Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath

Derek: "Shut your mouth."

Dan: "Wow, Dad. All that scheming just for a woman, huh?"

Derek's face darkened, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Dan kept pushing, "If you're so capable, why not do it on your own? Instead, you manipulate women to get everything you want, and then complain that their kids are ruining your love life?"

"Dan!"

Derek's voice was sharp, cold, and warning, his glare icy.

Dan met his gaze, unflinching.

"It's a shame, really. You calculated every move, but you didn't expect the first Mrs. Murray to be smarter than you. Before you ditched her, she set you up."

Lacey had run off with half the map.

That move sent shockwaves through the whole Black Gate circle.

And Dan's mother? In the end, she had to die for Derek's sake, so he could go play happy families with that other woman.

At the mention of Lacey, Derek's expression turned downright murderous. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Dan just gave a bitter laugh at the sight.

Derek: "You brought her back on purpose, didn't you? And you've been helping her cover her tracks all these years?"

He'd been searching for Lacey

all, Lacey was too respected in Black Gate. Her being alive was as much a threat to Dan as it was to

you expect? If she hadn't come back, you'd have snatched all the power from me and handed it

ruled Black Gate, and

had bigger problems than Dan. One Lacey was enough

Derek was silent.

found her. Whether you can

a deep, dark

hopeless romantic, even stooping

son,

the

He shot Dan one last glare, then turned

hadn't

brother. Years ago, during that infamous baby switch, Derek's lover got promoted, but Finch was left out in the cold, hidden from the world

icy,

as a winter storm. "Leanne took care of you for three

mom hadn't pulled that con,

That word-gratitude-hit a nerve.

I'm supposed to thank that woman for

played her hand,

had a daughter-no threat to anyone's ambitions. But

since, back then, he was the eldest son

door on his