Chapter 47 Chapter Forty Seven
Jace's POV
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"
Jace's voice was low and dangerous. His hands were already curling into fists at his sides, every muscle in his body coiled tight with barely restrained rage.
But Noah's smirk didn't fade, if anything, it grew wider.
"Nice to see you too, cousin." He slipped his hands into his pockets, looking completely at ease despite the murder in Jace's eyes.
"But no, I'm not here because I enjoy looking at your face plastered all over this shithole. I'm actually here on your father's orders."
Around them, the crowd had started to scatter.
The drama was over, the spectacle done, and most of the football players were already heading toward the parking lot, stripping off their jerseys, talking about the party.
"Yo, Dawson!" Marcus called out from near the locker room entrance. "See you there, right? Beach house?"
Jace didn't respond.
He didn't even turn his head.
His entire focus was locked on Noah, on that goddamn smirk that made Jace want to put his fist through his face.
"I told you never to show your face around me again," Jace said through clenched teeth. "After that shit you pulled..."
"Come on, that's ancient history." Noah waved a dismissive hand. "Water under the bridge, bygones and all that."
"Fuck you," Jace said, raising his fist and making a move to hit him.
"Still the same violent meathead you always were." Noah sidestepped him and tilted his head, studying Jace with a sly smile on his face.
"Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to hit me?"
Jace took a step forward. "We were just kids back then. If we were to fight now, I'd knock every single one of your teeth down your throat and make you swallow them."
"Charming." Noah didn't move back. "Real classy, captain. Is that the kind of leadership they teach students here? It's pathetic, really..."
"Get the fuck out of my face before I—"
"Relax." Noah held up both hands in mock surrender.
"I'm not here for any dick-measuring contest. Trust me, I have better things to do with my Friday night than stand around watching you have a meltdown. I'm only here because your father asked me to be."
That stopped Jace cold. "What?"
"You heard me."
Jace's jaw tightened. "What the fuck do you mean, my dad asked you to come here?"
"You can forget about going to any beach party tonight, Jace. Your mother is currently at the east parking lot waiting for us to join her, so we can all head back to your place."
"What for?"
Noah's expression shifted slightly. The smirk faded, replaced by something that might have been real seriousness, though with Noah, it was always hard to tell.
"You've been a very bad example, cousin." He tsked. "Nearly getting dropped from the team. Getting involved in scandals, going to shady hotels with girls, ignoring all your father's calls... That was the last straw, apparently."
"He can go fuck himself."
"Well, right now, he's in the middle of closed-door negotiations with the Singapore Investment Authority about a multi-billion dollar infrastructure deal."
Noah pocketed his phone. "So he can't personally make it back to deal with your bullshit. Which is where I come in, he asked me to come here and do him a favour. Be a good influence on you."
Jace laughed harshly, the sound harsh and humourless. "You're full of shit."
"Then come with me to find your mom and ask her yourself."
For a long moment, Jace just stared at him. Looking for the lie, or the angle, or the game Noah was playing.
Because Noah was always playing a game, he had always been, ever since they were kids.
But his face gave nothing away.
"Fine," Jace said finally. "Let's go."
He stalked toward the east parking lot, his cleats clicking against the asphalt, still wearing his full uniform because he'd been too pissed off to change.
Noah fell into step beside him, walking with that easy, confident stride.
His mother's car was parked near the entrance, gleaming under the parking lot lights. It was the 2026 BMW X7 Series M she'd gotten for her birthday, her newest baby.
She was leaning against the driver's side door, scrolling through her phone, looking like she'd just stepped out of an elegant magazine spread.
When she saw them approaching, she straightened up and smiled, waving excitedly at them.
"Congratulations on your win, son!"
That smile disappeared the moment she saw the look on Jace's face.
"What the hell were you thinking inviting this guy?!" Jace gestured aggressively at Noah. "Are you serious right now?"
His mother's expression cooled. She slipped her phone into her designer purse and folded her arms across her chest.
"Jace, lower your voice..."
"No! I want to know what's going on. Why is he here? Why did Dad send him?"
"If you would calm down for one second..."
"I don't want to calm down! This is insane. You can't just spring this on me without.."
"What happened between you two was a long time ago, Jace." Her voice was gentle but firm as she tried to be patient.
"Noah is your cousin. It would do you a lot of good if you put away your pride and learned something for once."
"Learned something?" Jace literally felt his blood pressure spike. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
His mother's eyes softened with a look that seemed almost like pity, which somehow made it worse.
"Noah is on track to become valedictorian of his class. He's the unchallenged captain of his school's football team with a perfect record this season. His GPA is a 4.0, he volunteers at the hospital on weekends, and he just won the state championship for debate." She ticked off each point on her fingers.
"He brings nothing but pride to the Dawson family name. He's everything your father hoped—" She caught herself and stopped talking, but the damage was already done.
Each word was like a knife twisting in Jace's gut.
He hated this.
Hated being compared.
Hated the clear disappointment hiding behind her carefully chosen words, the implication that Noah was what Jace should have been but wasn't.
Noah, for his part, bowed his head humbly. "Mrs Dawson, really, you're too kind..."
"Not at all, sweetheart." She smiled at him warmly, so warmly, as though he was her own son instead of Jace.
"Your father tells me wonderful things about you. We're very grateful to have you."
"The pleasure is all mine, ma'am. Thank you so much for opening your home to me. I promise I won't be any trouble."
He said it with such perfect sincerity, such polished charm, that Jace's mother actually blushed.
Her hand went to her chest and she smiled like Noah had just paid her the most beautiful compliment.
Jace felt sick to his stomach.
"I want him out of the house by the weekend," he said flatly, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. "I don't give a shit if he's Gandhi himself. I'm not living under the same roof as him."
His mother's expression shifted and the warmth drained away...
"That's enough, young man."
Jace was taken aback. Normally, she would beg or plead with him but it seemed like something about Noah being here with her somehow made her bolder.
It was as though she didn't want to seem like a weak mother in front of another child whom she was supposed to be caring for.
"I mean it, Mom. I can't—" Jace started.
"I said that's enough!" Her voice cracked like a whip, sharp enough to make even Noah flinch, even though she sounded pained.
"You don't get to make demands, Jace. Not after the way you've been acting. Not after everything your father has had to deal with because of you."
Jace's jaw clenched so hard it hurt. "So what, this is my punishment? Having to tolerate this guy for a weekend?"
"Noah will not only be staying past the weekend." His mother cut him off, her tone allowing absolutely no argument. "He will be living with us for the foreseeable future."
The words hit Jace like a physical blow to his chest, his entire world seemed to tilt on its side.
"What?"
"His father had to relocate to Tokyo to oversee the launch of their new Asia-Pacific division. The project timeline is a minimum of eighteen months, possibly longer." She said it matter-of-factly,
"Your uncle felt it would be too disruptive to uproot Noah in the middle of his senior year, so we offered to take him in." She finished.
Jace felt his stomach drop. "You can't be serious."
"Noah is transferring to Westbrook. He starts tomorrow."
Noah's smirk grew even wider as he stared Jace dead in the eye, clearly enjoying the situation while Jace spluttered stupidly.
His mother walked up to the side passenger door and opened it up for him, "You will do as you're told, Jace. Or your father and I will have to take very desperate measures. Now get in the car, or else..."