Chapter 353: A Shitty Husband
Edward held his hand out, his eyes widened, "What the hell are you talking about?" He rubbed his temples trying to make sense of what she said. She had only one son with Rowan, the eldest grandson, Maverick.
Was she saying that kid was his?
She reached for his chin, "I am telling the truth, Maverick is your son."
"Bullshit." he hissed.
She rolled her eyes, "Why would I lie about that? If you don’t believe me let’s have a DNA test conducted." she doubled-down.
Edward tensed up, was she bluffing? If he ran the calculation in his head, it would make sense that Maverick was his son, they were with each other around the time he was conceived, before she stabbed him in the back and married his brother.
He grabbed her wrist, "You’d better not be lying to me." he tightened his grip.
Sloane met his gaze, her tone softer she said, "He’s yours, I promise."
It took a few seconds for the realization to kick in, and when it did, Edward was livid. He pulled her down, and cupped her cheeks, "How dare you hide him from me all this time?!"
She struggled against his grip, "I needed some leverage over you, if Rowan had the first grandchild, it’d give Rowan a much more even playing field." she confessed.
Now, he was even angrier, "So you thought you could fuck me over?!" his face flushed pink.
Her breath hitched, "I could say the same to you." She sharpened her gaze, "After promising to be with me, you cave into your damn mother and settled for that bitch, Laura."
She felt his grip tightened when she called his wife a bitch, he wasn’t angry because he loved her, but because she insulted what was his.
However, she wasn’t prepared to back down now. "This is no time to fight amongst ourselves." She reasoned, "We can still turn all this around."
Edward laughed, "Still such a snake, what would Rowan do if I told him you’ve been lying to his face this entire time? He’d divorce you without a second thought."
Now, it was her turn to laugh. Her unhinged laughter loosened his grip. She used the chance to shake his grip off. Her hand massaging her cheeks, she went on, "You need me-"
"I need Maverick." he corrected.
"He won’t go to you without me. One thing you have in common is you’re both attached to the hip to your mothers. If you make me suffer, he will never work as your pawn." She knew it was a gamble, that if he did decide to tell Rowan, it would tank her chances with Zachiel.
The bastard surprisingly had a thing against infidelity when it came to his children, didn’t want any nasty rumors tainting his reputation.
Edward also knew this. If Maverick turned out to be an illegitimate son of his, his father might have him taken off his will.
And right now, he needed Maverick. William was a disappointment, and he needed a fighting chance at the inheritance, one he was guaranteed he would get with Maverick.
Sloane sliced into his thoughts, "Rowan is a shitty husband," She moved closer to him, massaging his shoulders from behind, "I should have backed up a better prospect. I think it’s not too late for that."
Edward hardened his tone, "It is."
She chuckled, "Oh come on, I know you don’t believe that. I know your type more than anyone, and Laura doesn’t fit, that’s why William turned out to be so weak, and Desmond, a glaring disappointment. That woman ruined your chances at the inheritance."
Naturally, she did not believe that, if anything she was stunned how Laura kept her cool for so many years, with Sophia breathing down her neck.
But she needed to sell this as best as she could.
Edward held her wrists and made her stand in front of him, "I am not a fool, what is it you want?"
She replied, "I already told you, I want in on the backdoor deals you’re making. I want to become your partner."
He found himself laughing, "You’re still as audacious as ever."
"It’s why you can’t stay away from me." she insisted.
He knew she was right, he always had a thing for a woman who would challenge him, yet still know her place. Feisty and docile.
"And what gave you the impression I was doing anything off the books?"
She gave him a blank look, "I know you best, even when we were dating, I knew about you secretly bribing the board of directors." She knew more than that, she saw the records of his shady deals from back then, she still had copies she made stashed in her bedroom, her last resort if she could not get him through persuasion.
Edward was displeased to say the least. "You were snooping around." he said in an accusing tone.
She scoffed, "I’m sharp, something that would only benefit you if you let me back you up."
He immediately caught her drift, "You’re proposing spying on Rowan."
She nodded, "A sloppy drunk like him is bound to have some loose ends. Not to mention that Malcolm and Rosalind have nothing against me, I could do some snooping around there if you want." She stood in between his legs, "You can use me as much as you want."
He was however still not fully convinced, "What exactly is your endgame here?"
"I-"
"If you so much as lie to me, I will have your tongue ripped off." he threatened, trying to throw her off.
Instead of answering with words, she leaned in and kissed him. When Edward tried to pull back, she cupped the sides of his face, and deepened the kiss. On cue, he responded, his arm on her waist, keeping her in place.
When they pulled away, in a somewhat daze he asked, "What does this mean?" He had made advances towards her over the years, but she refused to reciprocate.
She traced her thumb across his lip, "Once we get the inheritance to Maverick, and the old man has no power in the family, let’s divorce our partners and start again."
"Are you serious?" He sounded hopeful.
She cracked a smile. "Give me a chance to become yours again." She said right before he grabbed her by the back of the head and crashed her lips onto his.
