Seriously, how paranoid could Derek get to paint her mother in such a sinister light? Susanna knew exactly what kind of woman her mother was. If Derek had actually been her biological father, Lacey would have owned up to it openly and transparently. She wouldn't play petty games of denial.

"I'm a grown woman. What motive could she possibly have? Stop spinning these ridiculous conspiracy theories."

"She's a toxic woman who will do anything to keep a man," Derek spat.

Just like she had done for him all those years ago... Back when she was involved with the Black Gate, hadn't she been ruthless?

She had stood like a shield in front of him, taking the brunt of every attack. Now, all that fierce devotion and courage was being handed over to someone else. Derek's chest tightened with suffocating resentment. "Susie..."

"I've had enough of this," Susanna snapped. She was out of patience and hung up on him immediately.

*Will do anything to keep a man?* What a hypocrite! He needed to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Hadn't he sacrificed everything to cover for Adelle?

And now he was throwing a tantrum because her mother was showing that same loyalty to her new partner? Having the nerve to call her malicious... Had he conveniently forgotten his own history of deceit? He had absolutely zero right to pass judgment. As far as Susanna was concerned, Derek had completely lost his mind.

"He sounded incredibly desperate on the phone," Stella observed.

It was true. Derek's tone had been downright pathetic, radiating the sheer panic of a man terrified that Susanna would sever all ties with him.

Susanna scoffed. "You should have seen how vicious he was before. When that first fake paternity test came out, he used every manipulation tactic in the book. If pushing didn't work, he'd go straight to threats."

When those results first surfaced, Derek was torn between asserting his authority over her and washing his hands of her entirely. Even after finding out Adelle's children weren't his, his attitude toward Susanna had been far from fatherly.

Stella raised an eyebrow. "He actually dared to threaten you?"

"You bet he did." Susanna rolled her eyes. "So don't let his pathetic, aging-victim act fool you."

Some people never changed. Just because someone grew old and looked pitiful didn't mean they deserved an ounce of sympathy-especially when the misery was entirely self-inflicted.

"I'm not falling for it. I was just worried you might soften up," Stella replied.

"I'm not even his biological daughter. Why would I feel sorry for him?" Susanna huffed.

What kind of logic was that? She trusted her mother implicitly. No matter what sob story Derek tried to spin, she wouldn't believe a single syllable.

"Not only would my mom never bother forging his medical records, but even if she did, I'd still side with her," Susanna declared firmly.

Stella flashed a grin. "If Lacey heard you say that, she'd be thrilled."

"It's the truth. I know exactly who actually cares about me," Susanna said. "A few desperate apologies from Derek aren't going to win me over."

Besides, most manipulators operated on the 'carrot and stick' method, but Derek had never bothered offering a carrot-he had only ever delivered the stick.

While Stella and Susanna happily continued their gossip, Hull and Ronald stood off to the side. Both men held lit cigarettes between their fingers radiating a heavy,

commanding aura that dominated the room.

५

Hull took a slow drag of his cigarette before turning to his boss. "Once this current mess is settled, I'm out."

Ronald raised an eyebrow, his piercing gaze locking onto his right-hand man. "What exactly does that mean?"

"She spooks easily," Hull murmured, his eyes lingering on Susanna's smiling face across the room. "I don't ever want her living in fear for the rest of our lives."

Ronald was silent. He didn't want to frighten Susanna? To be fair, over the years Hull had stood by his side, he had executed countless ruthless orders on his behalf.