“Why do you say that?”
“Ian told me not to let Thana near the house after I served her with the divorce papers. He told me I needed to pack her stuff and ship her shit to her lover’s house. I didn’t listen. I should’ve.”
I’m dumbfounded. “Do you think she’d do this?”
“I didn’t think she’d cheat on me, and I never expected her to steal me blind.”
“Daddy, arson is a serious accusation.”
“She threatened me this morning and again via a storm of nasty text messages after the police escorted her out of the hotel.”
Dread washes over me. “You never mentioned this.”
“People say shit when they’re angry. God knows I didn’t mince my words.”
“She actually said she was going to burn down the house?”
“She said she was going to make sure I had nothing left. She was going to strip me of all my possessions, one by one.”
I’m shaking like a leaf. “Oh my God. What about the hotel?”
“Thana is in custody.”
“The police arrested her? Already?”
“Yes,” Daddy says. “The text messages were sufficient for probable cause.”
“What a bitch.” The C word is burning my tongue, but I refrain.
“I never saw her for who she was,” my father says.
“Don’t even go there, Daddy. Thana is a mental case and quite astute at duping people. She’s a con artist, through and through. You weren’t equipped to see it coming. No one was.”
“I hear you, but I’m still angry at myself. And I’m devastated. We lost our photo albums. All the memories with Mom… Gone.” My father’s voice breaks.
My heart weeps. “Let me get on the first flight out of here and I’ll be in New York as soon as I can––”
“You can’t come back, Michaela.” His answer comes as a surprise.
“What are you talking about, Daddy? I have to come back.”
“There’s nothing you can do––”
“But I can be there for you––”
“Listen to me. You have one thing left of value. I know I said it yesterday when I fessed up, but now, it’s truer than ever.”
I swallow.
“You need to stay in Los Angeles and see this deal through with Phoenix. This merger-marriage is everything.Everything. Make it happen. Ian will help me with the house, the investigation, and the hotel. Your job is to marry Phoenix. That should be your one and only focus.” My father’s words are so cold and calculated.
“But—”
“No buts. Do you hear me?”
Who is this man?
I bite my lip as tears burn my eyes.
