Axel: I’m so sorry, beautiful girl. Please tell me I didn’t screw this up.
Now all he could do was wait.
Maybe it was the adrenaline from everything that just happened, but when she answered the phone, she felt like she had nothing to lose and was prepared to stand up for herself in a way she never had before.
Her hand shook as she answered, and Connor, Milo, and Walker had walked out of the room to give her some privacy.
“Hello?”
“Maisie, it’s your father,” he said in his usual stiff and cool voice.
“I know, Dad,” she said. “How are you?”
“I’m…” He paused for what she assumed was dramatic effect. “I’m impressed.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh, really? Why?”
“You’ve been busy while you’ve been gone. I don’t know how you pulled this off and found out the information on the Chadsworths, but it was effective and, sadly, accurate.”
“Mm-hmm…”
“It appears I missed some very crucial signs, and your little act of rebellion just saved me millions of dollars.” Another pause. “So, I guess I owe you my thanks and gratitude.”
Now she rolled her eyes. It was like talking to a stranger. “How did you miss any of it?” she asked, well, demanded. “You were not only looking to do business with that family, but you were willing to essentially use me as a pawn to do it. I would think you would be slightly curious about the kind of family you were forcing your only daughter to marry into.”
Silence.
“It’s bad enough that you chose to overlook the many accusations that were made against Bryce by multiple women…”
“Maisie, I…”
But she wasn’t listening. It was her turn to speak.
“You chose the lies of a sociopath over your own daughter’s pleas. A stranger with criminal behavior against women and you still put him on a pedestal while treating me like I was the one with the problem. Do you have any idea how you’ve made me feel?”
She heard him clear his throat. “Um, I suppose I didn’t see it from your point of view. I wanted to give you more stability.”
“More stability?” she asked with near hysteria. “I’ll admit that the Quinnland fortune is massive, and it’s enabled me to have a very privileged life. But I don’t need access to the family empire. And honestly, I don’t want it. I have a trust fund that will come to me in a few years that will be more than sufficient along with my design career.”
“Why would you want to work? Don’t you see? That’s what I was trying to avoid for you. You’re a Quinnland. You shouldn’t have to work.”
“Did you ever think to ask if I wanted to? Did you ever once think to ask what I wanted for my life?”
“Your mother and I have always known what’s best for you.”
“No, you haven’t. You’ve always done what’s best for the two of you. You sent me away to school, you chose my college, you chose my friends, and you hid me away like a dirty little secret because I’m not some tiny little debutante on a reality show. You’re ashamed of me, which is kind of ironic because that’s exactly how I feel about you.”
“Now listen to me…”
“No, you listen to me,” she said sternly. “There is nothing wrong with me. There has never been anything wrong with me, no matter what you think. You look at my weight and the fact that I’m not some willowy model as if it’s some sort of crime against you. Your focus is seriously warped because look around, Dad. The people that you praise, the people that you’re so desperate to be connected to, are actual criminals. They’re the ones who want nothing more than to use you, steal from you, and toss you aside.” She paused as tears stung her eyes. “All I ever wanted from you is love. I didn’t realize it was so hard for you to give it. I didn’t realize I was so unlovable that you’d sell me off.”
“That wasn’t what we were doing,” he said quietly.
“Yes. Yes, it was. You wanted something from the Chadsworths and you were giving me to them as part of the deal. Like I was something you had to get rid of in an exchange of dirty money.” Her voice cracked. “And the worst part is that you’ll never see it. You’ll never understand. You’ll always twist the narrative so it seems like you were doing this for me, not to me.”
“Maisie, I…I think you’re a bit emotional right now.”
“Ya think?” she asked sarcastically. “Of course I’m emotional! These last few months have been a nightmare for me, and no one cared!”
