Page 18 of Forbidden Touch

The reporter continues. “But the story takes a strange twist as photos have surfaced of Mr. Lane with none other than Fiona Wolfe, the daughter of the Wolfe family, and heir to the family fortune.”

The news switches to photos of me and Fiona drinking wine at the Blake restaurant, kissing in front of her building, and even embracing inside the elevator. Then there’s a round table talk, where a group of reporters continue rambling and dissecting the photos, weaving a narrative of betrayal and forbidden love.

Fuck. How did they even get a hold of these pictures? The stuff between me and her just went down a few nights ago. I’m not sure what is going on, but there’s one person who will give me an answer.

Mother.

As heated blood slams through my veins, I speed dial her number.

Her shrill voice greets me through the line. “What a pleasant surprise, dear. How are you?”

Though she lives just ten minutes away in her own mansion, I call her as little as possible because anything else disrupts my well-being. I bypass her pleasantries to get to the bottom of the issue. “What did you do?”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to, but the hairdresser came today, and I had a couple of visits with our dear family friends.”

Mother is the queen of manipulation, and she thrives on lies, so it’s hard to tell whether she’s giving you the truth or shoveling shit into your brain.

I scoff. “Mom, don’t bullshit me. Did you file a lawsuit?”

A moment of silence follows. “Ah, yes. We did. This afternoon.”

Hot air blows on my upper lip as my heart hammers through my chest. “Wedidn’t do that.Youdid that. As a matter of fact, I told you last week that Ethan Wolfe and I were finally working together nicely as a team.”

“Relax, dear boy.” Her tone is controlling and motherly, which means she’s about to spout out more nonsense. “Our family sued the Wolfes for good reason. They tried to steal our company.”

My face tightens as blood hammers through my veins. The room slows down and spins. “Why would you do this, Mother?”

“To protect the family and secure your assets.” Her voice is confident and executive. “Now we can get back what’s rightfully ours.”

I massage my chest with my fingertips to get the palpitations to stop. “The company has been ours this entire time. Ethan Wolfe and I are just partners now. Why can’t you understand that?”

“The lawsuit is a matter of simply protecting what’s rightfully ours.” She repeats the same flawed logic. “The Wolfes have been circling Lane Entertainment for years, and it’s time we put an end to that. This is the final chapter.”

Sitting down, I brace myself against the dining table. “No. That’s crazy talk. You don’t understand what’s happening. Uncle Christopher scammed them. The Wolfes are the ones who should sueus.”

“That’s ridiculous. He and your father worked hard to build a rock-solid company, and they would have both hated that it fell to the Wolfes.”

I scoff. “My father is six feet under. He’s not living this nightmare.”

“How dare you speak of your father that way.”

Her voice is threatening, but it doesn’t scare me like it used to when I was a child. In fact, I can’t believe I used to fear this woman.

I shut my eyes and breathe. Dad has been gone for six years now, and she should come to terms with that, but now is not the time. “The Wolfes are not our enemy.” I enunciate the words, though it seems redundant. “We’re partners now. We work with them.”

“They may be charming, but they’ll rip us apart, just as they have in the past. Don’t be fooled by that pretty face, dear boy.”

I run an anxious hand through my hair. “Yeah, we need to discuss that. Fiona and I just started talking. Why are there suddenly pictures of us everywhere?”

“I’d say you were doing a heck of a lot more than talking.”

“That’s none of anybody’s business.” As my insides quiver, I decide to ask the one question that’s been plaguing my brain for the last 10 minutes. “Have you been following me, Mother?”

She gasps over the receiver. “Of course not. What kind of mother would do that?”

I don’t bother answering. Instead, I ask her a different question. “How did the media coincidentally get ahold of these pictures on the same day you decide to sue?”

“We’re a household name, Jonathan. The entire town is talking about us, waiting for us to give inspiration to their boring lives. Hell, if one of us sneezes, it’s in the news.”