Blair is already in her loose t-shirt and pajama pants when I arrive. Her red hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, and her face looks tense. She glances at my outfit as she holds the door open for me. "I feel underdressed."

I enter her apartment unit without reacting to her remark. I know she's trying to make a joke to lighten up the tension between us, but I'm just not in the mood. After taking off my suit and throwing it on her couch armrest, I walk to the fridge and grab a bottle of water. The alcohol, the loud talk — to beat the blaring music in the club, and the adrenaline from the change of event make my throat scream for water.

Blair is leaning against the wall beside her dishwasher, hands crossing against his chest, her eyes watching me. "You drink like you haven't seen water for decades."

I pause. "You'd better start talking. What did Mom do to Parker?"

She huffs and drops her head. "Okay," she says, chewing her lower lip, her gesture when she's uncomfortable. "You know how she felt about Parker, right?"

"That she disliked her for no reason? Yes. I was aware of that."

"Well, I know where she got the idea." She winces. "Emma was always her favorite future daughter-in-law, and they, like, talked regularly on the phone for a while. So, yeah, Mom had learned about the Hayes before you brought Parker to meet her."

"Emma could be convincing, I know. Still, it was unfair for Parker," I say. "And I would say Mom is stupid if she asked Parker to break up with me just because of that. That's disrespectful, even to her own son."

"No. There was more to it." She bites her lower lip again. "But can you promise me not to make a drama out of it if I tell you? Dad's company would be on the line if you did something stupid again."

"Again? What stupid things did I do?"

"Something like leaving Hayes Corporation without thinking twice and breaking off your good connection with Timothy Hayes for her."

I raise a brow. "Well, it appeared to be an impulsive decision, I agree. But I never count it as a wrong move."

"That's beside the point. We all know what you're willing to do for Parker, and that was Mom's first concern when she heard you were dating her. And don't give me that look," she snaps. "I never judge you or Parker. You know I'm Switzerland."

"Then stop giving me the prep talk and go straight to the darn point. Did Mom tell Parker off just based on her personal opinion about her?"

She narrows her eyes, but instead of giving a snarky reply, she sighs. "No." She shakes her head. "Anyway. First, I need your word, Xandie. Promise you won't do something dumb or I won't tell you shit."

I raise my arms in defeat. "I promise."

"Promise you won't bypass me. You need to tell me your plans in advance if you want to make a move. This is important to me."

"Yes, Blair. I give you my word."

She nods before taking a deep breath. "It's Tim, Parker's father, who wanted to break you guys up."

It takes me a few seconds to digest her words. "Tim wanting me to leave Parker was nothing new, Blair. But Parker never budged. I don't understand."

"He plays dirty, Xandie. He has Dad in his palm. Remember when Dad got sued by the residents in his plantation area?"

"Yes, of course. But it was almost two decades ago, and you were still a toddler. And they discontinued. They canceled the case because there was not enough evidence." At this point, I still don't understand what Tim's got to do with it, but I decide not to interrupt the talk flow.

"It wasn't because of the lack of evidence. Dad's team fabricated the evidence, and Tim helped with some resources."

I blink, completely surprised by her explanation.

Frans' wood plank factory was one of the top suppliers to Tim's company when Hayes Corporation was still aggressively growing its business across the country. But I never knew they developed a sort of friendship. Or should I say partnership in crime? But how did it all start? Why didn't I know about it?

"So, Tim always knows there's a skeleton in Dad's closet. The big one. He said he wouldn't reopen the closet if Dad helped him to persuade you to leave Parker." She crosses her legs. "Dad couldn't do it, of course. Like, come on, you know how he is. Then Mom took over the task since she didn't want Dad to end up in jail."

"Fuck. I really didn't know all of this." I shake my head in disbelief.

"Neither did I until it was too late. Mom convinced Parker to leave you." She looks down again and slumps her shoulders. "As much as I disagreed with what Mom did, I also didn't want Dad to spend the rest of his life behind bars. It just sucks that I had to choose between my friend and my family, but I guess what people say is true. Family comes first."

"What did Mom say to Parker, exactly?"

She shrugs. "How would I know? Mom just said it was taken care of, and it was for the best for all of us. Even for you and Parker."

"No. Not for me and Parker. It was more for the Harris family."

Blair flinches. "I think she just did what all mothers would. It took me some time to accept that, you know."

I don't respond since I'm not sure if I agreed with her statement. Should every woman go the extra mile to cover their husband's wrongdoing even if the man was convicted? Doesn't it mean they chose to commit a crime as well? What kind of man allows their woman to carry their burdens?

I grab another bottle from the fridge and gulp the water down. Groaning, I put the bottle on the kitchen counter and frown. "Frans could have just followed through with the lawsuit process and paid for the mess he created if he had lost in court. It didn't necessarily mean prison. He didn't kill anyone."

"Then he would've also lost his business. His name. Everything."

I shake my head. "That didn't justify his action. It never does."

Groaning, Blair walks to the couch and flops onto it. She sits cross-legged and hugs a throw pillow to her chest. "It sounds very simple for you because he's not your dad." Frowning, she squeezes the pillow. "I know I've taken a side when I didn't tell you about this, but I just couldn't do this to him, Xandie. He's still my old man."

I chuckle bitterly. "And watching me and Parker crumbling was a better option, then?"

"No!" She shakes her head. "It wasn't better at all. I apologized to her, more than once, and we agreed to keep it from you because we knew how you would react."

Sitting on the other end of the couch, I lean forward with my elbows on my knees. I don't know what hurts me more, my sister's betrayal or Parker's lack of willingness to fight for us. Either ways, it stings like a bitch. But Blair is right. Had I known about this situation earlier, I would have probably made a tragic decision.

Still, all these new facts fail to explain Parker's decision to hide. But then the conversation with Roy earlier today flashes in my mind. The bad deal. Is Frans the guy he talked about?

I turn sideways to look at my sister, who is staring blankly at her blue rug. "Are Frans and Mom the reason she took off?"

Her gaze shifts to meet mine, her eyes glassy. "No, not that I know. Why would she? I really thought she disappeared because of you, or I don't know, fighting with her dad, maybe?"

From the confusion glint in her eyes, I know she's not lying this time. And has her point. What power does Frans have to scare Parker? And to be frank, Frans doesn't strike me as someone who intimidates others to get what he wants.

Parker is the only person who can put the puzzle pieces into place. She'd better do it tomorrow.