The Man Behind Everything

"You animal!" I roared.

I lunged forward to punch Ralph, but two burly men beside me locked me down hard.

The next second, Ralph flicked a look at the two bodyguards closest to Luke.

They got the message immediately and started closing in, step by step, blocking Luke from getting out of the water.

Luke had never seen anything like this. His little face went white as paper as he clutched my pant leg.

His small body shook as he cried through tears, "Dad! Help me! I don't want to put on a show!"

Anger exploded in my chest. "Let my son go. Now!"

Smack!

My face burned. Ralph rubbed his wrist and smiled in pure contempt.

"You should be worrying about yourself."

My vision went red as I watched Luke get shoved back into the water by the guards.

He couldn't keep his footing. He choked on several mouthfuls of seawater and started coughing hard.

My eyes burned as I clenched my fists. "I'll say it one last time. Let my son come up, or you'll be sorry!"

Seeing my anger only made Ralph more smug.

"I'll be sorry? What are you gonna do to me? You're just a useless guy living off your wife. You think you can threaten me?"

He reached out and patted my face.

"Let me be clear. If he doesn't make Mr. Burgess happy today, he's not coming out of that water. If he drowns, Ms. Stokes…I mean, Gloria won't shed a single tear for your stupid kid. She's busy making sure I keep Mr. Burgess and those cash cows satisfied."

I glared at him. "If Gloria finds out what you're doing to Luke, she'll make you pay for it!"

But my words did nothing. Ralph just laughed harder.

"That's hilarious. Gloria told me that an old man like you can't satisfy her. She wants me. Worst case, I'll just get her pregnant with my kid!"

I didn't waste another word on these unhinged animals.

Every extra second of talking was an insult to myself.

I twisted free from the guards holding me, and dove straight into the water. The icy sea wrapped around me, but it couldn't cool the rage burning inside.

I would make Ralph pay!

I swam to Luke as fast as I could and hauled him out of the cold water, pulling him tight against my chest.

His face was flushed red as he coughed nonstop.

Sobbing, he wrapped his arms around my neck. "Dad… Cough… I'm scared…"

I gently patted his back and shielded him from the cold sea breeze with my body.

Seeing his fun ruined, Ralph flew into a rage.

"Damn it! Who told you to pull him out? You useless trash. You ruined Mr. Burgess's mood. You ready to pay for that? I'll call Gloria right now and have both of you kicked out for good!" he shouted.

He pulled out his phone and pretended to dial.

Before he could finish, the roar of a powerful engine cut through the air. A white speedboat tore toward Crescent Bay and came to a smooth stop near the shore.

Gloria stepped off in a flowing beach dress, sunglasses on, surrounded by assistants and bodyguards.

The moment she appeared, every eye on the beach turned toward her.

The instant Ralph saw her, his face shifted into wounded misery, eyes shining with fake tears.

He jogged over dramatically and threw himself at her side.

Grabbing her arm, he spoke in a syrupy voice that made my skin crawl.

"Gloria! You're finally here! Look, your man showed up out of nowhere with his kid and insisted this place belongs to him!"

His ability to twist the truth was impressive.

"He even offended Mr. Burgess and the other VIPs. I tried to talk things out, and he actually tried to hit me!"

He pointed at a nonexistent bruise on his face, acting like a victim as he accused me.