Chapter 93 The Secret of Anthony's Father
James had already cocked the gun, but Lays stopped him.
“James, no! Anthony!” She shouted, and her crying grew louder.
James looked at her in shock. He glanced at Nathan, who was almost unconscious on the floor, trying to understand Lays’s words.
“Lays, please, don’t tell me… It can’t be him.”
Lays put her hand over her mouth and nodded. That man was Anthony’s father.
Jonathan arrived right after.
“What happened here?” He saw Nathan almost unconscious and Lays crying.
“Jonathan, take this worm out of here! I still have accounts to settle with him. I need to talk to Lays first.”
Jonathan helped Nathan stand up and took him downstairs. He didn’t want him in the house. He put him in the car and called Dave, saying his father needed to go home.
In the apartment, James hugged Lays. She cried in his arms, and he offered her comfort.
“Lays, are you sure? Is he Anthony’s father?” James didn’t want to believe it. Once again, Nathan had hurt a woman he loved.
“I’m sure. If you want, you can request a test, but honestly, I wouldn’t want him to know.”
“Lays, that’s Nathan Wolf. He’s also Elizabeth’s father. That means Anthony is Elizabeth’s half-brother.”
Lays remembered everything Elizabeth had said—how she had been mistreated and how her father had killed her mother in front of the children. She had thought that if James and Anthony were brothers, it wouldn’t be so bad. The truth was worse than expected.
“Anthony will never know about this. I’ll kill him before the boy finds out!” James said, furious.
Lays and James stayed for a while calming down. Then they went downstairs and found Elizabeth. She played the role of hostess, taking care of the guests, seeing what was missing. The men present were charmed by her, saying Jonathan’s wife was an admirable spouse.
“Lays, what happened? Are you okay?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m fine. After everyone leaves, can you come to our place? I’ll leave Anthony with Doug so we can talk.”
Elizabeth agreed. She looked at James and Lays, and the two seemed upset. Something wasn’t right, but she had no idea what had happened. Elizabeth knew the father had been taken home by Dave, but she also didn’t know the reason.
Later in the afternoon, the guests had all left. Adam was one of the last to go. He helped collect things from the hall and talked a bit with Elizabeth. After he left, Elizabeth finally went to talk with Lays and James at their place.
“I saw you went up to get something and came back so upset. What happened?” Elizabeth asked.
Elizabeth and Jonathan sat on the couch, and James paced back and forth.
“Eliz, we’re going to confirm this, but whether it’s true or not, no one can know. This secret has to be protected at all costs,” James said.
“Okay. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
James looked at Lays, and she shook her head. She couldn’t touch the subject. It was too painful for her.
“Okay, I’ll say it… The issue is that we have strong suspicions that Anthony is Nathan’s son.”
James said it, and Elizabeth’s eyes widened. She liked the boy and knew well the father she had had. She didn’t wish that for the boy.
“So that means Anthony and Elizabeth are siblings on their father’s side?” Jonathan confirmed the information. He thought it even made sense that they were siblings. Their affection was mutual. The boy couldn’t explain it, but he had liked Elizabeth from the very first minute he saw her.
“That’s why you’re like this?” Elizabeth asked.
“When I went upstairs, he followed me. He didn’t try anything. I think he just wanted to humiliate me by saying he knew what I did in the past. He said I should thank him—that if I managed to land someone on James’s level, it’s because he taught me how to do it in bed.”
“Elizabeth, the fact that you and Anthony are siblings is just a detail. The issue is that I’m going to kill your father. He signed his own death sentence years ago. The only thing that saved him was the protection my father gave him. Now that Marvin Larson is dead, your father is going to join him.”
Elizabeth froze at the news. She knew her father wasn’t a good person, but she had never wished for his death.
“Do you really think this is necessary? Do you think he needs to die?” Elizabeth asked, worried.
“Eliz, are you still defending him? After everything he’s done to you?” Jonathan asked.
“He’s my father…”
Elizabeth forgave easily. Even after a life of humiliations, she still had love for her father and didn’t want to see him die.
“Eliz, I understand… But I also have to think about Lays and Anthony. I’ll leave the decision in your hands.”
Elizabeth looked at Lays and stayed silent. She was silently pleading for her father.
“James, I don’t think his death is necessary, as long as he doesn’t come near me or Anthony…” Lays said and received a disapproving look from James.
James sighed. He regretted telling Elizabeth what he intended to do. This was one case where he preferred to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
“Okay. I’ll give him a warning. His life will be guaranteed as long as he doesn’t come near Lays or Anthony. If he slips up, I’ll kill him, and I won’t even warn you.” James said, and everyone agreed.
Elizabeth and Jonathan stopped by Doug’s place and picked up Anthony. He would stay with them that night.
Meanwhile, James pulled Lays into the bathroom. He would give her a hot bath and then take her to bed.
“Today, Lays, is our wedding night. I want you driving me crazy,” James said while unbuttoning his shirt.
The night would truly be hot, and he was sure she would command every moment.