“My dear, he doesn’t need to know you, to investigate you. Think about it. Blake came back to Wintervale three weeks ago. You've been under surveillance for three weeks. Interesting timing, don't you think?"
“You’re the one who brought him to Wintervale,” I assert while still trying to maintain a respectful tone, keeping in mind what Blake and Talia have told me about their uncle. “If anyone has me under surveillance, it’s you.”
My father interjects. "I hired additional security when the threats started. They reported seeing Blake Delano watching you. Following you. Long before the Evergreen event.”
Ice slides through my veins. "You had me followed, Dad?”
"I had you protected. There's a difference."
"Is there?" I stand, anger burning through the shock. "You had me surveilled. You knew someone was threatening me, and you didn't tell me. You just watched. Let it happen."
"I was trying to identify the threat before taking action. If you hadn’t quit your job, you would have been under my security detail anyway.”
"The threat was real, Dad. It is real. And while you were 'identifying' it, they tried to kidnap me."
Silas's eyes gleam with interest. "Did Blake tell you that's what happened? Or did he orchestrate the entire scene to make himself look heroic?"
"He saved my life."
"Or he created a situation where you'd need saving. It's an old trick, Peyton. Create the crisis, then offer the solution. By the time the victim realizes they've been played, they're too invested to walk away."
My father's watching me carefully, cataloging my reactions. "The question is whether you're too invested. Because if you are, we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The kind where your association with Blake Delano destroys your credibility and mine." He stands and moves around the desk. "I'm running for reelection. My opponent is already using the old senator can't control his own daughter’s behavior against me, so why should we trust him with policy?"
"My behavior?”
"Leaving the gala with a known criminal. Spending the night God knows where. Being seen with—" He stops himself.
"Being seen with what, Dad? A Delano? Someone you think is beneath us?" I laugh, sharp and bitter. "That's rich coming from the man who married strategically the second Mom's body was cold."
His face hardens. "Your mother's death was the saddest day of my life.”
"My mother's death was a murder, and you know it. You've always known it." I step closer, let him see my fury. I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of strangers, especially Silas Delano, but here we are. "They paid you off, didn’t they? The Kingsleys. The same people who killed her paid you to keep quiet, to move on, to bury the truth along with her body."
Deadly silence.
My father's expression doesn't change, but something flickers in his eyes. Guilt, maybe? Or just a calculation about how much he thinks I know and what kind of damage control this conversation will require. Finally, he makes a weak attempt at defending himself.
“I would never hurt your mother. That man has filled your head with lies.”
“Yeah, that's a serious accusation," Silas says quietly. "One that could destroy your father's career. I wonder if Blake knows you're planning to make it public?"
"Blake knows everything. About Mom. About the Kingsleys. About you." I turn to face Silas directly. "He told me about White Ember. About what you did. About why he walked away."
“He’s got you all twisted, doesn’t he? Let me explain something to you, young lady,” Silas scoffs. “Blake is a murderer who burned down a legitimate business.”
"Blake is a hero who saved six girls from being trafficked through your so-called business.” My voice is steady, deadly calm. "And now he's protecting me from you and from everyone in this godforsaken town who thinks I'm a dollar sign instead of a person."
“There it is.” Silas sets down his glass with careful precision. “So you know who you are.”
“Yes, I know everything.”
“Then let me just lay it all out. I came to your house today to warn you and your father. You're making a mistake, Peyton. The Delanos do not condone any of Blake’s rogue behavior. He is not your savior. He's not even on your side. He's playing his own game, and you're just a piece on the board."
"Maybe, but at least he's honest about what he is." I look at my father. "Which is more than I can say for you."
