Teaching My Bookworm Stepsister
Chapter 74

Henry's P.O.V.

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~Three Weeks Later ~

"Sir,"

I looked up from my desk to see my right-hand man, Peter, walk into my home office. I turned my attention back to the papers in front of me. That useless grandson of mine has really fu.cked up his schooling. Where the hell has Liam been? Does he not know about his son's grades?

Ridiculous. Shameful.

I should never have left them when Liam told me to.

"What is it?" I asked Peter.

"Maverick has broken things off with the girl." He told me.

"Are you sure? The last time we thought that, he ended up sleeping with her." I replied.

"It's been a few weeks since you spoke with him sir, and all contact has stopped with them. Maverick doesn't even go home. He's been staying at the girls' house whose parents are never there," Peter said. "And school?" I asked.

"He finished the assignments you had the student counselor give him, but.. he has not completed any of his current assignments. Actually, it seems that Maverick goes to school.. but doesn't attend his classes." He told me. My eyes snapped to his.

"What?" I growled out.

"I just found out myself sir," Peter said.

That little sh,it. He must suspect that I'm having him followed. The only good thing that came from his obsession with that girl was that he became sneakier. That's something he will need in this line of work.

I've only made it this far, gained this much power, from doing exactly what Maverick had been doing. Manipulating the right people.

"Have you spoken with his teachers?" I asked.

Peter nodded.

"And?" I asked impatiently.

"All of them except one agreed. Maverick has all straight A's. His SAT scores were also changed," he said.

I leaned back in my chair.

"Once this last teacher gets on board, we can put Maverick in whatever school we want." I said.

Money really can buy everything.

"So, what's this last teacher's problem?" I asked.

"It is his English teacher. She says that she will not take a bribe to raise her students' grades, and that if I come back she will report Maverick." Peter said. We can't have that.

"Dig up some dirt on her. If she can't be bribed, she can be blackmailed. And if she can't be blackmailed..." I trailed off as I smiled at Peter. "Threaten her." Peter gave me a single nod.

"You can go." I said, waving him off.

Peter left my office. I thought about what to do next. Maverick needs to get in line.

Perhaps I should show my grandson exactly how much power I have. The power he could have if he just listened to me.

I can't believe I'm going to have another man in the family try to give up everything for a girl. I should never have let Liam marry that stupid girl he was in love with. It was hard as hell to get her to be an established woman. All for her to die of cancer after spitting out three ungrateful brats.

All for my useless son to marry the wh.ore of the town.

In my research on my son's new wife, I found out some information. Police reports from the city that April used to live in before she moved back. The truth about the father of her child.

It took me a while to realize that no one else knew this information. Apparently, everyone thinks that the father left them when Kapri was only a child. If Maverick doesn't start to act right...

Well, I guess I'll just have to let Kapri's father know, that he has a daughter.

Antonio's P.O.V.

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- Two Weeks Later ~

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"What the hell do you mean he hasn't asked you out yet!?" I shouted.

In a fit of rage, I threw everything off my desk. My daughter jumped as everything clattered around the room. I slammed my hands on the desk, and tried to control myself.

"Sally. We had an agreement," I stated. "You were to get closer to the Penton boy. Make him fall for you. The two of you are supposed to go to the same college, and marry after! We were going to be a part of that money!" I shouted. Sally whimpered, making me feel like the world's biggest piece of sh.it. "Fu.cking useless." I spat.

I was talking about myself, but I know Sally didn't take it that way.

"Daddy, I tried.. I told you.. Maverick is in love with Kapri. They started sleeping together. What could I have done? I tried!" She rushed out.

"From what I hear, things between them have been cut off. So, what's the excuse now, Sally?" I asked.

"I don't know what else to do," She said. "I've tried everything. Even though they aren't together anymore..."

My phone dinged in my pocket. I ignored my daughters' rambling as I pulled it out.

Henry: Ask your daughter why my grandson isn't attending classes. If she can't do what you said she could.. She could at least be useful with information.

I gritted my teeth together as I looked at my daughter.

I thought that when Henry Penton had first brought this arrangement to me, that it was perfect. Sally and Maverick were only children. Maverick's mother hadn't even died yet.

I never got along with Liam. Not even in school. I was the bad kid, the loser. While Liam was the football star that everyone loved.

Who would have ever thought I would grow to be so much more?

I worked my a.ss off, doing all kinds of illegal things to get where I am today. To prove that I could be good enough to the bas.tards of this town. I did it all by my damn self.

I never thought that Henry Penton would want to ingrate our families though. He wanted to make an arrangement that would marry Sally off to Maverick. We would make sure they went to the same schools, and would always stay together.

It was a perfect deal for me at the time. Sally was already infatuated with that boy. I couldn't wait to see the look on Liam's face when he found that we would be in laws.

And then Liam's wife died.

Everything fell apart after that. Liam was distraught, Maverick was even more so. Even at that young of an age, he was already fu.cking up our plans.

Henry told me to be patient. And then something else happened. I never found out what it was though.

Four years ago, Henry told me to hang tight. That he had some things to take care of that might take a long time. Then he disappeared.

For a long time I thought that bas.tard gave up on our plans. I was furious, but that quickly changed. What do I care about Liam at this point in our lives?

And then I heard from Henry again. I was told to move back to this stupid town. To push Sally and Maverick together again.

I wasn't expecting... all of this.

After replaceing out that Liam had married April.. I was angry. The only woman I ever truly had feelings for was now married to the man I hated most. How fu.cking pathetic.

Still, I am an adult now. April and I have been over for nearly two decades. I could move on.

Now things are just royally fu.cked!

After Sally had told me about Kapri, April's daughter.. I started to have doubts.

This deal seemed a lot sweeter ten years ago. Revenge sounded more appealing when it didn't involve all of this. Now I'm treating my daughter like a pawn instead of a treasure. I'm plotting to hurt the woman I used to love. And I dragged her daughter into this sh.it. I was going to give up. After that stupid cabin trip that Sally told me about. I told Henry I couldn't do it anymore.

Sally was suffering, and I needed to consider my daughter above all else.

Unfortunately for me, Henry is a man of power. More power than I could have ever guessed. Now I'm stuck in this.

If we don't follow his plans... I could lose more than just my sister this time. This life might not make Sally as happy as she deserves, but at least she'll be alive.

"Why isn't Maverick coming to class?" I asked my daughter.

Sally shrugged.

"He doesn't tell me anything. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because he's completely broken." She said.

I scoffed.

"I know that you think it's just high school love, Dad, but.. I've never seen Maverick like this. I mean.. How can someone even be in love with someone else for this long? From such a young age?" Sally asked.

I know how. That is what April was for me. I even looked for her when she moved away. By the time I found her.. the damage was already done. I knew that I couldn't help April heal.. So I left her alone.

"Daddy.. I know that you're only doing this because you have to, but... I don't know what else to do.. Maverick.. I don't think that he is ever going to be with me, Daddy. He.. loves Kapri way too much. He doesn't.. want me like that. He won't even sleep with me, and it's been over a month," Sally said.

I squeezed my eyes shut. My own daughter is wh.oring herself out because of me. This is all my fault.

My phone started to ring. It's Henry.

"Go," I told Sally.

After Sally left the room, I answered the phone.

"I have nothing useful," I said right away.

"I figured as much," Henry replied.

"Sally said that your grandson is heart broken. Maybe if you just give him what he wants-"

"You know I won't do that," Henry interrupted me. "I have new plans. You just have your daughter keep doing what she's doing."

"And what are your new plans?" I asked.

"Well, you don't need to know everything, but..." Henry trailed off amused. "I made a call to Attica prison. It seems someone is getting released soon."