Isaias’ voice cut into the conversation as he reached out and removed her hand from Merlin’s grasp. Shoving the man causing him to stumble backwards into his father. “Don’t ever put your hands on her again.”
“We are trying to protect her from you.”
“You should try protecting her from this,” he waved to Trent and Sandy as he stood in front of Liesl, with Mallory holding his shoulder back.
“We are her family. Her sister isn’t going to hurt her.”
“That monster,” he motioned to Sandy, “is your wife and your responsibility. She has already struck my girl once this week. See it never happens again or I will see to it, and you won’t like my methods.”
Merlin looked to Sandy, “what is he talking about?”
“Your bitch of a wife came at Liesl at work on Thursday and before my security could stop her, smacked her. It’s not a mistake they will make again.” He stepped closer to Sandy, “if you ever raise your hand to Liesl again, threaten her or so much as contemplate for a microsecond causing her harm, I promise I will destroy you along with everything and everyone you love with nary a second thought. It does not matter you share a mother. I will bury you.”
Sandy blinked at the raw fury coming from the man.
“I’m not a gentleman, Sandy. I play and fight dirty, and I will ruin you if you don’t back the fuck off my girl. Do we understand each other?” When she hesitated in answering he raised his voice, “do you hear me?”
“Yes.” Sandy whimpered and instinctively moved towards Liesl as if her older sister would protect her. She grimaced when Liesl moved away from her and closer to Isaias.
“Now Machado,” Trent swallowed as he stepped forward. “There’s no need to threaten a pregnant woman.”
“You,” Isaias looked at Trent, uncaring there was a small crowd gathering and listening in, “are a disgusting human being. You knew Liesl was taking an apartment in the building you own and instead of letting her know, you told the realtor you wanted twenty-four hours to do a deep clean. My guys went to her place today. Do you know what they found? You wired her apartment with listening devices and put a camera right outside the unit to see who was coming and going out of it.”
“It was for her safety.”
“Trent?” Torrie gasped. “You didn’t.”
Isaias looked to Torrie, “He did. Your husband put a camera on her door, and he had audio recording devices in the living room, kitchen, and the bedroom. It’s disgusting.” He stepped closer to the man, “were you hoping to hear us having sex? Would you get off on that?”
“No,” Trent sputtered. “I said it was for her protection. I wanted to make sure you weren’t taking advantage of her.”
“I would never. Harming Liesl is the last thing I would ever do.” He draped his arm over her shoulder protectively.
“You are coming after the wrong family, Machado. Liesl is a McGrath. We protect her as if she is ours.”
“I changed my name back to Wilson.” She interrupted and was rewarded with irritated grunts of the McGrath men.
“You still are part of our family,” Trent argued.
“Your son violated her trust and so did you on multiple occasions. I am quite certain being part of your family is the last thing she wants.”
“You are taking our business dealings and mixing them with personal. Leave Liesl out of it.”
Isaias gave a smug grin, “Speaking of business, you should know, I now have controlling interest in your company. As of seven pm this evening, McGrath Industries has become a subsidiary of my organization and I am now your boss. I’ve ordered a full audit of your expenditures and all your businesses in compliance with the IRS. You will report to me on Monday morning.”
Liesl watched with interest as Trent clutched his shirt at the chest.
“You can’t.”
“I can. You see the IRS doesn’t give a shit who owns the company so long as the taxes are paid and you, Trent were behind. They took possession of your company at six fifty-five. I bought the company out at seven, paid off your arrears and fired your entire board of directors. The only original people left are you and your son. I’ll take care of that on Monday.” His words were sinister and dark.
Trent paled at his words, “no. This isn’t happening.”
“Oh, but it is.”
“Machado, why are you doing this?” Merlin interrupted his eyes focused on the way Liesl had curled into him. “For the last several years you have targeted everything we do. Why?”
“Because he can.”
Liesl looked to the man approaching with Apolonia and Enia and knew it was Isaias’ father, Goncalo. The family resemblance was uncanny. The photographs in Isaias’s home did not do the familiarity justice. Tall, broad shouldered men with dark eyes, plump lips, and rugged complexions. She knew exactly what Isaias was going to look like as he aged from merely looking at this man.
“Isn’t this what you said to me Trent when I asked you why you would destroy the homes of twenty-seven people simply to build an extra parking lot for a strip mall. I asked why you would destroy an entire community to lay asphalt and your words to me were ‘because I can’.”
Liesl watched with bated breath as Trent frowned in confusion over the words.
“It might not ring a bell for you, McGrath, considering the number of families you’ve displaced over the years. The number of lives you’ve ruined or the families you’ve destroyed have never weighed on your conscience. For us though, for the people who you have left in the wake of your destruction, for my wife who I held in my arms night after night while she cried for CPS to return her children after you destroyed my place of work and our home during a recession, this feels fucking fantastic. Isaias has not only taken over your company, but he also razed your son’s home to the ground the way you did ours. He’s not so heartless though to put a child on the street. He won’t go as far as you would, but if I were you,” Goncalo looked to Merlin, “I’d start looking for a new job because babies are expensive and you’re going to be unemployed come Monday. Your fancy condo you are living in is a company owned building which now belongs to us. We won’t kick you out, but the rent will be due on the first of each month.”
“This was all revenge?” Trent’s hoarse voice cut into the introduction. “You set out to destroy our name over revenge? Did you target Liesl to hurt us?”
“Target Liesl?” Isaias laughed at Trent’s questions. “She came to me. She came to me in a restaurant and said hello. I didn’t need to target her. She walked right up to me. I wonder Merlin what it was about you as a man that your ex-wife would walk right up to the man, she knows is your biggest business competitor, sit at his table and introduce herself.”
Merlin looked to Liesl, “why? You knew who he was. I told you he had been taking my contracts. You went to him? You really well and truly did it? You said it before, but I thought it was posturing, but you’re standing here telling me you went to him? Knowing how much chaos he caused for multiple contracts on me?”
Liesl lifted her chin defiantly and shrugged, “so what if I did? You fucked my sister multiple times and got her pregnant.”
“You’re with him out of spite to me?”
“No.” Liesl shook her head. “No. Not even close. I’m with him because I want to be with him. Not once, even for a fraction of a second, did being with Isaias ever have anything to do with you. I’m with him because he makes me happy. Our relationship has nothing to do with you.”
“The house,” Isaias lied suddenly not wanting Liesl to divulge more. “She heard through the grapevine I despised you. You and your sister wanted her house. We made a deal. I’d buy it through whichever realtor she chose and then I’d plow it under. She didn’t want you to have it. I wanted to live out a childhood fantasy of doing to your house what your father did to mine.”
Sandy snickered then, “so you’re admitting you are using her. You used her to get even with Merlin. Poor Liesl. You can’t win, can you. You’re simply not good enough to get a real man without there being an ulterior motive behind it. You’re so pathetic.”
