Page 55 of Xander

Jordan didn’t appear surprised and muttered, “Asshole,” under her breath. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she asked, “Is that why he asked for a divorce?”

I shook my head. “Mom was the one trying to leave Henry, not the other way around. But he wouldn’t let her go.”

“But I thought Henry was the one who asked for a divorce⁠—”

“He did, but only after her accident. He missed having a beautiful wife who entertained his sleazy friends, so he divorced her,” I added grimly. “But he still oversaw Mom’s finances to control Jasper and me through her. That’s what he does, Jordan. My father controls and ruins people, and he was going to ruin you, too. He controlled you by acting like your savior, then chipped away at you, the same way he destroyed Mom’s self-worth.”

A strange light entered her eyes. “Where is she now?”

“She lives near me. Mom was in the same boat as you, but she’s better off now. If you let me help, you could be, too.”

Jordan lowered her gaze and solemnly nodded.

Neither of us spoke after that, and I realized I hadn’t meant to impart so much information all at once.

She grew uncomfortable at the prolonged silence and grasped at straws to change the topic. “Where are we sailing to?”

“The boat will dock in the morning,” I replied evasively.

“Dock where?”

I didn’t respond.

Her gaze sharpened, posture tense and guarded. She studied me carefully, trying to uncover any hidden motives.

“I can’t run away with you, Xander,” she declared, panic rising in her voice. “I have clients and a life.”

“Actually, you don’t,” I told her coolly. “Henry bad-mouthed you to all of your clients. They fired you and replaced you overnight.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about?”

“What did you think would happen if you only take on clients that are mutual to the both of you?”

“B-but most of my clients didn’t even know Henry before me,” she protested. “I got them to endorse his products and appear in his advertisements. They were my clients first.”

“Doesn’t matter. You let him into every aspect of your life. What did you think he’d do after you pissed him off?”

She snapped her mouth shut. The thought had occurred to her, but she hadn’t expected the swift revenge.

“He’s the primary account holder for my bank accounts,” she revealed slowly.

“He probably withdrew all the money from them by now,” I informed her solemnly.

I called my cousins earlier today to assess the damage we left behind. Henry garnered sympathy by telling everyone that Jordan had a mental breakdown. Jordan’s clients left her at Henry’s prodding, and any money she had was at his disposal. In the public eye, he looked favorably as a victim of circumstance, the doting husband trying to take care of his mentally unfit wife. Meanwhile, he trashed me as the “up to no good son” who instigated the delicate situation.

Jordan closed her eyes in defeat, almost as if expecting to hear this news. She better hold on to her senses because it was only about to get worse.

She pressed a hand to her face and moaned. “What am I supposed to do now?”

I smiled. “You can still take care of my career. I’m not firing you. And Henry can’t get to you once we reach Canada.” It was the reason I requested to be traded to Canada. American jurisdiction only stretched so far.

She frowned. “Canada? That’s where we are going?”

“Nova Scotia, to be specific.”

Jordan looked shocked, the conundrum dawning on her. “I can’t go out of the country.” She glanced at the white sheet poorly draped around her body. “I don’t even have any clothes.”

The thought made me smirk, which I quickly wiped at Jordan’s outrage. “There is a row of stores for the cruise guests. They are closed until we launch, but the owners left me with the keys. Buy anything you want, it’s on me.”