Liam's POV

It took all my might not to laugh, but I did grin like a fool, and in the corner of my eye, I could see my father smiling as well behind his glass.
“You bitch,” Olivia spat, rising from her seat.
Glaring over at her, I met Neal’s eyes. “Control her, Neal, or else she will need new parts. No one calls my wife a bitch . . . with the exception of me.”
“No one calls me a bitch, period. You aren’t special, Liam,” Mel said, and it felt like she had stabbed me.
“Maybe you should tell her we don’t attack family,” Neal said as Olivia sat back down.
“Yeah, we simply fail to defend them,” I replied, knowing full well it would shut him up. However, he simply turned to me.
“How long are we going to do this Liam? It’s been almost two decades!”
“When I said I would never forgive you”—I took another bite—“I meant not in ten, twenty, or even eighty years. We share DNA, nothing more.”
“Liam!” Evelyn shouted. “I’m not sure what happened between you two, but Neal is right. It’s time to make peace.”
“Neal, would you like to tell our mother what happened between us?” I asked him, waiting. The coward had never told either of our parents what he had done to me as a child. Part of me believed Sedric knew, even though he had never let on.
Neal nodded slowly to himself before standing up and walking to the door.
“Neal,” Melody said, calling after him. His back straightened before he turned to her.
“Pack your bag. I have something planned for the week. We leave tomorrow after mass,” she said, not bothering to look at him.
He left quickly, causing Olivia to stand up as well.
“Are you happy?” Olivia asked.
I turned to Mel. “Well, love, are you happy?”
“No.” She frowned at my use of love. “I would be happier if you passed the peas,” she said, pretending not to even notice Olivia.
Coraline, who had kept her head down and mouth shut this whole time, surprisingly reached over and handed them to her. I looked over to Declan to find him glaring at her, and I knew that look. Coraline had most likely gone through another credit card saving the hungry children of fill in the blank . . . it had only been two weeks. People were going to start questioning where all this money was coming from. At least we looked good. He was pissed. Maybe I would let him kill the police officer just to release some stress.
“You all sicken me,” Olivia hissed.
“You’re still here?” Mel asked, acting confused as she added peas to her plate. Olivia stormed out, and I was fucking grateful. I was already in a small battle with my wife, the police, and Vance. The last thing I needed was Olivia and Neal drama.
“What are you two planning?” my father asked, simply.
“Camp,” Mel and I said at the same time.
“Camp?” Coraline’s head popped up. If I remembered correctly, Coraline actually liked the outdoors.
“No women,” I said without thinking, causing her to look at Mel. Mel eyes narrowed.
“Only those who are part of the job, Cora.”
Coraline looked surprised at the nickname, as did everyone else. “Cora?”
she asked.
“I’m still working on a nickname for you.” Mel smiled. It wasn’t real, but it was better than the glare she gave Olivia. I could see the mischief she was spinning in her eyes, and I wasn’t sure whether to be afraid or groan in awe of her.
“So this camp?” Evelyn asked, unsure. If it was criminal, she didn’t want to know, but she was interested.
“Basically, it’s bonding for the men, or I plan on killing them all.” Mel smiled, which only made her threat more deadly and sexy. The fact that I knew she would made me want her, made me want to give her the gun and pull the trigger alongside her. However, she just rolled her eyes at my lust.
“Camp,” Sedric repeated. “Maybe I should—” “Sorry, Sedric, but that invitation isn’t for you either. You are the past, and as much as I respect it, and you, my men need to walk forward as one.”
My jaw almost came off as I stared between Mel and my father, who glared at her with fire in his eyes. However, they were no match for hers and only made her seem even stronger. Sedric shook his head and sighed.
She said my not ours.
Declan leaned into me. “When she wakes up in the morning, the devil curses.”
“We both do,” I muttered. How the fuck did she do it? How the fuck was she able to call forth hell and heaven in her eyes? I was in awe of her so often it pissed me off. I could hear Orlando’s words in the back of my mind.
You won’t find a woman who needs to be taught anything. He was right. She could rule without me. She wanted to rule without me. She didn’t need me, and it ticked me off. She ticked me off, and once again, because of her, I always needed to think. She confused the fuck out of my goddamn emotions and me. I felt like a teenager again—unsure if I wanted to fuck her or punch a wall.
“Well then, daughter, I wouldn’t want to get in your way. After all, you will rule the world one day,” Sedric joked, though I’m sure he partially believed it.
She smirked. “One day soon, hopefully. I have placed all the pieces in order. Nothing will stand in my way. I’ve worked too hard for that.”
“Don’t overwork.” Evelyn frowned. “I still think you and Liam should have taken a honeymoon.”
“That would have been pointless. Liam and I got married for the company. A honeymoon would have wasted time.” She frowned at the idea of it. She frowned at the idea of me.
Running my hands through my hair, I sighed before rising from my seat.
“I’m not feeling well. Goodnight,” I told them all, walking away. I needed to remember I was just a piece to her.