"Asher Farley," she hissed. "Do you really think playing dumb will get you past security?"
Her voice trembled—not with madness, but with six years of suppressed hatred.
"I'll tell you this once: as long as that girl has my blood in her veins, she belongs to the Fox family. She is my property to control!"
She slammed her palm against the table. Her confidence in those files was absolute.
Lucy, terrified by the screeching, cowered behind my legs. Her knuckles went white gripping my trousers.
"Daddy..." A sob caught in her throat.
I crouched to soothe her, rubbing small circles on her back. But when I looked up at Joanna, my gaze could cut glass.
"She's my daughter," I said, low and dangerous. "She answers only to me."
I straightened, towering over the table. "As for the past... do you honestly believe I made the first move?"
"What did you say?" Joanna's face flushed crimson. "You're nothing but a filthy chauffeur! Don't you dare twist the truth! Back then, it was clearly you who—"
"Let me guess." I cut her off, shifting focus to the sweating man beside her. "Matthew told you I drugged you? That I forced myself on you while you were vulnerable?"