My Father Left Us to Die,Now I'm Here to Collect

I took a step forward, not the slightest intention of backing down.

Theo answered with a smile, and the crowd murmured their quiet admiration. He was exactly what they'd expected of the self-made mogul who'd built the James Group into a company worth over five billion dollars.

The words landed, and the color drained from Theo's face.

Beside me, Bryan looked anxious. I shook my head at him—it was nothing.

Realizing he'd let his composure slip, Theo quickly pulled his hands back and forced an easy laugh.

A few of the sharper guests had already sensed something was off. Adam waved over the hotel manager, leaned in and murmured a few words, and the manager hurried away.

Theo said nothing. Adam was about to keep going, but a well-dressed woman gliding toward us cut him off.

With that, the woman turned her amused gaze on me. After a moment, she spoke, her tone laced with mock pity.

That blend of warning and threat had the surrounding guests nodding in sudden understanding, and they turned on me and my mother one after another.

Bryan stepped forward right on cue, pulled out a stack of photocopied documents, and read aloud in a clear, steady voice.

Theo couldn't hold his refined, gentlemanly mask a second longer. With a furious roar he lunged forward, snatched the documents out of Bryan's hands, and tore them apart.

Seeing Theo lose his temper, I smiled, delighted.