The Billionaire's Hidden Heir

#30 - A Manipulative Prick

Adrian

"His obvious obsession with Lily makes him the perfect candidate for this plot, but his boldness," Benji trailed off, observing Warrick prance about Lily's garden, where we had filtered out after my ex-wife's invitation. She, Derby, and Stella had stayed back inside. I suspected she was deciding which of us—me or that dumb bastard—she'd get rid of first. God, I'd never seen a sexier glare. "It's kind of stupid when he should be staying under the radar and the hell away from you."

I understood what Benji was saying, but 'under the radar' simply didn't work for me; having Warrick six feet under was more like it. Benji insisting that he was another worthy subject in uncovering whatever the hell was going on had not changed how much I wanted to make that happen since the moment I walked in on him standing mere inches from Lily.

"How could she let him touch her like that?" I seethed, pinning Warrick with a fierce glare, the memory of his filthy hand caressing Lily's delicate skin fueling my anger. She had pulled back and registered her protests, but the action had done nothing to pacify me. More so because Warrick had simply waved her protests away and continued fussing about her wellbeing while he held her close.

He held her bloody close! The sight of that had threatened to plunge me right back into the seething anger that had fueled my decision to hurt Lily the first time I believed the bastard's actions. Warrick was still playing that role perfectly and as much as I was aware of his lies, it was becoming increasingly difficult to watch him around Lily.

I needed him gone, but the bastard had made himself so comfortable in Lily's space it was like he belonged there. I ground my teeth at him, but Benji startled me out of my thoughts with a gentle bump on my shoulders.

"Settle down," he said calmly, ignoring my scowl. "I can't decide where to place him in this," Benji continued, as if it was just another day at the office, deepening my scowl. I hated his focus and dedication sometimes. "I can't decide whether he is a pawn or the mastermind behind it all ." Benji assessed, his gaze giving nothing away as he profiled Warrick.

If he touches her again, I won't be held responsible for my actions," I warned, dropping into the seat beside Benji. Whether he was a mastermind or a pawn, Warrick had sealed his fate as far as I was concerned.

"You need to calm down." Benji relaxed into his seat, giving the impression of complete ease, something that seemed impossible for me to attain at the moment.

Needing a distraction to calm down before Lily returned and decided my awful attitude had no place here, leaving her completely in Warrick's arms, I turned to my friend fully and asked, "So what's up with you and the Finnegan girl?"

"Mayor Finnegan? Nothing," Even though he tried to downplay it, Benji's demeanor did a whole one-eighty, confirming what I suspected the night we walked into the Cask and bumped into the ladies.

"I meant the other one." I gestured towards Lily's house. "I believe her name is Stella?"

"Small world, that's all," Benji grunted, keeping his gaze on Warrick."

"I don't follow." I shot him an amused expression. Whether it was because of the weird comfort I felt after realizing that I wasn't the only one having girl troubles, I wasn't sure.

"We hooked up, she read into it more than either of us had agreed," he shrugged, making me arch a brow at him.

"From where I'm standing, she's not the only one," I stated. Benji leveled me with a scowl, but no way was he convincing me otherwise. I hadn't missed those wanton, fleeting gazes he'd thrown at the woman and now at the door we expected the ladies to walk out from.

"Whatever," he muttered, just as the door to Lily's house opened. We both perked up, my chest fluttering at the thought of seeing Lily again. It was only my son, though, but that did not stop my heart from fluttering either when he his little gaze swept across the garden and his expression brightened when it settled on me.

"Dad!" he waved, his bright smile warming my heart. It was almost enough to thaw all the anger swimming on in there. If only Warrick hadn't decided then to get in-between me and my son.

"Hey, Ash, buddy," Warrick quickly floated in my son's direction, blocking him in his tracks. It was enough for me to see red, giving in to the rage boiling just beneath the surface. I shot up from my seat and marched towards the bastard, my mind filling with a blinding fury with each step I took. From behind me, Benji ordered me to stand down, but I was way past listening to him.

"Stay away from my son!" I growled when I came up to the bastard.

"You don't have a right to ask me that, Frost." Warrick pivoted and leveled me with a defiant glare, his posture radiating smug confidence. He still fell short of my tall frame, a fact that satisfied something in me. "Besides, from where I'm standing, I have been more of a father to Asher than-" I swung, my fist finding its target in a flash.

"What the hell?! Adrian?" Lily's cold tone washed over me, stopping me cold from giving Warrick another of my fists. Where the hell had she come from? I swung around to face her. "Are you insane?" She glared before turning to Warrick. "Are you alright?" she panicked, rushing to the bastard's side and I barely kept from grumbling at her actions. It wasn't like he was dying, which I preferred very much at the moment when he flashed me his smug smile over Lily's shoulders. Such a manipulative prick!

I wanted to point that fact out, but I found myself being dragged towards the house by my ex-wife. Once inside, she paced a tight circle before glaring at me. "What is your problem?!" Gosh, she looked delicious and I wanted to spill out every little detail about how she was my problem. How she'd flooded my life with longing and frustration, and definitely how I couldn't stand sharing her with that prick. "You can't just do that in front of my son!" she glared when I only kept quiet.

"Our son, Lily," I growled.

"I know he is our son, Adrian." her tone softened and I was instantly filled with regret for going off on her.

I sighed, "I'm sorry-"

"Are you? Because it sure hell doesn't look like it." She was right, but only on one thing.

"For making my son see this side of me? Yes I am, but I'm definitely not sorry about letting that bastard have what had been coming to him."

"He's been there for Asher," Lily sighed, her words lauding Warrick rubbing me the wrong way.

"Well, he shouldn't have been. I'm his father," I hissed.

She scowled and said, "You are damned right about that, because you should have been." The truth of that slapped me with a harsh, undeniable reality I had yet to face. I should have been there.