Chapter 3 Keep Playing, Dad

# Chapter 3: Keep Playing, Dad

The presidential suite of the Monette family's private hotel glowed with amber light as I stood by the window, gazing at the moonlit vineyard. I had changed from my wedding gown into a crimson silk robe that whispered against my skin with every movement. The weight of the platinum wedding band felt foreign on my finger—a shackle disguised as jewelry.

Behind me, I heard the bathroom door open. Gideon emerged in a cloud of steam, a towel wrapped around his waist, water droplets still clinging to his shoulders.

"A perfect day," he said, crossing the room to the bar cart. He poured two glasses of champagne, his movements relaxed, content. As if he hadn't betrayed me hours earlier. "The merger with the Delacroix vineyards is practically sealed after today. Their CEO couldn't stop complimenting our union."

Our union. A business transaction dressed as romance.

"Is that why you married me?" I asked, accepting the glass he offered. "For the Delacroix connection?"

Gideon laughed, brushing his lips against my temple. "I married you because you're brilliant, beautiful, and the only woman who's ever challenged me." His fingers traced the silk covering my collarbone. "The business advantages are merely... a pleasant bonus."

I smiled, allowing him to think I believed him. "How pragmatic of you."

He moved closer, his free hand sliding to my waist. "Shall we make this marriage official, Mrs. Monette?"

Before I could answer, three sharp knocks sounded at the door.

Gideon frowned. "Who the hell—"

"I'll get it," I said quickly. "It's probably the hotel staff with that vintage we requested."

I crossed to the door, knowing exactly who would be on the other side. When I opened it, Callum stood there in a black suit, no tie, the top buttons of his shirt undone. His eyes were darker than usual, pupils dilated with either alcohol or anticipation.

"Father," I said loudly enough for Gideon to hear, stepping back. "What a surprise."

Callum walked in without waiting for an invitation, his gaze traveling slowly down my body before landing on his son. "I thought we should toast properly," he said, holding up a bottle of wine so rare I knew it hadn't been opened in decades. "This vintage was buried when I was born. Seems appropriate to open it when my son takes a wife."

Gideon's face registered confusion, then annoyance. "It's our wedding night, Father. Couldn't this wait until morning?"

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"Some things shouldn't wait." Callum set the bottle down, his movements deliberate, controlled. Then he turned to me, closing the distance between us in two strides. Before I could react—though I had no intention of stopping him—his hand gripped my chin, and his mouth claimed mine in a kiss that was nothing like the chaste one he'd given me at the reception.

This was possession. Dominance. A statement.

I heard Gideon's glass shatter on the hardwood floor.

"What the FUCK?" he roared, lunging forward.

I pushed Callum away, my hand flying to my mouth in feigned shock. The taste of him lingered—bourbon and power and danger.

"Have you lost your mind?" Gideon grabbed Callum's shoulder, spinning him around. "She's my wife!"

Callum smiled, a predator's smile that showed too many teeth. "Is she? Or is she just another thing you've borrowed from me?"

Gideon's fist connected with Callum's jaw, snapping his head back. But Callum didn't fall. Instead, he laughed, wiping a drop of blood from his lip with his thumb.

"Your wife was mine before she ever said those vows," Callum said, his voice dangerously soft. "Ask her who she thinks about when you're inside her."

Gideon turned to me, his eyes wild with rage and betrayal. "Tell me he's lying, Clarette."

I took a step back, looking between father and son. This was the moment to choose a side, but I wasn't ready to reveal my hand yet. Instead, I decided to escalate.

"Why don't we play a game?" I suggested, my voice steady despite the chaos unfolding. "Let's see who can be more honest about what they really want."

"This isn't a fucking game!" Gideon shouted. "This is our marriage!"

"Is it?" I countered. "Because I heard you and Odessa in the bathroom today. I stood outside that door and listened to every sound."

Gideon paled, his anger giving way to shock. "You... knew? And you still said 'I do'?"

"We all have our secrets," I said, looking pointedly at Callum. "Don't we?"

Callum's smile widened, appreciative of my maneuvering. "Indeed we do."

Gideon lunged at his father again, but this time Callum was ready. He caught Gideon by the throat, pushing him back against the wall with surprising strength for a man his age.

"You can't even keep your cock in your pants on your wedding day," Callum hissed, "and you think you deserve her? You think you can satisfy her?"

Gideon struggled, his face reddening as Callum's grip tightened. "She's... my wife," he gasped.

"Stop it!" I commanded, grabbing Callum's arm. "Let him go!"

The door burst open before Callum could respond. Odessa stood in the doorway, her face streaked with tears, her evening gown rumpled. She took in the scene—Gideon pinned to the wall, Callum's hand at his throat, me in my silk robe between them—and let out a strangled laugh.

"Well, isn't this perfect," she said, her voice hoarse from crying. "The whole Monette family drama in one room."

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. In her hand was a folded paper, crumpled from her tight grip.

"I'm pregnant," she announced, her eyes locked on Gideon. "And I thought you should know before you consummate your sham of a marriage."

The room fell silent. Callum released Gideon, who slid down the wall, gasping for air.

I moved toward Odessa, hand outstretched. "Let me see that."

She hesitated, then handed me the paper—a lab report confirming her pregnancy. As I scanned it, my eyes caught on a detail that made my blood run cold. The gestational age didn't match her affair with Gideon.

But there was something else, something that made my fingers tighten on the paper until it crumpled further.

"This isn't Gideon's child," I said, looking up at the three shocked faces. "According to the DNA comparison, the father is Silas Monette."

Callum's other son. The one they called "the madman."