Chapter 63 – Pleasing the Boss

She looks confused for a moment, the alcohol affecting her cognition, perhaps. “He’s always with Ax.”

That doesn’t explain how she knows they’re in the pool room, but I don’t really care about the answer because as soon as I turn toward the pool tables, I spot Hunter and his best bud Ax racking up.

Bingo.

Without excusing myself, I head toward the pair, my eyes pinned on my adversary the whole time. I’m only a few strides from them when Ax finally notices me.

“Hey, boss,” he says, dripping with disrespect.

God, I wish I could fire his ass.

Hunter looks up. “Hadrian.”

Just in time to see my fist coming toward him before it makes contact with his face.

“f**k!” His hand immediately comes to cover his jaw. “f**k you, f**king Hadrian.”

“No, f**k you. Deserved.” I shake my fist out, trying to hide how painful the punch was on my end, which isn’t too hard because the satisfaction definitely outweighs the physical pain.

Not surprising, Adly, Reid, and Alex followed me over. Reid handles the crowd that is starting to gather while Alex jumps in to make sure that Hunter doesn’t throw back. Ax puts a hand out in my direction, as though that would stop me if I wanted to land another punch.

Adly, on the other hand, looks as smug as I feel. “Take that,” she shouts, as if she’s the one who threw the hit.

Hunter moves his jaw back and forth, testing it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem broken, but there is blood when he spits. “If you broke my tooth…”

“You’ll what? Whine to the p**ss again? You got a problem with me, you address it with me.” Because that’s really the issue. None of this has to do with SNC or the CEO position. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with Brystin. It has to do with me and Hunter, and what we are to each other. The secret relationship our family has kept from the world.

“Proved my point, though,” he says. “That she’s your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend was not the word you used, Hunter.” It’s the second time Alex has taken the opposing side tonight, and I have to wonder if he’s finally seeing what a douche our brother is or if he just has enough morals to know he crossed a line.

“He thinks whores are girlfriends,” Adly says, like a tough guy. “Since he pays all of the women he’s seen with.”

“Stay out of it, little girl.” Ax leers at Adly, and now I might punch him.

“Hey, hey.” Reid steps in bet**en us. “No more swinging or I’m barring all of you for life.”

Since I can’t punch, I point my fi**ger at Ax instead. “Watch your f**king mouth, Morgan. I’m still your boss. I can make your life miserable.” Then I turn the point to Hunter. “Don’t you ever f**king say anything about Brystin again. Or I swear to God, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

He smiles, like I’ve walked into his trap, and I probably have. He thinks he knows my Achilles’ heel now, and of course, he does. “Looks like Hadrian has feelings after all.”

Adly laughs. “Only thing he’ll ever love is his job. If you knew anything about him, you’d know that, you, you, twat…scum.”

“Twatscum?” Ax sneers. “Nice one, Adly.”

Words might be hard to access in her inebriated state, but she’s right about me. Love is not in my cards. I won’t allow it. I’ve seen the damage it does. More importantly, I’ve seen how it is never enough.

Hunter ignores our sister, though, his eyes still pinned on me like I’m a target. “She’s a married woman,” he says, goading.

But I prepped myself while I was prepping Brystin, and I have the right comeback waiting. “She’s not my girlfriend, you piece of filth. She’s a person. An innocent person who doesn’t need to be caught in our crossfire.”

“Sure, sure. An innocent person who has never s**ked your c**k.”

I’m so close to tearing into him right now. The only thing stopping me is knowing that’s what he wants. “You want my job, Hunter? Then go after it like every other Seymour who wants the position. Prove yourself. Prove you can do better. Your obsession with me makes you appear unhinged. Bringing your fight to the media makes you look desperate. These pathetic strikes at the people around me make you look soft. The board might kick me out one day, but they’ll never put a weak, desperate dumpster fire like you in my place.”

I can tell my words hit because he looks like he’s about to make a run at me until Reid turns to face him, blocking his pathway. “He’s not wrong. Derogatory shit like that looks worse for you than for him. Misogyny isn’t in anymore.”

Surprisingly, there’s a light of understanding behind his eyes. A recognition that he may have made a mistake. Gone too far. I hadn’t thought it was possible for him to be so self-aware.

I take advantage of the recognition, and tie it in a bow. “This is done now, Hunter. You pull this kind of shit again, I’ll take it to Grandpa Irving. You know he won’t stand for it, and how will you possibly destroy me if you’re kicked out of the fold? This is done.”

The adrenaline is coursing through my veins, which means I need to get out of here before I pick another fight, so I turn to leave, but can’t stop myself from throwing another dig at Ax. “Look at my sister again like you’re undressing her, and I’ll personally remove your eyes.”

Thank you, she mouths as I pass by. Then shouts after me, “I can fight my own battles, you know.”

That’s Adly. Proudly feisty, privately gracious.

No one comes after me. Probably everyone’s glad I’m leaving before I cause more chaos. Since I’ve already broken the rules, I pull out my phone before I’ve hit the club exit. I hold it in my hand, my thumb hovering over Brystin’s number. She’s the only one I want to talk to right now. The only one I ever want to talk to, these days.

But if I call her…then what?

She’s married. She’s not mine. I can’t tell her about tonight. That I protected her name like she belongs to me because she doesn’t. It doesn’t matter that she likes the games we’ve been playing because I forced her into them. It doesn’t matter that I can make her come better than that piece of shit because he’s the one who gets her p**sy.

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