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I was listening to something a business associate of mine was saying to my mother and Cora when Reid nudged me in the side. “Incoming.” He said and nodded towards the crowd as four people moved towards where we had congregated.
“Cora.” I said, leaning down to my wife’s ear and gaining her attention. “Your family is coming this way.”
Her spine stiffened and I slid my arm back around her body to pull her close again, shielding her with my own. The Valentines stepped forward and the crowd that had been standing around us cleared for my in-laws, unaware of the rift that swelled between us.
“Cora darling.” Her mother said, looking at her with what she was trying to pass off as warm affection when even I could see the fear and apprehension in her gaze. “You look lovely, I always told you blue was your color.” She said, trying to take credit for the beauty that her daughter was.
“Maverick picked it out, and I doubt he’s ever considered or cared for your opinion on anything in his life.” Cora said stiffly, unwilling to allow the woman to gain anything in front of the crowd. I smirked evilly at my wife’s claws and the power she wielded as the crowd watched ravenously. And that was the plan all along, let the Valentine’s peers see their despicable nature first hand and distance themselves from it on their own.
Susan Valentine bristled instantly but quickly covered the dig, laughing it off as did her sniveling husband as they pretended to miss it completely.
Dennis changed tactics and turned his attention to my father who stood on the other side of my mother, with a look of disdain on his face to match my own. Dexter stood at his side, and I smirked at the formidable wall of allies that Cora had in this moment. “Chris, I heard you had an impressive day down at the club the other day. I heard you shot par, which we both know isn’t something you do often.” He said, laughing by himself for a moment before Jake and Susan joined in, once again trying to force the narrative.
I couldn’t stand it for another moment, given the way the crowd had tightened around us. Curious eyes were fliting between us and them, trying to figure out why on earth two families that had been linked for years were suddenly acting so out of sorts, especially considering the recent news of our marriage breaking.
“Let’s cut the bullshit.” I said firmly, lifting my drink to them and making sure my voice was loud enough that at least the next three rows of spectators would hear me clearly. “You four have a lot of nerve showing up tonight at all, much less showing up and pretending to have any sort of relationship with any of us anymore. Your biggest vice has and always will be your pride and hunger for power, and you made that painfully obvious when you cast your own daughter out at eighteen because she refused to be your puppet any longer. Do either of you have any fucking clue what her life was like, alone and desolate in the world without a single person in her corner?” I asked, raising my eyebrows as Dennis scoffed like I was exaggerating.
“That’s a dramatic retelling of a situation that you weren’t present for Maverick. It’s been grossly inflated through the eyes of a teenage girl.” He dismissed his own daughter, and everyone saw him for the real piece of shit that he was. Reid’s body next to mine nearly vibrated with anger, much like my own.
“Cora dear, you always did have a flare for the dramatics.” Susan said with a flip of her hand.
“Fuck you.” I hissed at her menacingly. “Don’t you dare step on Jones property and say anything false about one of us. Because that’s exactly what Cora is now, she’s a Jones.” I said, stepping forward as her tiny hand gripped my tux jacket to hold me back. “She should have been a Jones years ago, and she would have been if you two pathetic excuses for parents hadn’t cut her off and threw her out when you realized you could no longer control her. You stole ten years from us and mark my words here and now, I’ve made it my sole purpose in life to destroy every single thing that you hold near and dear to you both for it.” I turned my intense glare away from the two of them to Jake where he stood next to his cunt of a wife. “I’ve already ruined your son and his disgusting uncultured swine of a wife,” The crowd around us gasped as my anger truly burned bright. “And before long it will be you two who are left with absolutely nothing while Cora lives the life of the queen that she truly is.”
“You listen here.” Dennis said angrily stepping forward like he was actually going to do anything, and I stepped forward, matching him and exceeding him inch for inch as I stared down at him.
“No, you listen,” My father stepped in and stood between us as he looked down on Dennis as well, “You destroyed your own daughter for your selfish gains and in turn you destroyed my son.My son!” He said firmly. “And if that boy of mine wasn’t on the mission to take everything from you in revenge, I’d do it myself, and we both know I know more than enough of your secrets that you’ve tried to keep hidden over the years to do it without even lifting a finger. So you’re going to keep your whimpering useless self as far away as possible from my son and daughter, or I’ll do just that.” He turned his back to them and motioned over my shoulder as my team of guards and his own stepped forward, flanking our group on all sides. “Get them the fuck out of my home.”
I wasn’t used to hearing my father swear anymore, but I couldn’t feel anything but immense pride as I watched him seamlessly fall into that role that I’d watched him embody my entire childhood. He was my biggest role model growing up, and even now, as a powerful man myself, I was still in awe of him. The guards stepped between people and grabbed Dennis and Jake by the arms and started dragging them away as Susan and Angela looked around, mortified of being literally thrown out on their asses.
“You’ll pay for this Cora! I’ll make you pay!” Dennis screamed over the crowd as he was dragged away, and I wrapped a quaking Cora in my arms and stepped between her and the path that they had taken to shield her from it as much as I could. The crowd was in shock around us as my mother turned to them and directed them all.
“As you can see, we’ve allowed the guards to take the trash out this evening and we’re ready to get on with a good time. Are good folks all ready for an amazing evening?” She asked loudly and the crowd cheered, boisterously as they snapped out of their shock and thrived on a good scandal.
Everyone dispersed as the emcee took the stage and started directing everyone to their seats for the events to begin.
“Are you okay?” I asked Cora where she still clung to me as we walked towards our table.
“I don’t know, honestly.” She said and took a deep breath. “But thank you for standing up for me.” She said, looking up to me and smiling softly.
“Anytime Cora, anytime, anyplace.” I said reassuringly as I pulled her seat out. She was sat between myself, and Dexter and I watched her start to relax as the attention fell off of her and me and went to the entertainment.
We were sitting through the dinner auction, where various sponsors had donated things like box seats to events, or weeklong getaways at vacation properties when Cora leaned over to my ear.
“I love you endlessly. Do you know that?” She asked and I looked away from the stage to where she sat as the picture of perfection next to me. Her crystal blue eyes looked up at me lovingly and I leaned down to kiss her hungrily. She kissed me but pulled back and smirked at me. “I have to pee, again.” She deadpanned and I couldn’t help but grin at her. We’d found her first pregnancy symptom, constant need to pee.
“I’ll come with you.” I said and started to stand with her, but she put her hand on my arm.
“I can make my way there and back, besides we both know Gunsmoke is going to follow after me anyway.”
“Gunner.” I chastised. Messing up his name turned out to be her passive aggressive way of dealing with his constant presence.
“That’s what I said.” She hissed at me and stood up as I pulled her chair back before kissing me on the forehead and walking off towards the bathrooms.
Chapter 26 – Cora
I stepped out of the bathroom stall to wash my hands and felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and stand on edge as I looked around the crowded room.
Cruel green eyes found mine in the mirror and my blood ran cold.
