Bastards and Scapegoats (Twisted Legacy Duet #1) - CoraLee June Page 0,23
trying to protect my family. Joseph impulsively married your mother, and I wanted to know what we were up against. I’ve never intentionally tried to make you, or your mother, feel like outsiders. But you didn’t grow up in this world.”
I understood where he was coming from, but it still upset me. I couldn’t quite figure out if I was upset because he knew our dirty secret or because it hurt to think about. I blew out a noisy breath and angled my body away from Jack. “You just caught me off guard. You’re protective of your sons, right? Well, I’m protective of her. Mom wouldn’t want her new father-in-law talking about her trauma so flippantly. She could have been a statistic, but she overcame. She worked hard and protected me. The moment I was born, she got us out of her mother’s trailer. She dropped out of school, got her GED, and busted her ass to take care of me. She didn’t have to keep me, let alone take care of me, but she did. Please don’t let her know that you know. It’s bad enough she has to look me in the eye every day of her life and see him. She doesn’t need to see your pity, too.”
Jack sighed. “Most men in my position don’t allow their sons to marry for love. We do business arrangements. We set our kids up with someone who will make our fortune grow. Be glad I even allowed it—”
“Allowed?!” I shook my head in disgust. “You think you’re so much better than us. I thought you were so kind and welcoming. I had no idea you were looking down your nose at us this entire time.”
Jack didn’t falter. He had a true politician’s soul, because he kept to his views implicitly. “I own some of the largest corporations in the world. I’m the governor of one of the wealthiest states in the country. I’ve lived my life in the public eye. It’s unfair to expect you to seamlessly adapt to a world that molds infants into ruthless billionaires, but you should get used to this.”
“Used to what?”
“Every bit of your life will be picked apart from here on out. Your mother married into one of the most well-known families in the world. You see that black car following us? That’s my security detail. I’m in the newspaper daily. You’re under a microscope, now. I can control what the media knows, but this isn’t a fairy tale, Vera. This is your life. I won’t apologize for making sure your mother wouldn’t ruin the legacy I worked so hard to build. I don’t like uncontrollable variables. All I did was look into her past and make sure it wouldn’t come back to bite us in the ass. You should be thanking me for handling such a scandal. It’s hard to cover up something when there is living, breathing proof. If people knew what you were a product of—”
My heart clenched. My chest felt so tight that I clutched it. “How dare you!” He’d voiced an insecurity that had been plaguing me for years.
“You act like this is a bad thing!” Jack sounded exasperated. “The world is at your fingertips. Your mother could have never hoped to provide you with the sort of opportunities I have access to. She won’t have to work three jobs. You won’t have to bend over backward for a scholarship at a mediocre school. I don’t understand the problem. You’re just like Ha—”
Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek.
“Just like Hamilton?” I asked, finishing his statement for him. “The son you sent away?”
“He wanted to leave. I gave him an out. He asked for a normal life away from me, and I gave it to him. I can give you the same thing if you’d like. University in Europe. A job at one of my companies. This is a choice—a choice your mother made for the both of you when she got knocked up and trapped Joseph in a marriage. If I weren’t running on a platform that prioritizes family values, I wouldn’t have even considered it. I have too many corporations relying on the legislation I pass to let anyone ruin my chances for reelection. You can think I’m cruel, but it’s just business. I’m just giving you an opportunity to be a part of the family, Vera.”
I wasn’t sure this was a family I wanted to be a part of. I placed my hand on the