Chapter 163: Suppressed Rage

Daniel ran after Naomi and caught her pulling out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. "Shit!" he cursed, spun around, located his own vehicle and hurried after her before Naomi managed to disappear completely.

She drove like someone with no patience left to spare.

Every red light felt offensive.

The second she learned what had really happened to Dorian, her mind had gone straight to Richard.

Dorian had humiliated him.

Naomi knew Richard well enough to know that a man like him did not simply swallow humiliation and move on with his life.

He kept score. He held grudges.

So what exactly had Dorian been attacked for? For defending her? For caring about her? For standing between her and the kind of man who had spent years teaching everyone around him to keep quiet?

For loving her? That last part she wasn’t exactly sure about. Maybe Dorian hadn’t meant them. Since he hadn’t even realized he said them.

Right now, none of that mattered. Because somebody had put him in a hospital bed. And if Richard had anything to do with it, Naomi was done being afraid of him.

By the time she reached the Whitmore house, anger had taken over completely.

She parked at the curb rather than wasting another second pulling properly into the driveway. She marched toward the house. To be frank, she had no idea what she intended to do when she saw Richard. She had not thought about consequences.

All she knew was that, by God, he was going to hear from her.

Naomi opened the front door and stepped inside.

Diana was in the dining area, plating breakfast for the kids. She looked up immediately. "Naomi!"

Naomi kept walking.

Diana frowned. "Hey..."

"Where is Uncle Richard?"

The anger in Naomi’s voice made Diana pause.

"In his study?" she answered carefully. "What... what is happening?"

Naomi headed straight toward the hallway.

"Naomi?" Diana set the plate down. "Naomi, what happened?"

Naomi’s heart was beating so hard that she could barely hear anything else. She reached Richard’s study and threw the door open.

The sound made Richard look up sharply from his computer. Surprise crossed his face. Then irritation followed.

Behind her, Diana hurried down the hallway, clearly realizing this was not some casual visit.

Richard Whitmore was actually sitting there looking through Naomi’s so-called debt account for any leaky holes he had forgot to plug. "Have you gone mad?" he yelled, quickly shutting the computer.

"You did this..."

"Did what?"

"You just couldn’t stand it, could you? You couldn’t handle getting a taste of what you dish out to everyone around you that you consider weak."

She looked like she had completely lost her mind.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, you fucking bitch! Get the hell out of my office!"

Weeks ago, in fact, days ago, that tone would have worked.

She would have lowered her eyes, swallowed whatever she wanted to say. She would have gone somewhere private and cried where nobody could accuse her of being ungrateful.

Not today.

Naomi was done swallowing things.

A growl escaped her as she planted both hands against Richard’s desk and swept everything off it.

Folders crashed to the floor. Pens scattered. The computer went flying.

"Enough!" Naomi screamed.

The word ripped out of her with years of anger behind it. Then her voice dropped.

Her shoulders trembled as she stared at Richard. "Enough already..."

Richard’s shock lasted all of two seconds before his face twisted. "Wow." He slowly stood from his chair. "The dragon in you finally wakes. I knew all those doe-eyed acts of innocence were a lie. You were only that way because we were useful to you. We were feeding you, clothing you, caring for you. And now because you got your hands on some man stupid enough to offer you half a million dollars for fucking him for six months, you think you’ve arrived."

He knew nothing, Naomi thought.

"Shut your fucking mouth! Just shut up. You had no right to touch him."

"I haven’t touched your husband."

"Oh, please. I know you!" She pointed at him. "I know how you think. I know how much you would hate what he did to you." Naomi’s breathing grew heavier. "You had no right to touch him, but then I expected nothing more from you. Couldn’t even get the job done yourself. Afraid to take another beating, you had someone else do it for you?"

"Heathcliffe took a beating?" Richard said. "That’s news to me. Good news, but still news to me."

"Stop lying to me!"

His eyes narrowed, and the old threat returned. "You speak to me in that tone once more and I will shove your teeth so far down your throat, you’ll be picking them out your ass."

"You lay one finger on me," Naomi said, her voice low and steady, "and I will spill every dirty little secret you keep hidden to Aunt Diana."

Richard’s mouth twisted. "And what will she do? I am the man of the house. I keep everyone in line. I will say it once more. Get the fuck out of my sight."

She walked around the desk and stopped directly in front of Richard, close enough that he had to look her straight in the eyes.

Because she wanted him to see that the frightened girl he had spent years controlling was gone.

"I have been grateful all my life for what you and your family have done for me," Naomi said. "God knows I have. You fed me. You clothed me. You gave me somewhere to live. You made sure I went to school. I have never denied any of that. You did your best, not going to lie. But you did it with all the rage of the devil."

"You made every kindness feel like a debt. Every meal came with gratitude attached. Every roof came with silence attached. Every time you helped me, you made sure I remembered that you could take it away. And I cannot take it anymore."