Chapter 161
Paul tensed at the voice, his head turning to watch this new person enter the room.
It was a man, a few inches taller than Paul, with short brown hair. The suit he wore — light grey in colour — was stark in contrast to the detective’s black one. There was an air of superiority about this newcomer, one that told Vivian he wasn’t someone who had the patience to deal with anything he considered a nuisance.
“Y-you!” Paul stuttered, taking half a step back, before realizing what he’d done and firmly planted his feet. “What are you doing here? I said I’d deal with this myself.”
“Yes, yes,” the man sighed, hands in his pockets as he gave the room a quick scan. “I’m aware of what you said, however, I’m also aware of how often you screw up.”
Vivian had no idea what was going on. Who was this man? Why had he come? And why was Paul acting this way? Wasn’t he the one in charge?
The man finally turned his head in her direction, and Vivian’s breath caught in her throat when his blue eyes met hers. They were like ice, stealing the warmth from the room, as he regarded her with mild interest. “This is the girl?”
“…yes…” Paul replied through gritted teeth, looking as though it pained him to answer. “I have this under control.”
“Mmm. So she’s aware of the situation?”
“W-well, I was about to—“
“Ah. I see. Of course. You can go, Paul. I’ll take it from here.”
“No. I’m her father. I will do this.”
“You’re not her father,” the man sighed, finally switching his gaze back to the man in the black suit. “This no longer has anything to do with you.”
“You can’t just cut me out like this,” Paul snarled, clenching his fists. “I’m your son; I have every right to be here.”
The man let out a low chuckle. “Are you? I’ve never acknowledged you as such. You’re just a disappointing bastard. Even the lowest of the lowest have accomplished more things in a year than you have throughout your pathetic life.”
“Y-you…! No. I’ve done plenty. I-I… I’m a detective with the police. I stop them from investigating you and your organization. I’ve altered, destroyed, and planted evidence so they go after your enemies. I tell you if there are witnesses that need silencing.”
“Good for you. You did your job,” the man retorted. “You did exactly what you were told to do. Nothing more.”
“What else was I suppose to do, then?”
“If you had half a brain, you’d already know the answer to that question. Now leave.”
“I’m not leaving,” Paul shot back, taking a step towards the man. “This is my plan, and I’ll finish it.”
“Not anymore. There’s been a change of plan, and you’re no longer needed.”
“You can’t just throw me away like this.”
It looked like the man had finally had enough. His hands slid from his pockets as he narrowed his eyes. “Do you not understand the trouble you’ve caused me? How much I’ve lost because of you?”
“W-what? Lost? No. I’ve helped you gain—“
“Not near as much as I’ve lost! You and your damn obsession with that fucking woman. God knows why I bothered entertaining your ridiculous ideas. I’d hoped to get rid of you, send you off somewhere I could forget about you, but you managed to somehow fucked even that up.”
“I did not. I-I—“
“No, Paul,” the man hissed, closing the distance between them as he stared down at the bastard he’d refused to claim as his son. “You came to me, begging me to help you. On a whim, I decided to indulge you. At first it was letting you run around, taking things here and there for whatever fucking reason, but at least it kept you out of my hair. Then you demanded that fucking woman. So I had her grabbed, cleaned everything up all nice, and delivered her to you with a fucking bow.
“I made sure she wouldn’t be found. Once she’d given birth to what was supposed to be your child, I sent you off to buttfuck nowhere to live out your happy little fantasy. And I admit, I was glad you’d managed to produce an heir; proud, even. But the moment I set my eyes on that child I knew — I knew — she wasn’t yours, but you rejected that idea and disowned me.
“Four years later, you show up, begging for forgiveness. Even going so far as admitting you were wrong, that it’d never happen again. You’d covered your tracks, even transferring back without telling me, and expected me to just welcome you with open arms.”
“And you did,” Paul interjected, sounding petulant.
“Because I could still use you, much as I loath to admit it. Getting someone into the RCMP is a pain in the ass, and you were already in. So I decided to use you, like I would any other pawn. You are no bastard son of mine, Paul. And even if you were? You disowned me, and can no longer use that to your advantage.”
Vivian was still sitting on the floor, watching the men argue, unable to move. All they were saying… how was any of it even possible? They were talking about her mother, she was sure of it, but that meant Paul wasn’t… He was actually inept, incapable of doing half the things she’d feared. It was the other man who was the true mastermind. Without him, Paul… Paul wouldn’t have been able to kidnap her mother. Wouldn’t have been able to make them disappear so thoroughly.
“Since then, I’ve only ever done right by you,” Paul was shouting now. “I made up for my mistake.”
“No, you haven’t!” The man roared, causing the blond man to visibly shrink. “Your obsession with that Lamont bitch… do you know what you cost me because of that?”
“W-what? I didn’t… I didn’t cost you anything.”
There was a sharp crack and Paul was suddenly sprawled on the floor. The man lowered the hand he’d used to strike his bastard son, inspecting it before letting it rest by his side again. “To find his wife, Samuel Devreaux started taking control of certain… enterprises I’d been eyeing. It didn’t matter who I knew, the influence I held, he still managed to gain a foothold, then another, and another, until suddenly everyone considered him my equal. That rich, punk ass bastard, had suddenly gained control over some very lucrative business ventures — ones that should have been mine, Paul. Mine. If you hadn’t selfishly demanded, no… begged for the Lamont bitch, that man would’ve never stepped foot in my world. All that’s his would’ve been mine!”
Paul had pushed himself up into a sitting position, only for the other man to deliver another blow, sending the detective sprawling a second time as he said, “Imagine my surprise when I learned about your little kidnapping and ransom demand. You’d actually managed to get your hands on the bastard, only to let him go. And why? Because you’re a fucking moron.” His voice shaking with barely suppressed rage. “You’re pathetic, Paul.”
The man stretched his neck back and forth, letting out a breath as he visibly calmed down. “I’m taking over. I’ll salvage what’s left of this fuck up, and take back what should have been mine from the start.” He turned his head to look at Vivian, his eyes freezing her in place as a smirk spread over his face. “And I’ll start with his precious, little girl.”