Page 67 of Corruption
“I’m not sure I can,” I murmured.
“That woman claims she got pregnant by a man who sneaked in through her balcony, that she had been having an affair with him for weeks, and it isn’t Mason Rich’s child, the man she is married to!”
Mason Rich was my final target before I went after the ultimate prize at the end. Mason was the one who had assaulted me in the men’s locker room. I had deliberately saved him as my last target to take down before I began implementing my plan against Alison. Mason received special treatment as well. Not only had I tried to ruin his fake marriage, but I had also caught him meeting with men in shady hotels. He had gone into hiding after I released those photos last week, but now a new headline had emerged, one that deeply concerned me.
“Did you sleep with her?” Vince asked.
“I didn’t touch her!” I swore. “It wouldn’t have benefited me! She knows he prefers men.”
“So, what is she up to?”
“I don’t know. Maybe trying to make headlines.”
“I don’t believe you,” he snarled before snapping his fingers. “Stand up!”
I complied without hesitation, and Vince motioned for me to follow. I walked behind him as we headed to the indoor gym, where I had received many lessons on taking punches. There was an unusual tension in Vince as he positioned himself in the center of the large blue mat. I sighed, knowing what was about to happen next. I removed my t-shirt and tossed it aside. Vince struggled with the buttons on his shirt. I knew he hoped I hadn’t noticed his strange hand movements lately, but they hadn’t escaped my notice. Something was wrong with him. I knew better than to ask. When he finally managed to remove his t-shirt, he motioned for me to come closer.
“Tell me the truth,” he ordered as I stood in front of him.
“I never—” I didn’t finish the sentence before he slammed his fist into my face, sending me stumbling to the side. I had taken harder hits from him when I was much smaller, and he knew I could hit back now. I lunged forward, attempting to strike, but he evaded my punch and struck me again, pushing me back.
“The truth, Jared! Did you get her pregnant? If you did, tell me now, and we will take care of it!”
I looked at him in shock. “Take care of it?”
“Do you think you’re going to be a father now? You knew what would happen the moment you entered this life. We live in the shadows, and you’re not about to have a bastard child who might come looking for you one day or be used against you. So, be honest with me. Did you have sex with her?”
When I didn’t respond quickly enough, Vince struck me again, causing me to stagger backward. It infuriated me, and I lunged at him, managing to land a punch this time, but it was as if Vince no longer felt pain. He went flying back, using the momentum to strike me even harder, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. Coughing, I bent forward, trying to get rid of the taste. Vince seized me by the hair, turning my head and delivering another forceful blow to emphasize his point. I groaned, turning my head away, and he finally released me.
“Tell me the truth!” he demanded.
“Just once!” I shouted before slowly standing up, wiping away the blood. Vince shook his head in disappointment.
“Why?”
“She looked like...”
“What?” he asked, not catching the end of my sentence.
“She looked like Alison,” I whispered, and Vince clenched his fists in frustration.
“But she isn’t her!” he shouted, his anger directed at me clear in his burning eyes. I had lost my focus. Just once, I had allowed myself to indulge because I was getting so close. After years of preparation, I was slowly approaching my goal, but I knew there was still much work to be done before I could claim my sweet prize. For a moment, I had lost sight of that. I had allowed myself to imagine I was already there, but mistakes came with consequences, and now those consequences were catching up to me.
“Sorry...” I murmured, looking at the ground, fully aware of how badly I had messed up.
For a long moment, I heard nothing but Vince’s heavy breathing as he tried to wrap his head around the situation.
“Just once?” he asked me.
I nodded. “She lied about the weeks. It happened only once.”
“So it could potentially be someone else’s child, correct?”
“She wasn’t loyal, no,” I whispered.
“Good. Good.”
I looked up, noticing a peculiar expression on Vince’s face. He seemed lost in thought, but not as worried. Over the years, I had become adept at reading him.
