Page 40 of Legacy of Deception

I let myself into Robert’s office like I owned the ugly place, and when he looked up, I smirked. “Robert, good seeing you. Your assistant said I could come in.”

With a stern expression on his face, he didn’t move to greet me, only muted the erotic sounds coming from his computer. “I’m busy, Deluca. What do you want?”

If he defined busy as watching porn, then yes, I supposed he was busy. Too bad I didn’t share in his definition of the word. “This won’t take long.” I sat down in a chair opposite his desk, much to his obvious displeasure. “Just wanted to offer my congratulations.” You goddamn sex fiend.

With pinched brows, Robert finally looked at me, and I had to wonder exactly what Brooklyn saw in the guy. He was clearly well past his prime in more ways than one if he’d been relegated to an office to just act as a figurehead while his adult son ran the show. “I assume you’re talking about the new tech we announced,” he said, the arrogance in his voice not to be missed. Although, it wouldn’t be that way for long.

I shook my head. “You’d assume wrong.”

“That’s right,” he said, leaning toward his desk, his arms resting on the top. “Delucas never acknowledge their shortfalls. And not thinking of it yourself is a shortfall.”

This asswipe was as dull as a butter knife. Sad state of affairs to be sitting across from someone who was sorely lacking. People didn’t just jump into the tech game for no reason. Deluca Industries had no reason to. We had our hands full with a thriving company that touched a number of more suitable divisions than technology. No, we left that shit to the Silicon Valley brains. “Delucas don’t have shortfalls. We have a conscience, morals, respect.”

He offered me a curt chuckle before turning serious again. “Funny. I’ve never seen it.”

“I could say the same about you, getting Brooklyn pregnant and telling her you wanted nothing to do with the child. Dad,” I said, the emphasis I placed on the last term obvious, but in case he was too dense to pick up on it, I raised my eyebrow and glared directly at him.

“Why is it any concern of yours?”

“You don’t read much, do you?” Obviously not. If it wasn’t somehow incorporated into the porn he watched, I had a feeling he missed it. “Brooklyn and I are engaged,” I informed him, the sharp jut of my chin locked in. He needed to know he couldn’t mess with Brooklyn anymore. If he didn’t want anything to do with her, then it was his loss.

“Oof, sorry, man. It must hurt your ego to think that she cheated on you with me because you’re not half the man I am. I understand, though. Not many men are.”

“Sure, well, at your age, you’ve lived a lot more of life than the rest of us.”

He angled his head, and I was pretty sure a nose hair popped out to join the conversation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Funny,” I said, intentionally using the same word he had used before taking a ridiculous failure of a jab at me. “I was going to say the same thing to you.”

“What for?”

I sighed. “I would never congratulate you for the tech innovation. I tend to not see it as such a good thing when patent infringement lawsuits are filed by rival companies following a big media campaign to make an announcement.” Score one for Lorenzo who helped me see to it that his friend’s company filed the lawsuit, jeopardizing so much for this asshole and his company.

He slammed the top of his desk, the hairs on his arms standing up with heightened panic. Even the sound reverberated in the office as the petty office supplies I was sure he never touched jumped with the impact. “What the fuck, Deluca?”

A deep, guttural rumble escaped me. Not that my sadistic delight could’ve been helped. He deserved far worse, but this would have to do. I wasn’t the type to get my hands dirty, even if I played dirty on occasion. He was lucky I wasn’t from another family who had no qualms about more physical responses to being pissed off. “Oh, it wasn’t us, Lyons.” I shrugged. “But kudos to the other guys, because you’ll be tied up in lengthy, expensive litigation for so long it’ll destroy Lyons Enterprises in ways I can only imagine. I just hope the changes don’t make too much of a dent in your bottom line. Or, worse, that you won’t be banned from proceeding entirely. I must say, in that way, I am curious to see how the case unfolds. I’ll have to make sure I’m subscribed to the paper for all the latest.”

“Go to hell,” he shouted at me, rising from his chair, as if he could intimidate me.

Standing, I leaned forward on his desk, my hands braced on the top, and narrowed my gaze as I stared him down. “Stronzo.”7 I turned to walk toward the door, having done everything I set out to do today. Except maybe there was one more thing… “If you ever so much as share the same oxygen as Brooklyn, I’ll destroy you in far more damaging ways than a nuisance lawsuit.”

“Get out of my office.”

“Happy to.” I swung his door open and strode out the same way I came in. “Have a lovely day, Sandra.” I sure as hell would now that this was over.

Chapter 17

there’s nothing left

BROOKLYN

Five hours.

Ten Delucas.

A waist that was now about three inches deeper.

And one grueling headache later, and we were finally in Las Vegas. More specifically, the resort that EJ Gray put the family up in.