God of Wrath (Legacy of Gods #3) by Rina Kent

So despite my murder plans, I force myself to not glare at the bastard too much. At least not when Kim and Cecily are looking.

By the time we sit down for dinner, I’ve cooled down. But only a bit and just enough to change tactics about shaking the pest away and removing whatever rosy binoculars my wife is looking at him with.

I take a bite of my steak and stare at him. I made sure my wife and daughter are on my right while he’s all alone on my left.

“How old are you, Jeremy?”

“Twenty-four.”

“Aren’t you too old for university?”

“He’s finishing his master’s degree and getting his PhD, Papa,” Cecily answers on his behalf. “Like Eli.”

I don’t cut eye contact with him. “What do you study?”

“Business.”

“What do you plan to do after university?”

“Take over the family business.”

“Which is?”

It’s subtle, but I feel Cecily’s posture stiffen beside her mother before she beams at me. “Do you want wine?”

“I don’t drink, remember?”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

I narrow my eyes on her, and she lowers her head. Something’s fishy. Cecily knows I stopped drinking way before she was born. I did sometimes in the past, on special occasions, and only when my wife was holding my hand, but I stopped drinking altogether years ago.

My attention falls on Jeremy, who’s wearing his blank expression like a second skin.

“What did you say your family business was?”

“I still didn’t say.”

“Go on then. Get on with it.”

“My father is one of the biggest shareholders in a corporation. We have countless subsidiaries in every field, including but not limited to imports and exports, electronics, medical research, cars, and investment.”

Cecily slowly relaxes, and Kim smiles. “That sounds huge.”

“It is. As my father’s heir, I’m expected to take over those responsibilities sooner rather than later.”

“But you’re still so young,” Kim says. “Don’t you want to live your life first?”

“Age is just a number. I’ve been ready to serve this role since I was a child.”

My wife strokes our daughter’s hand. “Cecy has also wanted to enter the field of psychology since she was a kid. She said she wanted to be able to listen properly to those who have no one who listens to them and to be able to give them the help they need but don’t know how to ask for. I guess being responsible is something both of you have in common.”

“I know.” He stares at my daughter, whose eyes glitter at her mother’s words. “She listened to me like no one else has.”

Cecily lifts her head and they maintain eye contact for a disgusting amount of time before I slam my glass of water on the table.

“You’re just shamelessly exploiting my daughter, aren’t you?”

“Papa!” Cecily chastises me with that pleading look in her eyes, and Kim strokes the back of my hand, asking me without words to stop being an arsehole.

The fact is, these two know all too well that I can’t say no to them.

Not even if they ask me for the impossible.

So I try to keep my scathing remarks to a minimum as I watch him effortlessly bewitch my girls.

I’m going to unmask this psychopath so they’ll see him for his true self, even if it’s the last thing I do.

After dinner, they show him around the house, play a board game. Not only does he subtly lose like some chivalrous bastard, but he also welcomes and answers any questions Kim has for him.

My wife is officially a lost cause when it comes to this Jeremy. Maybe he brought some mojo with him and put it in her drink.

That’s the only explanation for why she’s fawning over him when she’s never been a big fan of Cecily being in relationships.

She stays by his side until I nearly throw her over my shoulder and take her to our bedroom.

But first, I escort the wanker to his room because, despite my objections, he’s spending the night. Kim said it’s nonsense to send him to a hotel when we have plenty of space, and that traitor Cecily naturally agreed.

So I had the housekeeper put his backpack in the farthest room from Cecily.

He steps inside ahead of me, casting a fleeting glance at the place before he looks at me. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“I’d rather you were on the streets, so let’s spare each other the bullshit.”

He physically forces his body to relax, and I know there’s forcing involved, because he’s always stood like an erect wall.

“I understand that you find it hard to accept me, considering your tight relationship with Cecily, but I mean her no harm, so for her sake, can we compromise?”

“I’ll compromise you to hell is what I’ll do.” I make an ‘I’m watching you’ motion. “If I see you near my daughter’s room, I’ll bring my shotgun, loaded this time.”

He nods, and I start to leave but then slide back in. “I’m watching you, boy. Any funny business and you’re out, got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

I finally leave but remain in the hallway to test the arsehole. I even sit on the classical sofa at the end, across from his room, to keep an eye on him.