“We just thought you were being difficult because, well…just because.”
“Bullshit.”
“Language, young lady. You can be angry with me but watch how you speak.”
“Or what?” she asked with a mirthless laugh. “You’ll disown me? That threat’s growing thin and boring.”
“I did not raise you to be this disrespectful. Your mother told me about her conversation with you at your cousin’s wedding, and she warned me of your attitude, but I didn’t think you’d dare use it on me.”
“And I didn’t think my parents would sell me to a rapist,” she countered.
She could hear her father sputtering for a moment before he tried a new tactic.
“We underestimated you. I’ll admit that. This is a side of you we never saw.”
“How could you when you were so busy hiding me away,” she murmured.
“You went to some of the best schools and had opportunities that some people would die for! We hardly kept you locked in a dungeon.”
She didn’t want to concede that he had a point, so she didn’t comment on it directly.
“I wanted to be in my own home, sleep in my own bed, and have a normal family. I wanted the chance to have a normal life. I know it’s possible. We have plenty of relatives who don’t act like we do.”
“They’re idiots,” he mumbled. “We didn’t coddle you and look at where it got you!”
Maisie seriously almost choked. “Where it got me? Are you freaking serious right now? I got thrown out of my home—my condo—had my credit cards taken away, was given a crappy truck that nearly got me killed more than once because it was so unreliable, and I practically had to live out of it. So…where exactly did your lack of coddling get me?”
He was quiet, but when he spoke again, his voice was different, a little less cool. “And yet you went out and somehow brought down a powerful family. I’m sure you’ve done other things—not that you’ve shared that with me or your mother—but this one act showed how resourceful you can be.”
It sounded like praise, but it wasn’t.
“I can’t do this with you right now. I have other things that I need to deal with today.”
“Like what?”
“It’s none of your concern. I’m coming to dinner tomorrow night, so be sure to let Mom know. We’ll settle this then.”
“What is there to settle? You made your point with Bryce and his family. The marriage and merger are off the table.”
“And who’s your backup for me, huh?”
“Wh…what do you mean?”
“Oh, please! Don’t tell me you don’t have someone else already lined up to pawn me off on.”
Silence.
“That’s what I thought. We’ll talk tomorrow.” And she hung up before he could respond.
In the distance, she could hear the hum of activity and hated that she had been forced to step away from her job.
Stepping through the doorway and back out to join everyone, she made a beeline for Milo. He turned and smiled, but it faltered a little when he saw the grim look on her face.
“Hey,” he said, meeting her halfway. “Is everything okay?”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Can you really get information about my father?”
His smile was back. “I can. When do you need it?”
