Page 37 of Merciless

“What?” I asked, struggling to keep my composure. I could feel myself wavering on the precipice, emotional backlash building. A terrible reckoning was upon me, and I had no power to stop it.

Colton levelled me with the most honest, cruel glare. “Nikita never loved you. She is a fraud. One who recycles the same ruse, the same con. A simple one, in fact.” He cleared his throat in jest to make sure I received each and every word. “Nikita here takes advantage of grieving families and makes useless, pathetic, lonely men fall in love with her so she can steal all their money and assets.”

Nikita turned towards me then, her palms running up my arms, my neck, my face. Yet I could hardly feel her touch, could hardly hear her sweet denials and claims of innocence. Deep down, I knew.

In the last vestiges of my soul, I knew my son spoke the truth. Unadulterated terror soon crept over my very being. By accepting the truth, I then had to accept my failure, my loss, the complete destruction of my world.

Chapter 23

COLTON

I didn’t hold back, firing one scathing remark after another.

“Tell your precious husband how you scammed him,” I said, my words scoring deep as William’s posture caved in on itself.

“Tell your husband how you target the families you plan to destroy,” I said, lapping up their desperation, thirsting for more.

“Tell your husband how you used my mother to get to him—”

“Stop,” William croaked, his voice guttural and hoarse. He was holding onto his chest as if he were in pain. Good.

“Why would I give you a luxury you never awarded me? No, William. No more running. It’s time you faced everything you created.”

Nikita’s fingernails dug deep into his forearm—her last chance, the one remaining reprieve that she could latch onto. “Don’t listen to him, Will. He’s just trying to tear us apart—”

“Are those the same lies you said to the other fools you swindled?” I asked.

Nikita’s face burned ruby red, her patience about to snap, when a hard thump reverberated from the table. Thomas had dropped a thick folder on the hard surface.

“All the information is there, Mr Richards,” Thomas said, gesturing to the thick, weighted manuscript. “We’ve had four years to gather as much evidence as possible. Our findings are not unfounded, as proven by what’s here.”

The room became mute as William’s shaking hand tentatively reached out. Nikita snapped. “If you choose to open that file and believe them over me, we’re over.”

William turned to her then, focusing all his attention on trying to deconstruct the woman before him.

She hadn’t given him a promise, but a threat, which was her downfall.

“Did we ever begin?” William asked. She averted her gaze, which was the answer in itself.

He opened the folder. And I pushed my questioning.

“Where is my money, whore?”

Nikita stood then, attempting to level the playing field. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

I cocked my head in challenge. “If you don’t answer me appropriately, I will make it my personal mission to ruin your daughter’s future. After all the proof I’ve sent Noah, I doubt he or his bank account will be around to save her anymore.”

Nikita was trembling, her lip curled. “What the fuck—”

I tutted. “Oh, and she can kiss her college degree goodbye, too. Sleeping with half the faculty and blackmailing them isn’t a good look, I’m afraid.”

“Jennifer?” William asked, his voice tinged in guilt. I nearly rolled my damn eyes.

“Save the self-righteousness, William. You really are a stupid son of a bitch. Nikita has been training her mini-me to be just like her mama. What? You thought Jennifer truly loved Noah? More like she loved his fortune and social standing.”

“I won’t admit to anything,” Nikita said, all false bravado.

“Selfish to the last. I can’t say I’m surprised, though we have enough evidence to bury you anyway. Scheming $4.5 million dollars from grieving families is a shitty thing to do. Not to mention fraud and theft, which are both illegal. You’ll be going away for a long time. Forever, if I have anything to do with it.”