Chapter Four
1125 Words
In the end, Bianca refused to come down until they sent the butler to retrieve her. Silently, she joined them, sinking into the chair next to Fin and facing his parents. His mother was weeping again and disappointment radiated from his father.
“When did this begin?” Ronin asked.
Fin hesitated, “Four months ago.”
“F-four months!” Deirdre gasped.
“Yes, we’re in love,” Bianca suddenly declared, then fell silent at Ronin’s glare.
“Is that so, Finlay?” he asked.
“…No.”
Bianca gasped, looking at him. Her gaze was furious and he understood why. Claiming they truly loved each other was, perhaps, the only acceptable reason for their actions. However, his father wouldn’t tolerate lies and Fin wasn’t in any mood to indulge Bianca.
“Considering what we did, I think it’s safe to say love was never part of the equation,” Fin grimaced. “Infatuation, lust, stupidity. All of those are better terms for what we did.”
Ronin sighed, staring at his son. Well, at least he didn’t have to fight for the truth. But that still left them quite a mess to deal with. First and foremost was Gus’s reaction. Although Ronin could hardly blame his son, kicking out both Fin and Bianca without any clothes was rather extreme.
“Clearly, Fergus did not respond well. Why would you do this, let alone in his bed?”
“I—I don’t know,” Fin sighed. “I have no idea what I was thinking.”
“I suggest you spend some time thinking that through,” Ronin advised. “I believe your brother deserves an answer.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Bianca muttered.
Ronin raised a brow at that.
“A woman has needs,” Bianca continued, mostly to herself. “We can’t be neglected and expected to be okay with it.”
“Is that a fact?” Ronin asked, startling her.
Apparently, she didn't realize she was speaking aloud.
“A man has the right to expect his partner to be faithful,” Ronin said, his voice dripped with disapproval. “Did you even bother to discuss your thoughts of neglect with Fergus, or ask why he was putting in extra hours at the company? Of course not. If you did, you would have learned he was doing so because he was planning to take a month off for the honeymoon, so he could focus solely on you.”
Bianca blinked. She hadn’t expected that, though as Ronin said, she hadn’t spoken to Gus. Was he really doing all of that for her?
“He planned a two-week trip starting in Paris because you wanted to go so badly,” Ronin continued. “And this is how you show your appreciation?”
“It’s not—I didn’t know. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I thought you said you were in love with Finlay,” Ronin said, making her hesitate. “Tell me, you at least used protection.”
“Umm, no,” Fin hesitated. “I don’t like the feel of it.”
Ronin sighed, “Then let me ask you, should Bianca fall pregnant, who is the father: you or Fergus?”
Finlay opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated.
“Surely, you must be aware of the issue,” Ronin said. “Identical twins are genetically the same, therefore a paternity test means nothing. So, which one would be the father?”
Fin clapped his mouth shut. That thought hadn’t occurred to him. The idea that his brother would end up raising a child that was conceived due to Fin and Bianca’s affair made his heart ache. His father was right. There would be no way to know the truth. Even calculating the conception date would only be a guess. Would the child be his or his brothers?
“Would that even matter?” Bianca asked. “I mean, you said it yourself, they are identical.”
“Genetically,” Ronin said. “If you don’t understand why it matters, then you don’t understand men at all. But that is only supposing you are pregnant now. Fergus will never touch you again.”
Bianca blinked and felt a chill run down her spine,” What do you mean?”
“Exactly as I said,” Ronin calmly answered. “Fergus is not the forgiving type, and he doesn’t like to share. He never has. He’ll never touch you again. Safe to say, he’ll probably call off the wedding as well.”
“But he can’t. I’ve told everyone. Invitations have already been sent. The deposits…everyone is expecting a wedding.”
“You should have thought of that before having s*x with someone else in Fergus’s bed,” Ronin snapped. “He’s probably already canceled your credit cards.”
“H-he can’t do that.”
“Whatever Fergus gave you he can take away,” Ronin said. “And he will.”
“But…”
“You should have thought about that before,” Ronin said. “And you, Finlay. Don’t tell me you never considered the consequences of your actions.”
Bianca fell silent and Fin hung his head. He couldn’t believe how stupid they both had been. Of course, Gus would never forgive them. While Fin was much more laid back, Gus was a stickler for rules.
He shivered at the memory of his brother’s cold expression and rage-filled gaze. That was not an expression he ever saw before. Gus had always been amiable, quiet and contemplative. Fin couldn’t recall a time Gus ever raised his voice. Yet, another reason he was far superior to Fin, who never seemed able to control his emotional outbursts. Maybe that was why he had gone along with Bianca and ended up in her bed.
No, he shouldn’t put the blame on Bianca like that. He was responsible for his own actions. That knowledge only made it harder. How could he have let this happen?
“What are we going to do?” Fin finally asked.
“Clearly, your brother isn’t thinking rationally,” Ronin sighed. “It’s best to give him a few days to cool off. So, we’ll leave him be for the weekend and let him get his mind in order. Monday, we’ll talk to him. You have until then to think of how you plan to apologize.”
Fin nodded. He was already considering his groveling options. Hopefully, Gus would give him a chance to say them. Little did any of them realize, by Monday Gus would have already burnt every bridge to the ground. It only made it worse that Fin was the one who handed him the matches.
- Writer
