Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Chapter
Nine
Daphne
I know something is wrong when I see Troy storming in my direction. I know something is really wrong, when I notice Apollo is crossing the room just as fast to intercept whatever it is Troy is about to do.
Without saying a single word, Troy takes me by the arm and forcibly pulls me into the coatroom. No one is in the room until Apollo’s brother, Phoenix enters, followed closely by Apollo.
“What’s going on?” Apollo demands. He clears the distance to where Troy is bruising my arm with his grip. He snatches me away from his father and adds, “What are you doing?”
I’ve never seen Apollo stand up to his father, speak in any tone that isn’t respectful, nor ever defend me. But at the same time, I’ve never seen his father so angry with me. There’s fury in his eyes, and as I glance over at Phoenix, I notice the same rage is in his. I cower behind Apollo, not sure what I’ve done to deserve this animosity, but also not sure I have the strength to stand up to them. I’m outnumbered.
“Ask your wife,” Troy says between clenched teeth.
Apollo turns to look down at me. I can see he’s as confused as I am.
When Apollo doesn’t do as Troy demands, he takes a step toward me, but Apollo only pushes me further back behind him in protection. “How rude of me, Daphne. You’ve never met my other son, Phoenix. He oversees the security at Medusa Enterprises. He’s the son who likes to watch all. And when I say all… I mean all.”
My heart drops. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.
Apollo must notice the fear I’m feeling in my facial expression, because he takes a step away from me so he can get a better look at me. He’s still says nothing, but I see question in his eyes.
“Phoenix just informed me of some information. He reviewed the security footage of the night Apollo killed Jenson in the boardroom. It’s shadowed, and it’s very hard to see. So hard that we had given up hope of ever being able to make out who was the one who ratted out Apollo to the authorities by giving them video that they recorded. We saw a body. But we couldn’t put it together.” He pauses to make sure that Apollo is paying attention. “We had watched all the footage of the elevator, other areas of the tenth floor. Every person was accounted for. And we had noticed that Apollo’s darling wife was also on that floor. There was no reason for Phoenix to believe that was out of the ordinary. Why wouldn’t she be on the floor where her husband’s office was?”
I can’t breathe. I can’t swallow. I can’t move.
“Except Phoenix could finally work the video through programs to ultimately make out the shadowed figure. And guess what he saw, Daphne? Guess.”
I say nothing. Do I need to?
“He saw Apollo’s darling wife, with her phone out, videoing the boardroom.” Troy crosses his arms against his chest. “Funny. Don’t you think?”
Apollo takes another step away from me as I see him processing the words his father just spoke.
“And,” Troy adds, “Phoenix was able to get hold of the actual footage of what the authorities had. And guess what? That footage was taken at the exact angle you stood at. Weird right? Weird, because no way in hell would a Godwin, a wife of Apollo, dare betray this family. No way would anyone be so foolish.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I hear Athena say as she emerges from the shadows of the room, clearly hearing everything. “I’m going to cut off your legs, throw you on top of Ares’s coffin, and bury you alive.”
She doesn’t charge me, but I expect her to. I expect them all to. I back up until I’m up against the wall of the coatroom. I look at Apollo and tears begin to fall. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I…”
“It was you?” Apollo asks. “You went to the cops?”
The way he looks at me…
Oh God…the way he looks at me. The pain in my heart is as if he’s already stabbed me.
“I acted out in desperation.” I look at Troy, Athena, Phoenix, and then back to Apollo. “I wanted out of the marriage, and I thought this was the way. But if I could take it all back—”
“Ares was going to go to jail for the rest of his life because of you,” Athena hisses.
“Do you know what the punishment is for betraying a Godwin?” Troy asks with a devilish grin. He doesn’t look angry. He actually appears amused. Like this is all fun and games for him.
“I’m sorry,” I say again, noticing that all four of them block the only way out of the room. I consider screaming for help, but by now, most of the guests will have left, and even if they heard me, would they even dare go against Troy Godwin? Plus, making a scene could just make this situation worse.