Chapter 52 : “A Father’s Recognition.”

*Aaron’s POV*

It was needed, and I had no remorse using all the influence my father left in the safe in order to get what I wanted. I called upon the most important names on his list and it took them less than 12 hours to coordinate and make it to our meeting spot.

It was impressive. The room reeked of old money and older secrets, the dark mahogany panels swallowing light and whispers alike. Shadows clung to corners where power was brokered silently, fiercely. Was this what my father was used to? How far did he planned to keep me in the dark about the shady dealings he made for a living?

I stood at the head of the long table, heart pounding like a drumbeat in my chest, my father's steely gaze fixed on me from the other end.

"Violet Flanagan is not just a thorn," I began, my voice steady despite the tempest brewing inside, "she's a goddamn poison ivy wrapping around us all."

Murmurs rippled across the room, the heads of elite families that made it shifting in their leather chairs