The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
[Book 2] Chapter 63

Knox POV

I scowl down at the computer feeling at a loss. Ian's hand rests on my shoulder. "You did the right thing. All we can do now is damage control" he says as I glare up at him. "You've seen her," I said, closing my eyes and breathing deeply "Look at her lan, she looks sick. This is killing her."

"She'll be okay" lan soothed "Relax Knox. I don't want you to go off the deep end in your determination to defend her. You have the capacity to go overboard" he warned me while I stared at him indignantly.

I open my mouth to protest and then shut it. He's right. I do have a tendency to lose it. I grit my teeth and glance away in frustration.

Our father walks into the room. He's quiet, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I've done what I can. While the rest of the media are not about to interview Thatcher and Lisa Mathews, the damage is done. I want to focus on what we can do to get rid of these people and get them out of Lorelai's life. They are not good people" he said gravely, frowning "and the longer they hang around the more damage they are going to be. I'm open to suggestions."

"Hire a hitman" I mumble, only half joking as I consider the proposition.

lan shoots me a sharp look. "Pay them. It's the only thing they'll accept if they are as despicable as Lorelai says they are and I'm inclined to believe they are."

Our father nods in agreement. "I had a feeling you would say that," he says to lan "but if we pay them, I want assurance they aren't going to speak about Lorelai, or us ever again. We need some ironclad contract drawn up and an incentive to ensure that they are willing to do as we ask."

"It's going to have to be a large sum," I say feeling nausea that we're discussing this without Lorelai present "and you know they're going to want as much as they can get."

My father pins his gaze on me "I'm going to ask this and I don't want you to take offense" he says as lan stiffens next to me "But is she worth all this hassle Knox? Is Lorelai worth all of this trouble? Because if you are so much as having any doubts about marrying her after this, I need to know. We need to know" he amends glancing at lan whose face is indecipherable as he glances at me.

I'm on the verge of exploding. How can they ask such a thing? Lorelai was worth everything to me. This was not her fault. If anything I admired her more than ever for how she had matured and grown from a childhood that was nothing but poverty-stricken. She had learnt to be independent from an age where most children continued to go to school and she had learned the value of hard work. I was proud to be with somebody like her, instead of some spoilt heiress who had never done a hard day's work in her life. I wasn't embarrassed by her. I admired her. If anything I loved her more.

"She is worth more than any woman I've ever met," I say with a low growl "And if either of you have a problem with Lorelai or her background, better you speak now and tell me to my face" I threaten, pinning them both with a deadly look.

It was the first time I had ever defended a woman's honor against them and my father's eyes were filled with admiration and pride. It surprised me. I thought this situation would have made him angry or furious, to be honest. But he was calm and composed, as was lan. They were doing everything in their power to help me and neither of them had blatantly blamed or accused me for being responsible for this.

Our company had taken a slight hit in the price of our shares and while it was slightly concerning, it wasn't enough to cause us to panic just yet. We knew that if this continued though, our company would take a big hit.

"I like Lorelai and to be honest, she reminds me of Flair," lan says unexpectedly, glancing at Father "She's refreshing and she doesn't have an unkind bone in her body. What she suffered at her boyfriend's hands, only makes her seem stronger in spirit to me. I like the way she makes Knox light up whenever he's with her and I think that she's the perfect match for him. I mean" he glances at me and I see his face soften slightly and something that resembles wistfulness cover his expression "It's clear to everyone that the two of them are madly in love with each other. There's no faking that. Whatever else, Lorelai loves Knox and he loves her. That's enough to make me want to keep Lorelai around."

I feel a pang in my chest. I knew how badly lan wanted to replace love. How much he had insisted it wasn't possible and while I knew the reason he continued to insist on that, I failed to think that his reasoning was logical. Our father was oblivious but his smile as he directed it at lan was gentle and loving. "I agree. Lorelai has achieved so much with Knox. The house is so much more warmer with her in it and she's brought such a light into this house. I've seen the way she treats Knox and she's managed some miracles with him" he comments as I stare at him slightly indignantly "I never thought I would see Knox so in love with a woman and not one that came from such a background. It would be devastating to lose her. Particularly for Knox."

"I'm sitting right here you know" I drawl, rolling my eyes as Father smirks "I can hear you. I'm not deaf" I grumble.

He strides over and pats me on the shoulder "I know son" he teases and glances at lan "but we're both happy for you. lan do you think you could get that contract drawn up? You're better at spotting loopholes" he said without apology "Knox how much do you think it will take to get rid of them?"

I sigh. "Somebody gave them 3 million for the interview. I'm still tracking them down but I would say given that number, we would have to no doubt triple or quadruple it to ensure they leave and never come back" I scowl.

My father doesn't look surprised. Although it's a large sum, all of us are willing to pay it if it means Lorelai no longer has to deal with them or look over her shoulder. "Then that's what we offer and see if they agree. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to haggle or get more out of us though" he warned.

Nor would I be. lan nods tightly, looking just as nonchalant at the suggestion.

"Do we tell Lorelai about this?" lan asks quietly "I mean she has a right to know that her parents were paid off to leave. I don't think it will surprise her."

I frown. "No, it wouldn't surprise her but for anybody, it would be devastating to know that money is more important than their child. Or am I wrong?" I bite my lip and look at my father.

"No son, you're right it would be. I feel for her right now. That girl is made of more than just sugar and spice" he said shaking his head "I couldn't even picture doing something so low as that to either of you. As a parent myself it sickens me to my stomach what they've done" he said with disgust.

It took a lot to make Father look like that but the Mathews had managed it without much effort at all. I had never seen my father look so enraged or repulsed by someone before and we'd had many people in our line of work try to blackmail us. This was hitting home for him. I guess he was more protective of Lorelai, as a daughter-in-law, or soon to be daughter in law than I thought. He rubbed his chin and then sighed, glancing around the room.

"Where is Lorelai?" he asked puzzled.

I frown and then glance at my phone just as a message hits it. Perfect. I glance at the screen. She's keeping to our agreement then.

"At the mall" I answer idly "She needed to get out of the house."

My father looked a little surprised "Good idea. I imagine that it's very confining inside at the moment. So long as she's got security she should be alright. I'm surprised that you didn't go with her" he admonished making me feel slightly guilty. "She didn't want him to" lan answered shrugging "She knew he had work to do and didn't want to interfere with it."

My father was unimpressed "Sometimes work needs to be put aside in order to comfort those that we love. Whatever you're doing can wait Knox. Lorelai is hurting right now and she could probably use your support" he admonished as I sat there, feeling like a child being scolded "I think you should go and spend time with her. At the very least take her out for coffee and show her that you care."

I hang my head. He's right. I'm an asshole. I quickly disengage from the computer and stand up, grabbing my stuff. "You're right. I'm going to go replace her" I say remorsefully while father nods at me, his eyes glinting "and do whatever I need to do to show her that I care."

"Good son. Women need that personal connection and the affection, handholding, touchy stuff" my father said advising me as I grabbed my phone and tucked it into my pocket "I know that you're averse to being touched but remember that's not the case for everyone. Now go show her how much you love her" he said with a smile "and we'll organize a meeting with this Thatcher Mathews and his wife to discuss the terms and conditions of their leaving. They've outstayed their welcome and it's time they realized that." His voice turned dangerous before I could so much as blink at him. When my father used that tone of voice, I knew better than to argue with him. The Mathews were about to replace out just how much of an enemy they had made when it came to the Snr Mr Grant. Father was like a volcano in a sense. It wasn't often when he erupted, but when he did.... it was magnificent and glorious to uphold.