CHAPTER 76: Blackmail
Ella
Dad's jaw is still clenched when I glance at him from across the room. His anger radiates off him like heat waves from a summer road, and I know that the only way to diffuse it is to inject some lightness into the moment. I pull myself together, despite the weight of the situation, and offer a small joke about the Chamber of Commerce president probably regretting the day his nephew was born.
Dad doesn't laugh immediately, but I catch the twitch of his lips, a faint glimmer of humor breaking through his steely expression. It's enough to ease the tension, if only for a moment. He takes a deep breath, but the anger returns as quickly as it receded.
"I don't care if Jaxon's uncle is the president of the Chamber of Commerce, or the damn prime minister of Canada. This ends here, Ella. He'll pay for what he did," Dad says, his voice low but firm. He's resolute, and I know there's no changing his mind.