“Listen to me, Justin,” Selene said, grabbing his arm, her voice trembling with desperation. “Your father and I only meant to corner Richard—he was in the study because we were going to accuse him of corporate espionage. We wanted to scare him into signing the cooperation deal. That was all. We never intended for things to go this far!”
Justin stared at her—at the woman who used to tuck him in at night and bandage his scraped knees. Now, he wasn’t sure if he was looking at a stranger or a monster.
Selene clung tighter. “You have to believe us. We were just as shocked as you were this morning. Weren’t you the one who threw the first punch because you thought Richard hurt Mia?”
“We would never hurt her, Justin. She is our daughter.”
But the words rang hollow.
Justin’s heart twisted pain
