“You plan to just discard him, then?”
“This is hardly discarding him, Lidell. I’m setting him up for life. Just like I did for you.”
“Our father did that.”
“And I let him,” Heath countered. “If I’d really wanted to put the nails to you, brother, I could have convinced him to leave every cent to me, and you know it.” Heath smoothed a hand over his beard. “Instead, you’ve had houses in the best areas, sent your son to the best schools, had my help in bailing him out of all sorts of unfortunate circumstances, and lived in leisure. I’ve never understood why you saw fit to complain.”
“Because you get everything good.”
“The stress? The strain? The worry? Carrying on our family reputation, keeping up our business interests, finding more, making sure our properties and interests stay sound, caring for the servants? That’s the good stuff you’re so jealous of?”
“You have purpose at least. Now you’re going to strip my boy of that.”
“You can design your own purpose, Lidell. How many times have I told you to go find something you love and do it well? But you whine and fuss.
You could have started your own dynasty by now, but you’ve pissed it all away in legal fees trying to find ways to declare me unfit.”
“That slut you carried on with should have been more than enough reason,” Lidell hissed. “Sleeping his way through all of your business associates. You know he affected your decision making, and he still does.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Nathan was your undoing. And now you’ve gone and—”
“I said, shut your fucking mouth!”
Lidell slammed his lips together, but then Ned took up the cause.
“My whole life you said I was gonna be the master of this place, that I was going to be the Clearwater heir. You said I had to take care to be a good man because of it. Now you say I’m not!”
“If you’ve been acting the part of a ‘good man,’ Ned, then I am terrified to know what you would have done without that incentive.”
“That’s right!” Ned said, nodding and crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’re taking away my motivation. Now, what’ll I be? Nothing good!”
Heath rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. “The devil take you both.”
A small sound from the doorway drew his attention, and when his eyes met Adrien’s, at first his heart leapt, and then it fell.
Chapter Twenty-One
THE HOUSE WAS a maze, truly, and there weren’t many servants around as far as Adrien could see. At least, he didn’t run into any as he walked from room to lavish room, goggling at the monstrosity of riches nearly frothing from every corner.
This was the least Heath-like home he could imagine. Or maybe he didn’t know Heath at all.
The cold feeling he hated slid over him again. He kissed Michael’s head and pressed on into the house, looking for what, he didn’t know. He thought he’d understand when he found it, or maybe he was finally getting to see the real Heath. The one the world knew.
Imposing. Scary. Dominating.
The Heath who’d asked to see his asshole and made him lick his cum off his boot in front of the heat cabin.
Raised voices came from a room near the back of the ‘castle.’ He made out Heath’s tones and two other men. It sounded heated, and he knew he should turn back, but he didn’t.
He walked silently on his bare feet down the hallway, the sensation of clothes against his skin uncomfortable after months without them. He stopped in the doorway to a large office with views of the front drive and the park going off into the distance.
“The devil take you both!” Heath exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. His dark eyes glittered dangerously above his beard. His eyes landed on Adrien then, and they softened.
“Adrien? What are you doing up here?”
The two men beside Heath turned to face him, and immediately one of them scoffed. The other, younger one simply looked confused—angry, still, but confused. “You seriously did it, didn’t you?” the older man said. “You got his son. I’d heard the rumor, but I didn’t actually believe it.”
Heath’s eyes hardened as he swung his attention back to the men in the room.
“You bred your lover’s son? That’s demented!” the younger one said, a snarl of disgust on his lips.
“My lover, not my husband,” Heath corrected, though his eyes were back on Adrien, who felt like a ghost—tingly and unreal, floating outside of his body. “We were never married.”
“You fucked him enough to be married,” the elder said.
“Shut up, Lidell!” Heath snarled, his fists clenching. He took a step toward his brother like he was going to hit him, and Lidell took a step back, his face blanching.
“Calm down,” Lidell said, putting up his hands. “I just hadn’t thought you were still so cock-smitten that you’d go this far to get a piece of him back.”
Ned, because Adrien knew now that the younger man must be Lidell’s son, the troublemaker and former heir, turned to him and stared in utter rage.
“You! You stole my inheritance!” he shouted, starting forward with his fists clenched.
Heath grabbed Ned by his shirt neck and hauled him back. “Touch him, and you’ll be more than disinherited. You’ll be dead.”
Adrien cradled Michael close to his thundering heart. “I’ll go.”
“No, you should stay.” Heath’s brother snarled at him. “We’re the ones who should go.”
Michael squirmed in his arms, and Adrien bounced him softly. “I was exploring.”
“So I see,” Heath said a little grimly, but then he smiled softly and added,
“I’m being rude. This is my brother, Lidell Clearwater, and his son, Ned.
They’re here to learn more about the changes in the entail to the estate since Michael came along.”
“Did Nathan put you up to this?” Lidell asked Adrien, not putting out a hand or acting at all interested in polite introductions. “Did he convince you to take up his cause of messing up Heath’s life?”
“Nathan?” Adrien asked, knowing full well they were referring to the man Heath had loved and lost. The mystery man who had slipped into his thoughts relentlessly ever since Heath had reacted so badly to the name suggestion.
“Yes. Your omega parent! Nathan!” Lidell said, and then he cowered as Heath strode across the room, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him toward the door.
“Excuse us, Adrien. My brother’s overstayed his welcome.” He called over his shoulder, “You, too, Ned.”
The sullen teen followed Heath and Lidell out of the room. Adrien stood by the doorway, out of arm’s reach, with Michael held close, like they were predators of some sort.
His head ached. His body throbbed. He felt nauseous. What had Lidell meant by saying Nathan was his omega parent? Or that Heath had bred his lover’s son?
He felt a little faint. He hadn’t eaten enough, and he was dizzy. He found the edge of the sofa the Ned boy had been sitting on and dropped down onto it. He lifted his shirt and latched Michael on. Adrien listened to his greedy gulps and waited for the calming hit of the chestfeeding hormones to come.
They weren’t as good as the pregnancy hormones or the effect of consuming alpha cum, but it was still a nice dose of calmness to keep him from running screaming into the park.