at my escape attempt.

  “I climbed the fence,” I said, grimacing as another jolt of pain went through me. It felt as if my leg was on fire now, and the rest of it might split open at any moment.

  “Of course you did,” Malcolm said, shaking his head. “It’s a wonder you managed to get this far at all. Here.”

  With one, smooth sweeping motion, he picked me up, one arm in the crook of my knees, the other supporting me by the shoulders. He was still cradling me tight to his chest, and, strangely, I felt safer than I ever had before.

  “I’m not going to let anything else happen to you,” Malcolm said as the elevator doors opened, so quiet that I might have just imagined it. “I promise.”

  * * *

  Malcolm was mostly silent the rest of the way back to the mansion. As soon as got to the car, he shrugged off his jacket and used it to apply pressure to the wound. He then ordered one of his friends, whose name I learned was Leroi, to call for his private doctor to come immediately.

  When we got back to the mansion, it was dark and quiet. People were patrolling the grounds, but it seemed so different now from when I had left it.

  Malcolm insisted on carrying me inside, though Misha insisted he could help and I tried to say that I could just walk. He wasn’t having any of it.

  If I didn’t know any better, I might have thought that he was being protective of me.

  He took me to a room on the second floor of the mansion that I hadn’t seen before and had a maid place several fluffy towels over the luxurious couch in the center of the room before laying me down on it.

  It looked like a bedroom or at least some sort of guest suite. There was a bed with a white frame and pink covers, with plenty of pillows. It was the kind of bed that I would have wanted when I was a teenager.

  There were Degas style ballerina paintings on the walls—there was a possibility that they were real Degas paintings— and several white doors that I assumed led to maybe a bathroom, and perhaps a closet? I had no idea what kind of rooms were in a rich person's house.

  The doctor arrived in a couple of minutes and immediately rushed over to me.

  To my surprise, he listened to Malcolm’s quiet explanation of the wound without asking any questions. And the only detail that Malcolm went into was that I had climbed over the fence and caught my leg on the top.

  The doctor didn’t ask why I had been doing that, or why he hadn’t been called earlier, just went right to work on cleaning up the wound.

  Malcolm held my hand as the doctor worked, which I was incredibly grateful for. I squeezed his hand tight and closed my eyes as the wound stung from the cleaning. I bit back the words I wanted to say as the doctor applied some numbing cream and then stitched the wound closed.

  He bandaged my leg to cover the stitches and then gave Malcolm instructions for my care, saying that he’d like to come back to see me again in a few days to see how things were healing.

  As soon as the doctor left, Malcolm turned to look at me.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Better than I could, I guess,” I said, not sure how exactly I was supposed to respond, The day had been a lot, and all I wanted now was to go to sleep.

  Malcolm looked down at the floor, still holding my hand but not looking at me. For the first time since I met him, he seemed sheepish.

  “I don’t want you to be involved anymore,” he said. “I want you to know that I’m trying to fix things, I really am. And I don’t want you to feel like you’re a prisoner, or that you have to run away. I’m not going to hurt you, and I don’t want to hurt your father either.”

  The words were nice, and I knew that they would mean more to me later, but right now I was just struggling to keep my eyes open.

  “I’m not keeping you in the other room anymore. You can stay here, or any other room in the house you choose. All I ask is that you don’t leave again. I don’t think you know how terrifying that was for me.”

  “Okay,” I said, still not fully processing things.

  I was vaguely aware of him lifting me and carrying me over to the bed, and then tucking me in beneath the covers. I didn’t know how long he stayed there, just that he was there when my eyes closed and I finally found rest.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Malcolm

  As I left her room, I had already made up my mind.

  I couldn’t let this continue any longer, it had hurt her and her family enough already, and the last thing I wanted to see was Aurora suffering again.

  So I called Liam. He and I were the only ones who could put an end to this once and for all, and I was hoping since Kline had been unsuccessful so far he would be more open to negotiation.

  I certainly was.

  My plans hadn’t gotten anywhere with Kline, and Misha’s men had had no luck finding him last night after he left the gala.

  Liam picked up the second time I called him.

  “What is it you want?” he growled. “I’m trying to sleep.”

  “This needs to end, Liam, and it needs to end now. We should be coming to a truce.”

  “Now is not the time for that, Malcolm.”

  “Yes, it is. You know as well as I do that we’re currently at an impasse. There’s no way that Samuel Kline can kill me, and I can’t seem to come to an understanding with him. So unless we want to live in a perpetual state of suspense, I suggest that we talk.”

  “Or what? This seems to be working in my favor, Malcolm. You’re on edge, and I just have to wait for you to slip up. And as long as you have his daughter, Kline will remain firmly beneath my thumb.”

  “Don’t test me, Hawthorne. I’m ready to start a war if that’s what I have to do. You know my men are better than yours in a fight, and I have more information than you ever will. So don’t you push.”

  “You’re so demanding, fine.” Liam yawned loudly over the line. “We can discuss things tomorrow. I’ll text you the address for a neutral meeting place, and we’ll figure something out, but tonight is not the time. Goodnight.”

  There was a click as he hung up, and I sighed, hoping that the meeting would go better than I expected.

  Negotiating with Liam was never pleasant. He was stubborn and difficult to convince to do anything. More than that, he wasn’t afraid to threaten violence when things didn’t go his way.

  I would need all my strength for the next day.

  * * *

  The address that Liam texted me was an ice cream shop downtown. It was a pretty populated part of the city, so neither of us could pull any tricks on the other. I had men stationed around, waiting, just in case, but I was hoping that Liam’s choice of the location meant that I wouldn’t need them.

  Liam wasn’t there when I entered the ice cream shop. It was decorated in an old-fashioned style, with lots of stripes and pastel colors and a brightly tiled floor. All the ice cream was churned by hand from farm-fresh ingredients, and all the cones and bowls were made from delicious waffles.

  It was the kind of place that influencers or young moms following trends went.

  It was a great place for pictures or an afternoon treat, but neither of those were things I cared about at the moment.

  In the back of my mind, I was storing away the place as somewhere to take someone on a date. Secretly, I wanted to take Aurora out. She was so beautiful, I just wanted to show her off.

  I was occupied with examining the place closely, looking for anyone who might be one of Liam’s men in disguise, and cataloging escape routes.

  It was a habit that had kept me alive and successful thus far.

  I went up to the counter and order a couple of scoops of chocolate ice cream in a waffle bowl, wanting to do my best to blend
in even though I would look conspicuous no matter what.

  I tended to stand out in places like this, and it was both a blessing and a curse.

  The girl who took my order flirted with me a bit, even prolonging a bit of contact when she handed me my order, but I paid her no heed.

  Today I only had eyes for Liam.

  It wasn’t much longer before he showed up.

  He was just as I remembered him, just as I would always think of him.

  He had a broad and imposing figure and was dressed in the kind of suit that one would associate with a mob boss. To complete the picture he wore a hat and carried a gilded cane. He looked sorely out of place in the ice cream shop, even more than me, and he didn’t bother to order anything before coming over and taking a seat in front of me.

  “A childish choice,” he said, gesturing to the ice cream I was slowly working through.

  I raised my eyebrows. “You were the one who chose this place. Least you could do is pretend to be a patron.”

  He scoffed at the notion. “They have enough people coming here already. Probably make enough money in a week to pay all their workers for a year. The owner is a greedy fuck.”

  “You’re one to talk.”

  “Shut it, Malcolm.”

  I shrugged. “You brought it up. Now, can we get down to business?”

  He leaned back in his chair, bracing his neck in his hands. He was trying to look nonchalant as if he didn’t care much how this went. It was the oldest trick in the book.

  “Sure, what was it you’re proposing?”

  “You know exactly what I want, Liam. Call off Kline.”

  “About that—” He examined his nails, blowing off some imaginary dirt. “—I’m not very keen to do that. It’s going to take a lot to convince me.”

  I sighed. “What do you want?”

  “Isn’t it obvious, Astor? Your empire, all that you’ve worked for, every last drop of your assets.”

  “Now I think we can both agree that’s a little too much to ask for.”

  “Oh?” He looked up, giving me a vile smirk. “Do you value your business more than your life? That’s news to me, you’ve always been a self-centered little brat.”

  “We both already know Klinel’s never going to get the hit,” I growled. “So you’re asking too much. I can call off my men, I can give you more territory, so tell me something you want that’s reasonable.” Normally these were things that I would never want to bargain away. But I wanted the best for Aurora. I wanted her to be safe.

  “Hmm, there is one thing,” he said, his eyes glittering with an evil light.

  “Which is?”

  “I’ve heard Samuel’s daughter is a divine specimen, and you’ve been keeping her all to yourself. Hand her over and I might be inclined to call him off.”

  “You’re not getting her,” I said, my voice dangerously low. I was about ready to rip Liam Hawthorne’s throat out. If there was one thing I wasn’t ready to bargain with, it was Aurora’s life. At this point, it was more than wanting the best for her. I was downright possessive.

  “Is that so? I’m afraid there's not much more to be done here.” He leaned close to me, whispering in my ear, his vile breath hitting me full force. “You know if I wanted to, I could kill you right here and now. You’re lucky I’m even letting you live, so you really should consider this more carefully.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Oh yes I would, and you know it. I know the owner, I can always pay him back for the damages, and he won’t dare press charges.”

  Liam was threatening a shoot-out in the middle of this place. It was full of kids and their parents, innocent bystanders who would get caught in the crossfire. I couldn’t be more disgusted with him if I tried.

  “You’re not going to, Hawthorne,” I said, making sure to keep my voice steady. If he thought there would be an advantage in starting something, I knew he would. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind. “I’ve got my own men here, you know, and they’re prepared to plow you down at my signal. Your men wouldn’t even have time to think about retaliating before we were gone.”

  Liam smiled, a vile sort of expression, and I knew then that this was exactly what he wanted. “Good to see you’re not too soft yet, Astor. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

  He stood, grabbing his cane, and strode out of the establishment.

  * * *

  “Things are more serious than we thought.”

  I was back at the mansion, in my office with the Four. I had just filled them in on what went down at the ice cream parlor, and they were justifiably disgusted.

  Now we needed to plan what our next move was. We had our hands full with Kline out to kill me, and with the real reason I ran one of the two most powerful drug gangs in the city.

  I didn’t want drugs destroying any more lives, not after they had destroyed my brother’s, so I was out on a mission to get rid of the most harmful ones, once and for all. By being in the business I could gather information on my competitors, turn them into the police, and figure out where the biggest shipments were so we could destroy them.

  Meanwhile, the merchandise I circulated was less harmful, less addictive, and better priced. The profits went to organizations that worked to improve the living conditions of people in poverty, and I had my own organization in the inner city that helped people get the rehabilitation they needed.

  I couldn’t just ignore that side of things, even if I was dealing with one of the most notorious hitmen in the business. It was important to me, and it was even more important that I didn’t let Liam’s plans distract me from doing what mattered.

  So we discussed our next move and the information that we had received recently on another large shipment. Little did I know, someone was listening.

  Chapter Twenty

  Aurora

  I was shocked by what I had overheard.

  I knew that there was something that Malcolm was hiding, but I never expected it to be that.

  Maybe some tragic backstory, or something, but this? It didn’t fit with the image I had of him in my head.

  And on top of that, it was clear that it was unlikely Malcolm would be able to solve the situation with my father on his own anytime soon.

  I had been exploring a bit of the house when I had heard Malcolm coming, and saw him enter an office with his four friends— Misha, Gilles, Leroi, and Noah.

  Curious as to what they were going to talk about, I followed very slowly and stood outside the door to listen.

  There were many things that I couldn’t catch, but I heard enough to piece everything together, and now I was wondering why Malcolm hadn’t told me earlier. It wasn’t like it would make me think any worse of him, in fact, I thought so much better of him now. I could understand more why everyone liked him and insisted that he was such a good person despite everything else.

  But now I didn't know what to do with this information. Should I barge in? Just confront him then and there? Should I wait for him to come out and make it clear I had been listening?

  Or should I do none of the above, not let him know that I had heard and now knew his true goals, and just go on with my life.

  That certainly seemed simpler.

  I was saved from my speculations when the door opened, knocking me to the ground.

  I landed square on my ass and looked up to see Malcolm standing over me. He looked surprised, but not angry, which was good.

  “I, ummm….” I didn’t know how to begin or explain. Now that I was thinking about it, I realized I was violating his privacy.

  He sighed. “How long were you out here?”

  I looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “The whole time.”

  “The whole time?”

  “Yes.”

  He offered me his hand, and I took it, letting him pull me up. He pulled me close to his chest, holding me tight, his breath hitting the top of my head.

  “I guess you would have found at one point or
another.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “No, just upset with myself. I wanted to do better at making peace for you. And now I have to figure something else out.”

  “It’ll be okay,” I said, not really sure why I was the one who was comforting him. “You could always let me talk to him you know. He’ll listen to me.”

  “We can do that,” he said. “But your father hates me. I don’t know if even you will be able to convince him not to go against me.”

  “And the other thing?”

  He smiled and shrugged. “There’s no hiding it now, is there?”

  “No, there’s not.”

  “I wanted to tell you earlier, Aurora, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. If I’m telling the truth, some days I even wonder if I can trust the Four. Being in the business is the best way to shut it down, and I never keep any profits that I make. They always go back into treatment for those who had been badly affected.”

  I nodded. I supposed it made sense, in some twisted way, but it didn’t feel like the only way. I knew there were still some things about Malcolm that I would probably never understand.

  “I should probably talk to my dad now,” I said. “I want to clear things up with him. Maybe I’ll be able to fix things that way.”

  He shook his head with a sigh. “I certainly hope so. Here.” He pulled out his phone, then pulled up my dad’s number before handing it over to me. “I hope you can understand that I want to be here when you do it.”

  “Of course.” It made sense that he still didn’t fully trust me, and I respect that, but I wanted this to end just as much as he did.

  I pressed the button to dial my dad and brought the phone up to my ear. It rang several times before he picked up.

  “What do you want this time, you bastard?”

  “Dad, it’s me,” I said, feeling tears welling up in my eyes in spite of myself. It had been quite an eventful past couple of days, and I was glad to finally hear his voice again.