“I’m so sorry, Diana. There was no way to reason with them.” Mike sighs into my ear while I squeeze the phone so tight I’m surprised the damn thing doesn’t break. “Their decision was final. The building was a hazard, so they demolished it.”
“How could they do this without telling me?” I ask, pacing back and forth in my room, frustrated beyond belief with this whole situation. “I mean, could they do it without my permission?”
A long pause meets my question, and my stomach flips when his voice gentles, which is never a good sign. Mike giveszero shits about anyone’s feelings. His law firm is the only one I could afford, though. “I need you to be calm for this. Hysterics would really sour my mood, and I don’t work well under pressure.”
As if he ever works well, but I keep that tidbit to myself.
“I’m calm.”
As calm as a woman can be when her business is about to be taken away from her.
“You got scammed, Diana. The paperwork you signed means nothing. The building was public property. No one gave a shit about it, so that’s why you could use it for such a long time without anyone noticing. This new company bought it from the city, and now they can do whatever they want with it.”
Dropping onto the nearest chair in shock, I run my fingers through my hair, pulling at the strands and hoping all of this is just a bad dream. “Scammed? As in the person took my money and…”
“Well, that’s what it usually means, yes.”
His bored tone grates on my nerves, and I snap, “You checked my paperwork on this, and you missed it?”
“I told you to wait a while before signing the deal. We all make mistakes.”
Despite the shock, I shake my head in disbelief, and harshness coats my voice when I reply. “You’re my lawyer. You’re supposed to make sure I never make mistakes.” Silence greets me, and I wipe away the tears streaming down my cheeks as the full realization hits me. “This means my inheritance is gone, and so is the building. I don’t have a business anymore.”
I hear him opening a bottle in the distance, and I’m not even surprised that he starts his day with alcohol. The man reeked of whiskey on the rare occasions we had to meet. “To be fair, Diana, that shithole could never be considered a business.” Ihear gulping sounds followed by an amused chuckle. “I’d be happy if I were you.”
Maybe the alcohol has already gone to this head because, as hard as I try, I don’t see what should make me happy about this situation. “You’d be happy?”
“Yes. The company that bought it will pay you one million dollars in compensation. That’s more than what you originally invested in it, right? So you have your one million, plus you don’t have that dump to take care of. A win-win, if you ask me. And I’d get a commission, of course.”
He sounds proud as hell while I’m processing yet another shock in the span of five minutes.
Why would a company pay me any compensation? Legally, they aren’t even obliged to tell me anything, let alone this. “Who bought it?”
“I don’t know. It’s confidential information, and who cares? We should celebrate. I get twenty percent, per our contract.”
“You missed a crucial piece of information, which cost me money, and you think you deserve your twenty percent?”
If only I had the confidence some of these men have, my life would have been significantly easier.
“Look at it this way, Diana. If it weren’t for my mistake, you wouldn’t get one million now. So you’re welcome, and I’ll see you on Monday to hash out the details and sign the paperwork.” He takes another gulp, and the annoying sound disturbs my ears. “Congratulations on the marriage, by the way. The one million must be pocket change for you now, huh?” He barks a laugh. “Maybe?—”
“Goodbye, Mike. And by the way? You’re fired. You won’t get a dime from me.”
I hang up on him and put the phone on the bedside table, stepping onto the balcony and gripping the banister hard. Coldwind whooshes over me and nips at my skin, bringing at least some kind of relief to the anger rocking me hard.
The moon is exceptionally bright in the dark sky, lit by thousands of stars, and the magnificent garden opening up to my view seems to mesmerize me and tempt me to explore it once again, hiding behind the endless rose bushes as if they could give me any solace.
I haven’t known peace since I’d entered this castle, and there is a reason for that.
Heat swirls through me, and the air hitches in my throat when my handsome yet cruel husband comes to mind, the man who’s been haunting my thoughts for a whole month despite my avoiding him every chance I get.
On instinct, I place my hand on my neck where he left his mark on me. It’s faded, and part of me hates myself for how I mourn the loss.
Somehow looking at it made me feel desired, wanted to the point of madness, even if he pushed me away afterward.
And as hard as I try to forget our hot encounter, the way my body awakened to pleasure for the first time, I can’t help and wonder what the hell happened.
Was it because I touched his scar?
