I sped over to Morgan’s house, which was on the other side of the county. I slammed my car into her driveway, pounding on the horn to get her ass out of the bed and down to the door.

“Darien, well, isn’t this a rare occasion?” Morgan said, leaning on her door frame.

I walked up to her door, stopping only inches away from her face. The chill of the oncoming winter blew through my jacket while I stood on her steps, staring deep into her eyes.

“Let me in,” I demanded, trying to keep my cool.

“Bossy, aren’t you? Did you come bearing any gifts?”

She slid her hand onto her hip, jutting it out to the side. She looked me up and down. Tired of her bullshit, I pushed my way inside and looked around. The place smelled like a bar.

Morgan shouted, “Hey! I didn’t say you could come in.”

“Since I own this house and pay all the bills, I can come in when I fucking want to. Leave her alone.” I folded my arms, glaring into her murky green eyes.

“The whore?” She threw her hands into the air, circling them around as she walked over to me. This entrance corridor gave me the chills, it was lifeless, and devoid of life, just like she was.

“Our. Daughter.”

“What’re you talking about?” she asked, tapping her lip.

“I know what you’ve been doing to her.”

I kept glancing around, trying to see if there was someone else in her house.

“What?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Locking her in rooms, not even feeding her. What the hell, Morgan?” I shook my head in disgust. “I know we don’t love each other, but I thought you’d at least treat Ariel like a decent human being. She’s your flesh and blood.”

My voice bounced off the vases that adorned her hallway. Morgan stepped back in fear. All this because she wanted to control me. Why couldn’t she just say it?

She didn’t love me, and I didn’t love her. I loathed her.

Morgan waved her hand in dismissal. “Oh, that girl eats—”

“What, a few crumbs? And what, do you lock her in a play room? Ariel is not an animal!”

“An animal? I thought that was what we were evolved from.”

“Don’t be sarcastic. Do you even care? Why would you even try to get full custody knowing damn well you don’t even like her?”

Morgan tugged at her robe. “Because she’s mine too—”

“Because you think you can get child support… you’re pathetic. You know that. I’ll warn you this once, stay away from Ariel.”

Morgan was smug and conceited, she really thought she had me under her command.

“Or what? You’re gonna tell on me?” She bent over and shook her breasts. Ugh, that was not attractive.

“Don’t push my buttons—” I threatened, taking a step closer to her.

Morgan grinned and chuckled. “But what about the whore? You call her the help, but she’s more than that. I thought you knew the courts frown upon married people dating during the separation period before they’re allowed to get divorced?” She tapped her fingers on her hips, scanning my face for a reaction.

“I have a legal contract with her. She’s my employee.” No, I was the one in control here.

“Oh? Do you? Well, I have something too.” She too out her phone from the pocket of her robe and scrolled around on it.

Lights began to flash, and I heard familiar voices.

I knew those voices. That was me— and Willow.

“What the hell is that?”

Impossible. Was she stalking us?

“Calm down, it’s just a little harmless sex video. You still know your way around a woman, don’t you, Darien?”

Morgan licked her teeth, nodding her head to the side.

“How’d you—”

She cut her phone off and slipped it back into her pocket. “I still have access to the cameras in your home. You may’ve taken them out of Ariel’s room and your bedroom, but you forgot to take it out of the whore’s room.”

“Morgan…”

If that were to get out, not even my damage control team could do anything to soften the blows.

Then I’d lose Ariel forever and be forced to split substantial amounts of my hard earned money with her. Money that she wouldn’t spend on Ariel. Money that she’d swallow down and spend without regard to any responsibilities.

I gnashed my teeth, feeling the veins in my body bulge.

“You want to beg me not to show the court? How about this, get rid of the whore and I won’t pass this video of you fucking the help.”

“I’m not going to beg you for anything,” I snapped. “I’m not the begging type. You should know that by now.”

I inhaled deeply through my nostrils. I had never, ever, raised my hand to a woman, but right now the beautiful faces of Willow and Ariel were the only things keeping me from pounding a fist into Morgan’s face.

“Give me the phone.”

She laughed nastily. “Are you kidding? Come on, you might even have a chance at keeping Ariel if I keep this from prying eyes,” she said with fake sweetness. “And I might, if I have a good enough reason.”

I was silent, trying to keep a rein on my temper.

“I take that as a yes?” she taunted. She held up the phone and waved it around. “I’ll be watching.”

She must have been feeling pretty confident, because she didn’t even move when I stepped toward her and snatched the damn thing out of her hand.

“You want to talk to me about an legal obligations?” I snarled. “Sure, under the ancient and outdated laws of this state neither of us are technically supposed to date or have sex with other people until our divorce is final. But you and I agreed that it was over between us and you’re only invoking this archaic rule because you want to control me and have some way to drag me back to court. I highly doubt that you’re following this dumb rule, due to your precious double standards. Are you going to stand there and tell me that you’ve kept to that stupid rule?”

She tried to laugh, but her eyes kept darting to my phone. “I’m not about to tell you my private business, and there’d be no way you could prove it if I hadn’t.”

“No?” My rage was burning cold now. “Then you’d be willing to submit to whatever it takes to prove it?”

She went pale and stared at me open-mouthed for a few seconds. Then— I had to give her credit for the effort— she shrugged and choked out, “Of course.”

God, she was a piece of work. “Good. I’m stipulating that tests for STDs and drugs be part of the custody proceedings.”

Her head whipped around, and I knew I had her.

“Look, Morgan.” I kept my hand tight on her cell phone— I didn’t put it past her to come at me with her claws extended to get it back. “We both know you don’t really want custody of Ariel. If you agree that I get full custody and don’t, I’ll keep paying for this house and your car, plus a monthly alimony check for life.”

Morgan didn’t know it, but I’d already talked to Jerry about the agreement I would be okay with making during the failed negotiation phases of our divorce, and this was it. So, I wasn’t giving up anything in the deal, even though I was trying to act as if I was.

She rolled her eyes, but this was the fucking deal and she sure as hell better know where she stood.

“If hell freezes over and you get custody, I will pay for the house and the car, I will have your groceries billed to me, I will have all Ariel’s clothes, toys, and medical expenses billed to me, and you will never see a cent of cash. And when Ariel graduates high school, all my support will end. You’ll be on your own for the house, groceries, and your liquor, and there will be no alimony or support at any point. Are we clear?”

I didn’t actually care whether she was clear or not, as long as she knew how deadly serious I was. Who did she think she was fucking with? I built up a billion dollar company on my own in less than ten years— I’d seen every attempt at manipulation, extortion, and blackmail there was. Bigger players than she was had tried to control me, and they had paid for it. She wouldn’t be any different.

I slammed the door to my car and rested my head on the steering wheel. Damn it, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice Ariel or Willow. I was going to fix this, if I had to bribe every judge in the state to make it happen.

“Fuck!” I growled, raking my fingers through my hair.

I began to drive back home until the last remnants of this morning played in my head. I touched the phone app in my car and called Willow. She didn’t pick up the first time, but she did pick up when I called her a second time.

“Hello? Darien?” she said, her voice weak and dull.

I breathed a sigh of relief and loosed the grip on my steering wheel. “Willow? Are you okay? Where are you, I’ve been worried. You were so upset this morning.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

I drove slower so I could talk to her more. I didn’t want her feeling or sounding like this. Willow sighed on the phone and I heard faint beeping in the background.

“Are you at the hospital? With your brother?”

“Yeah.”

She was grieving. It came off from her voice.

“Is he okay?”

Willow didn’t respond for a few seconds, and I thought she had hung up. But the touchscreen still showed our call as connected.

“… I’ll be back later in an hour or so,” Willow said.

I bit my lip.

“Okay. You’ll be able to get some rest now that Ariel is in school. Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up?”

“I’m good. Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

“Willow, you know if there’s anything I can do to help you, just say it.”

“Bye.”

The sky rumbled, and it began to rain. I picked up my speed and went to my office instead of back home. I already had my security company on the phone.

First thing I needed to do today was dismantle my entire security system and put in a new one.

Like hell was I going to give up Willow or Ariel.