Billionaire's Perfect Revenge [18+]

FORTY THREE

During the entire drive back home, neither of us cared to say anything. No words were exchanged. Not even glances. All the time, I kept my gaze settled on the view of the city racing back outside of his lavish car.

After Maddox, not so subtly, fractured my so-called father's wrist, I couldn't gather up the courage to say anything at all. He was burning up with anger. His eyes turned red and his face so dark with madness, I feared if I said to him anything at all, he would snap out something so ugly, I wouldn't be able to handle it. Even mom couldn't squeak a word in front of his seething self. Only my father kept screaming and crying in pain. Although when he turned around and met the fierce eyes of Maddox Richmond, he tried his best to gobble down the pain and whimpered quietly.

Mom called 911 right away. After the van arrived, and the paramedics took him to the hospital, we dropped by his room to make sure he wouldn't cause any more trouble for mom and me. Although Maddox personally handled the entire dialogue with my father. He urged mom and me to wait outside (more like instructed, because how could someone reason with his enraged ass?). God knows what miraculous words he spoke, but my father took it upon himself and called his broken wrist nothing but an accident.

At least that was a relief.

Maddox also helped me shift mom's stuff from Brandon's place to my apartment. Now that my father knew about the whereabouts of mom, he wouldn't rest quietly. I knew in my heart he would return, only because for whatever reason he had shown up at Brandon's place today, he hadn't gotten it. And that man was a stubborn fucker. He would bother us until his wish was granted. And God knows what he wanted from us this time.

Brandon arrived not long after. I had already briefed him on the entire incident over the phone. He was just as mad after hearing everything. After checking up on mom, we sat in the living room and talked about the incident a little more. I was under the impression after dropping us at my apartment, Maddox would have left for work. But he didn't. To my surprise, he returned with multiple bags in his hands, all of them loaded with meals from a five-star restaurant.

After dinner, while Maddox sat with mom, Brandon pulled me to a corner and asked what I had been dreading for the past few weeks and completely forgot after the surprising appearance of my dickhead father.

"You're married?" he whispered harshly. Although I could tell he didn't mean the harsh part, he was just surprised and couldn't hold it in. "To him? Is it for real? Do you even like him?"

Tempted to lie, I opened my mouth almost instantly. But then my gaze caught the sight of mom's smiling face while talking to Maddox.

My heart flipped underneath, and suddenly my eyes prickled with an odd emotion.

"Z? Are you even listening to me?" Brandon asked, dragging me out of my stupor. "Why him? I mean...how? I mean...what even?"

Just when Maddox turned to face me, I looked away and found myself facing Brandon. Heat rushed to my cheeks. "I..."