Sweet Little Lies

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"For some reason, the agency hasn't backed off this audit of theirs." Harry's father said.

It was only them in his office, something that rarely happened. His assistant knocked on the door and told Harry that his father wanted to speak with him. Unfortunately, he couldn't outright disrespect Patrick Styles, not when he still held so many of the cards.

So, now Harry was sitting opposite him, his father leaning back in his chair, studying him. It was unnerving, and after everything he found out, it was only making him more paranoid.

"What did you say to them in the interrogation?" Patrick demanded.

Harry raised an eyebrow, keeping the cool, disinterested look on his face. "Interrogation? We had a meeting where I answered basic questions."

"What questions?" He asked impatiently, not happy with his son's attitude.

"Why are you so worried?" Harry shot back, "We haven't done anything wrong, have we?"

His father's gaze darkened, "Of course not. But I don't think I need to remind you that there are people who would love to see us fall."

Harry didn't need the reminder considering he was one of them, if not the top contender.

"You think someone is setting us up?" Harry asked innocently, seeing an opening.

"I don't think this audit came out of nowhere."

"Should I look through the accounts more thoroughly?" Harry suggested, acting as the obedient son and heir his father wanted. "To stop anything from coming to light."

Patrick eyed him, then grunted, "Do whatever you need to do to make sure we're in the clear."

He nodded once, "Will do."

Harry stands up, fixing his suit jacket and cuffs, ready to leave, when his father stops him, "Not yet."

He glanced over at the older man. The past year had not been kind to his father. The Styles patriarch had always looked off. His good looks only carried him so far. There was a coldness to his eyes, a look that frightened most people. It was why his tenure as the head of his family had never been questioned or challenged. No one dared to move against him.

The handsome features had began to melt away. Wrinkles had found their home on his face, aging him further than his sixty years, his eyes sunken deep, the dark circles now permanent. Harry also suspected he lost weight, his cheeks slimmer, causing him to look gaunt.

Harry was staring at a ghost of what was once his intimidating father.

"Yes, sir?" Harry waited for him to speak.

"How are things with your new wife?"

He clenched his jaw. "Fine."

"I heard you moved into a new house." Patrick was eyeing him like prey. "It's a shame the one Cillian and I bought you burned down."

"I guess that's the consequences of your actions." The bitter words slipped out of him before he could stop them.

His father cocked his head, remaining calm, "And what do you mean by that?"

Getting ahold of himself, Harry thought on his feet, "I'm just saying it wasn't unexpected after the hit you and Cillian put out on the spiders."

A cruel smile played at his lips, "What hit?"

"Come on, father, the whole point of marrying me off to the Malone girl was to enforce a binding partnership with them. I've heard the whispers that you were seen on the scene. I only assumed that you were working with your new partner."