Page 148 of Hate You More

I make a noise like a buzzer, and from the way his eyes flick behind me, I guess I must be drawing attention. Good. “You owe the explanation to her.” He should be on his knees, begging for forgiveness.

“And what of you and this marriage out of nowhere? Do you think you’re serving her any better?”

“It’s not exactly from nowhere, Ed, is it?”

“It’s unseemly.”

“You’re saying you’re not happy we’re hot for each other?”

“I’m saying your marriage looks like a ploy.”

“Have you had a health check recently, Ed? Sounds like you might be suffering from delusions. Age comes to us all, I guess.”

“A ploy that benefits both husband and wife,” he continues angrily. “One gets early access to her trust fund. The other gets the legitimacy of my name.”

“Listen, asshole, I don’t need your name. I’m no longer that kid from the wrong side of the tracks. I’m an upstanding member of the financial establishment. A CEO with a bank balance that is, quite frankly, blinding. You have no power over me or Clara. Leave her the fuck alone.”

“That was quite the speech.”

“Don’t force me to make problems for you.”

He gives a cryptic twist to his lips. “You’ve built something impressive, Troy. It would be unfortunate if the regulators took a sudden interest in it, especially at such a precarious time.”

“That sounds like a threat.” I press my hand to my cheek like I’m really bad at acting. I’m glad his daughter doesn’t think so.

“Newly public companies are such fragile entities. And the industry . . .” He tsks. “Fintech is so often seen as the Wild West of the financial sector. And the regulators, the SEC, can be overzealous. They do so like to think of themselves akin to Wyatt Earp cleaning up the O.K. Corral.”

“You have no control over the SEC,” I retort, ignoring the sudden rash of cold sweat dappling my spine. He’s bluffing. He must be. No way he’s that powerful.

“Control?” He turns over his hand as though to examine his fingernails. “Influence, however. And friends in such useful places. It’s quite the irony, isn’t it, you appearing here today to brandish your own intimidations?” The fucker sounds amused. “Of course, you’re new to this. Still a little green. A little wet behind the ears.”

An old instinct stirs inside me, unwelcome and familiar. Like I’m suddenly on the outside looking in again. “What do you want?” My tone turns flat.

“I want you to walk away from Clara.”

“So that’s it? Walk away from Clara or you’ll set the SEC on my company?” Who the fuck does he think he is? I’ve built a company worth billions, secured my place in a world he imagines he can just remove me from.

“That’s the gist of things.”

“Let me get this straight. You think I’ve married Clara to benefit my company? But if I leave her, doesn’t that mean I then lose the benefit? I don’t know, Ed. Sounds like you’re giving me the choice of being hanged or shot.” I force myself to relax into my chair.

“Take a reputational hit, Troy. Better than a regulatory death. Bad publicity is survivable. A narrative can easily be spun, and share prices do eventually recover.”

“And what about Clara?” He wants to humiliate her.

“Clara will survive. She did so before.” I shake my head, disgusted with him—with myself for listening to this. “Perhaps she’ll even continue, as you’ve said, to thrive. Without my influence.”

“Gotta tell you, your leverage is piss poor.”

“I don’t think so, Troy. And neither do you. The market is a fickle beast. One hint of a problem whispered in the right ear, and your share price plummets. Forensic accountants and lawyers are crawling all over your offices and your board of directors are shopping for your replacement.”

“I need to feel safe.” Clara’s words curl around my ear. That day in her crappy apartment, her expression was so solemn as she slid the eviction notice across the table to me. My father’s reach is strong and his pockets deep. She wasn’t kidding.

An icy-cold fist twists deep in my guts. “The fuck did I ever do to you?”

“I don’t like you, and I don’t like what you stand for. But more than that, you should not have involved yourself with my daughter again. I was led to believe that you’re a reasonable man. Perceptive, so they say.”

“I don’t give a damn what you’ve heard.”