"Not Donovan, Asher." Emma flattens her lips into a thin line before continuing. "My grandfather."
Chapter four
Emma
Asher blinks slowly, appearing completely taken aback by this turn in the conversation.
I blow out a hard breath before continuing. "When I was about to finish middle school, my grandfather reconnected with my mother. The great Edward Montgomery III had disowned his daughter when she fell in love with my father, and they hadn't spoken in fifteen years."
I sit on the bed and gesture to the plush armchair across from me. I should be exhausted, but it's like my body is on fire with energy. All my nerves are primed. Ever since Asher demanded he take me home. And especially since he suggested we could do more than sleep.
Asher shuts the bedroom door and takes a seat on the edge of the chair, staring at me intently as he waits for me to continue.
I've never told anyone but my therapist the full story, but I want Asher to know. He needs to understand why I can't be intertwined with anyone from Donovan's life, regardless of the intense chemistry we're dealing with tonight.
"Edward was everything I had hoped a grandfather could be. My sisters and I were enamored with him. He spoiled us rotten. But mom was wary. She knew what he was capable of. Even so, mom was an only child and had lost her mother at a young age, so she was cautiously optimistic. Grandfather seemed genuine. He came around regularly and asked for nothing but our time in return. Eventually, Dad convinced my mom to give grandfather a chance at redemption, so when he offered to pay for boarding school for me the next year, they agreed."
I give Asher a long look, the tick in his jaw the only reaction to my story so far.
"While I was away learning to become a proper lady of society, my grandfather was quietly buying all the stock at the company my dad worked for. He also convinced my parents to refinance and get a low interest rate, but he would be the bank and carry their mortgage. He knew my parents wouldn't take any money from him directly, but my mom has a chronic illness, so a low mortgage meant she could retire early. We were upper-middle class, hardly poor by most standards, but with three daughters to support, it was a huge help." I smile wryly. "Until it wasn't."
I take a deep breath, and glance at Asher. He hasn't taken his eyes off me most of the evening, and my panties are soaked because of it. He's looking at me like he would burn the world down and then fuck me into tomorrow. And Lord help me, but I would like to let him.
"Continue." And then he adds, "Please."
"By the time I graduated university, my grandfather was so financially intertwined in our lives, that he could make demands. He took me to lunch and offered me a deal. He called it my graduation gift. He would make sure my family's life wasn't disrupted, but I had to agree to marry Donovan."
"Why?" Asher asks through clenched teeth. He sounds angry, but not at me.
"A merger of families, he said." I laugh bitterly. "I was like prized cattle. At least three of my classmates were in the same boat, but they seemed to have known about the plan since birth. I was blindsided. But my family was so happy, I couldn't say no. My mom had gained something back with her reconnection to her dad, and her health was doing better. I could make sure it all stayed as it was if I agreed. So, I said yes."
I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye and take a deep breath. "I had to sign a contract. If I told anyone about this arrangement, he would stop paying for everything. He owned our house, was a majority stakeholder of my father's company, and I worried this would destroy my mom."
"You were so young. He took advantage of you." Asher clenches his fists, leaning forward to grab my hands. A zap of electricity zings through my body, landing straight between my legs, despite the heaviness of our conversation.
I take a deep breath before continuing. "At least I did one thing right. I made my grandfather add in a clause that said he couldn't disrupt my sisters' lives. He would pay for their education, but they were not allowed to be used in a business deal of any kind. If he went back on it, he owed me millions."
"Did your parents know?"
"No. I was convinced I was saving them." I clench my jaw, sad for how easily my younger self was manipulated, and furious at the man who had power over me back then.
"After I signed it, I took a copy to a lawyer. I barely had enough money to pay for that one hour, but it was the most important purchase of my life. She said my only way out was if Donovan filed for divorce, or if grandfather passed away." I smile bitterly.
"The Elmhurst family doesn't believe in divorce. They will suffer scandals of infidelity, fraud, and nefarious connections, but god help them if they go through with a divorce." Asher's tone is one of pure disdain.
"If I had known it would take six years for one of those scenarios to play out, I would have drowned in a pit of despair, but eventually my grandfather died. I moved out and filed for divorce within days of his death. I'm told Donovan was served the papers at a charity function."
Asher nods. "Did you inherit the Montgomery estate?"
I shake my head.
"His grudges and manipulation left him practically penniless. My mother ended up with the house, and my sisters are both living happy lives, so I got everything I wanted."
Asher doesn't respond, but his jaw ticks again. I want to reach out and soothe him, but I stop myself.
"When I first met Donovan, he was enchanting, if you can believe that."
"I do. He can be charming when he needs to be," Asher spits out bitterly, and I gaze at him. He doesn't seem to like Donovan, but I'm taking a risk revealing everything tonight. If Donovan, or anybody in the Elmhurst family finds out that I'm blabbing my story around town, they would ruin me. I've trusted men before and they've devastated me with their betrayal. And yet, I need Asher to know everything.
