Her Deadly Friends

Chapter 40

Dean Pov

I continued to move to the front.

"I will be naming my successor tonight. Here she is. My lovely granddaughter, Danny Artusian."

Everyone clapped.

"I know many of you have reservations about a young beautiful woman taking a man's place, but she is exactly what kind of modernization we need to shake things up and lead us away from stifling traditions. Danny."

He held his hand out to her. She smiled and accepted his hand. She handed Kyleigh to him and walked to the podium.

She cleared her throat. "Hello, everyone. Over the past 4 months my grandfather has shown me what it is you do here and what it's like to be one of you." She laughed. "It took some getting used to, but I also see that it is necessary."

Her laugh had my dick aching and hard.

By now I was in the front row. When her eyes landed on me she disregarded me with a gleeful smirk. Did she fucking smirk at me.

She continued to talk.

"At last, I'm afraid that our future is in danger. My daughter's future is in danger. We are surrounded by gullibility and vanity. We are surrounded by betrayal and I'm afraid the message of who we are is not getting through to some members. For instance, my daughter. My precious baby girl has been in danger since utero."

People were mumbling and shifting. "I was attacked by several members. I think the way you act when you're not here under scrutiny is important. Says a lot about your character and how dedicated you are to this organization's forward movement."

She looked at me and smiled. Rage has been slowly building inside me at her fucking audacity.

"Betty Rothchiles. Would you please step forward?" My mother looked to me for help. Why would I help her? She's been avoiding me ever since I found out the paternity of my daughter.

"Betty, you recognize this man, correct." She turned and adjusted something on the projector screen. Mumbling started. On the screen was a picture of Troy.

My mother smashed her lips together and nodded.

"Who is he?"

"Our family's doctor."

"How long has he been your family's doctor?"

"15 years."

"Hmm, so you have a good relationship with him."

She nodded. "Good enough for him to lie for you."

"I..I."

"A yes or no answer would suffice, Betty."

"Yes."

"Can you read the messages on the screen, Betty?"

I clenched my jaw. Hard. It was the messages between my mother and Troy. She told him to fake the results, so that I would be enraged enough to kill Danny and my mother would be rid of her.

"All easy enough to find, right Betty," Danny asked after my mother read each sentence word for word. She looked at me with an accusatory look. She's right. I didn't fact check it at all. I was too pissed. Danny is really lucky that I didn't kill her. I don't know what stayed my hand from killing her. Maybe it was the love I have for her. But I couldn't get it out of my head that she stayed with Kunal. That she went to him for help instead of me.

"You knew this precious baby was your grandbaby and you wanted to kill her anyway. Betty, I don't think we need people like you in this organization. It goes against the grain. The very thing that we are building here."