Vanquished (The Encounter #3)(47)
He merely grunted as he leaned against his cane, seeming too frail to properly function. “You took it upon yourself to play in these childish games. If you value anything at all, you must hand her over. I want to see this Isobel.”
A man who was as good as dead had decided to use threat. Well, that should work nicely.
“You don’t have any proof that she’s your daughter, and I’m making it my mission to keep her safe. Only a few know you were almost infertile after you became diabetic years after you murdered your wife and my uncle.”
He glared at me, flashing those eyes at me that closely resembled Isobel’s. “She is my daughter. She looks exactly like my mother,” he huffed out, almost running out of breath. “Give her to me, and I will settle the ruckus this has caused with the bounty as well as your fate. You can consider it a fair trade. You get your life, and I get to meet my daughter.”
Benedikt’s offer was unexpected. He must have been overjoyed to find out he had a child somewhere. Given that he didn’t have any living relatives, it made sense. But for him to wipe away the threats just so he could have Isobel … Well, that wasn’t going to happen.
“She’s not here,” I stated with a blank expression. “And no … I can’t accept the tradeoff. I’m not giving her up, not in this lifetime.”
He appeared perturbed, as if he hadn’t expected such a response from me. “Fair enough. I suppose I will find her soon enough. Mark my words, Xavier.”
Unshaken, I stood my ground. “You can try—”
“Oh, I f*cking will. How dare you speak to me in such a way! I could have you killed if I so wish it! You’re not making me want to change my mind,” he bellowed in a rather wobbly voice.
As much as I wanted to get my hands on him, I had to think about what was best for Isobel and the children’s future. This wasn’t about me.
Dismissing his threat, I decided to take this confrontation in a different route. “What are your plans with her? You can’t honestly expect that she’ll simply embrace you and play family.” I pressed, reading his confused expression. “I know Isobel. She won’t warm to you in the way you picture it, most especially if she knows what kind of a person you are, not after the father figure she had in her life royally screwed her up to no end.”
Benedikt didn’t seem too shocked with the revelation. I supposed he had found out everything he could about Isobel. Everything. And that included her being one of my mistresses.
“That’s all in the past now. As you can see, I don’t have that much time left on my hands, Xavier. I’d rather spend the rest of that getting to know the only child I have.”
“You don’t mean to hurt her in any way?”
He shook his head. “No, she’s my child. Of course I won’t!”
My anger flared, skyrocketing to new heights. “But it was okay for you to kill my child? You had Louise killed and not to mention your wife!” I bellowed, holding myself from wanting to throttle him.
Benedikt shrugged. “You knew what the rules were, Xavier. It was a lesson after you defied me, but as hard as this must be to believe, I’d like to put all of that in the past now.”
“Your daughter is pregnant, and it’s mine.” I knew it was a vicious retort, but I wanted to see how he would react.
His gray brows furrowed. “No one reported it to me.”
“Now you know.” Slipping my hands inside of my pockets, I strode towards him, stopping merely a few feet away, looking at him with a steady face. “She’s having twins if you’d like to know.” It was bait, a challenge on whether he was still willing to come after me or Isobel after this revelation. The man might be old, but he was a cruel son of a bitch.
He blew out a breath, seeming unfocused. “What do you want, Xavier?”
It was good that he had asked because it was obvious I had everything he wanted, and if he had any designs on being a part of that, then he had better work with me. There was no way this could work without me bridging anything.
“I have every intention of marrying her. I love her like I haven’t loved anyone,” I said, unashamed of my declaration. “She deserves happiness in her life after going through all of this nonsense. Isobel wants nothing more than to have the twins, so please call off all the spies. Pay off that man who placed a bounty on her, and then I promise you will get to meet her on my terms, preferably after she has given birth. She doesn’t need the extra stress beforehand. What happens from then on between you two is on you.”
“How far along is she? If my men didn’t know she is pregnant, that means she isn’t that far along. That could take a long time until your part of the agreement is fulfilled.”
“That’s correct.” It was the only offer on the table, and I thought he understood that.
One thing I had learned in my lifetime was that, no matter how strong-willed the man seemed to be, they always had an Achilles heel. Isobel was his. And I believed the news of her pregnancy had amplified that even more.
Old age softened people in one way or another. This man had been lonely, and after learning that he was almost sterile, he had been devastated. However, the man surely deserved it after he had murdered people.
He pondered a moment, making his frown lines much more evident and severe as he did so. “I’m only agreeing to this because of her. I’m doing this for her sake and hers alone,” He emphasized, as if I was dense enough to even consider he would have a change of heart because he pitied me.