His words stay with me as I drive back to my office, and they’re still on my mind when my phone rings. Commodore.

“I find out from Magnus fucking Gable that Sylvia’s having another one of her episodes?”

“How did Magnus know?”

“How do you think? That black-haired Gable girl is in his shack right now, probably plotting how to bring about the downfall of the Riscoff clan by leading you around by the balls.”

“Whitney’s there? With him?” I reach out a hand to brace on the window. “That fucking shack isn’t even safe. If that thing falls off the side of the mountain with her in it—”

“Boy, you heard what I said about her. She’s bad news. Although, if she accidentally killed your mother, I wouldn’t exactly hold it against her.”

There has never been any love lost between my grandfather and my mother. She was his pick for my father’s wife due to her connections and family, but she apparently hid her true nature until after the wedding. Then everything changed. At least, that’s the story Commodore tells. I have a feeling it’s a lot more complicated than that. My father never hid the fact that he wasn’t happy in his marriage, but he did hide everything else. Or at least, he tried to.

“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say that about my mother, sir.”

“I know what she is. Sylvia and I agree on one thing and one thing only—no Gables are the best Gables.”

I ignore his comment. “Did you tell Harrison about the paternity claim and possible exhumation of the body? Because he knows.”

The call silences for a few beats. “I told two people. You and my lawyer. I’ve been wondering if that boy has informants, and I think we just got our answer.”

Fuck. Commodore’s lawyer is one of Harrison’s sources of information.

“What are we going to do about it? Mother can’t find out. It actually might kill her.”

“Even better reason to let it go public.”

“Commodore.” My tone is harsh.

“Fine. I don’t want this shit public any more than you do. I’ll have to come up with a response that puts them off a while longer, but it won’t make it go away. And now I have to fire my goddamned lawyer.”

“Offer them a settlement.”

“Never.” The old man’s tone is adamant.

“Why?”

“Because that’ll invite every other bastard of your father’s to come for a piece of the action. If you’d just get down to producing the next generation, we wouldn’t even have to worry about this problem.”

“And if I don’t and the heir is real and older than me? You’re really going to consider handing this company over to someone who knows nothing about it?”

“I’ll do what I think is right.”

“What about protecting and preserving the legacy?”

Commodore doesn’t reply to that, and instead changes the subject. “That Gable girl looks like she might be leaving. Not that I should be telling you. Hope she didn’t drink any of Magnus’s ’shine. She might not make it down the mountain alive.”