Page 102 of Xander

Jasper’s eyes rounded, and he looked between me and his brother harshly. “You’ve been seeing Jordan? This whole time?”

God. I closed my eyes, hating the betrayal on his face.

“For the time being, I’ll be assigned her temporary guardian—,” Xander continued, ignoring Jasper’s concerns.

“No,” I cut in, conscious of the men watching like a silent Greek chorus. “Xander, no, I don’t want that!”

How dare he make me plead for my freedom in front of these men? How dare he? I thought he was different. I thought he cared.

“You need someone to take care of you,” he said through gritted teeth. “So why not me? Unlike him, I actually care about you.”

“This is insane,” Jasper said, and even though I was sure the word was unintentional, it gutted me. Because it echoed every doubt I’d ever had as to whether I was of sound mind. If I were of sound mind, maybe then I wouldn’t have gotten into this position in the first place. I would have been strong enough to find a solution. “This is literally something Dad would do.”

“Stay out of this,” Xander said coolly.

Joe shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I need a drink,” he muttered.

I wondered what he was thinking. Could it be any worse than the truth? Given that he was Henry’s twin, I had a hard time looking him in the eye at all. It was too hard not to imagine what he would say to all of this.

My cheek throbbed, and I clapped a hand to my face.

I could imagine.

Following up on his threat to imbibe, Joe made his way to Xander’s liquor cabinet. As he poured himself three fingers of whiskey, he asked, “Is this what all that subterfuge was about?”

Xander went visibly tense, shooting his uncle what would have been a quelling look if Joe didn’t have the same wintry iron flowing through his blood as his nephew.

I had been conditioned so well that the urge to play hostess rose in me even now to soothe them both before they could square off and—what? Ruin the evening? Forcing it back, I leaned on the marble counter of Xander’s kitchen. “What’s going on? What subterfuge?”

“Xander brought us here,” Caden—who had been quiet this whole time—said without much interest. “He’s been trying to persuade us to oust Henry from the company.”

“What?” The word felt ripped from me. “Why?”

“Because of what he did to you.” Xander’s voice was flat. “The only way to get you out of his care is to threaten the thing he cares about—his business.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Xander had told me that things would be different than they had been with Henry. But how was he any different than his father? Henry also pushed me and his family away, always thinking he knew what was “best.”

Couldn’t Xander see what he was becoming?

“If Henry remains your guardian, you’ll go back to living in a cold house of make-believe where you either play his game or go back to the institution,” Xander went on, seemingly oblivious to my pain.

I stared at him, speechless, then turned to the grim-faced men.

Not everyone knew I had spent time in an institution. Telling them about it was yet another betrayal. I’d worked hard to hide these insecurities, only to see my carefully constructed facade tumble like a pile of blocks without any consultation with me.

Joe and Jasper glanced at me sympathetically. Even Caden said, “Easy, dude.”

I remembered the look Xander’s staff had given me, the mixture of unease and pity when she told me that I was staying here for my own good. That she had the institution on speed dial. Because I was sick.

I wondered if these men now also wondered if I had gone off the deep end as I stood before them dumbly silent in my holey clothing.

When no one spoke, Xander followed up his statement with, “Is that what you want, Jordan?”

But isn’t that exactly what you’re doing to me right now? I thought. Except now, we’re playing your game. Not Henry’s.

Jasper folded his arms over his chest. “You’re starting to sound a lot like Dad right now,” he told Xander.