Paige: I never should have gotten involved with him.
Paige: I never meant for any of this to happen.
Paige: You’ve made your point, Mercer. Come home so I can make it up to you.
Paige: You know you miss my pussy.
Not just texts from Paige. DMs from random women on social media, asking him if what they were seeing on their computer and phone screens were real. Asking him if he was only with me for my money. If he wanted to meet up with them when he got home with promises to keep it a secret.
He answered every single one of them with a picture of me. Pictures I didn’t even know he was taking. Pictures of me asleep in our bed. Sitting by the pool. Swimming in the ocean. Reading under a sun umbrella. Fixing my hair in the bathroom mirror. Watching the sunset.
No words. No arguments. No rejections or explanations.
Just pictures of me.
Heart in my throat, I open the next attachment. An audio clip of a conversation he and Paige had that week.
The only reason I fucked you is because you lied to me—you told me that Millie and Allister were practically engaged. I never would’ve?—
Who’s the delusional one here, Dean? Do you really think a woman like my cousin would give a guy like you the time of day, under normal circumstances? I mean, get serious—do you really think that once this whole revenge fantasy of hers plays out andthe two of you are forced to come back to reality that she’s actually going to choose you?
You know what I think? I think you’ve been jealous of Millie your whole, miserable life. I think you’ve spent that life beating her down and convincing her that she belongs in your shadow—that she isn’t allowed to feel good about herself. She isn’t allowed to feel anything that isn’t manufactured and manipulated by you.
Shaking, I close they audio clip and open the next one. This one of a conversation between Dean and my father on the same day.
Fifty million. My plane will be on the tarmac tomorrow morning, ready to take you wherever you want to go. On it, you’ll find a check for fifty million dollars. Get on the plane, leave my daughter alone, and you’ll never have to worry about me again. I’ll leave it alone. I’ll leaveyoualone.
Only fifty? That’s all your daughter is worth to you? Fiftymeaslymillion dollars? Come on, Mr. Blackwell—you can do better than that.
Alright. Name your price. What’s it going to cost me to get you away from my daughter?
You know what’s completely fucked? I’m in love with her. I’m so completely goddamned in love with your daughter that I was willing to follow her around like a stray dog for the rest of my fucking life. Watch her get married to a man who could never love her the way I do. Live happily ever after while I let your niece torture me with the fact that Millie was always going to be just out of reach… I’ll get on your plane and I’ll leave Millie alone but I don’t want your money. Not one goddamned dime—you just keep her the fuck away from me.
Another audio clip. This one a voicemail, left for Dean by my father a few days later.
I’m not sure what you hope to gain by ignoring me,Dean—maybe you’ve changed your mind about the money. Maybe you think that if you can sink your claws deeper into my daughter, you can negotiate a bigger payday. I don’t know and I really don’t care. I don’t believe for a goddamned second that you love her, so just do what you said you would and leave her alone. If you don’t, I promise you, I’ll do everything in my considerable power to ruin you. Everything you worked for, everything you’ve built will be gone and after I tell Millie what you did, you’ll lose her too.
Even though he told my father he’d leave me alone he didn’t. Dean stayed. He wasn’t going anywhere. He chose me and almost certain financial ruin—until I pushed him away. Until he looked me in the eye and told me he was in love with me and I called him a liar.
Closing the last attachment, I hit reply. Even though I’m pretty sure who it is, and that the email will only be returned to me as undeliverable, I type out my usual message.
Who are you?
This time the email isn’t bounced back to my inbox. It sticks. A few minutes later, I get a reply.
Come on, Millie—you know who I am. I’m in your father’s office. Let’s finish this.
No sooner do I read the email than do I hear a quick knock on my closed office door. Poking her head in, Alice gives me a flat, apologetic smile. “Your father would like you to come to his office, right away. He says it’s urgent.”
SIXTY-ONE
“Go right in, Ms. Blackwell,” Michelle—my father’s assistant says from her desk. “Your father is expecting you.” Hitting a hidden button under her desk, the door to my father’s office swings open.
My father is sitting at his desk, the Manhattan skyline unfolded behind him. Standing behind his chair is my Aunt Renee. After my Uncle Gavin died, she was given his seat on the board of directors. It’s an honorary position. Though she doesn’t have any real power, she still likes to come into the office and pretend like she does. She sits behind my uncle’s old desk and barks orders at her assistant. Paige is here too, perched on the corner of my father’s desk, arms crossed over her chest. When I walk through the door, she doesn’t even look at me. It’slike now that I’ve stopped believing her lies and she can’t control me anymore, I’ve ceased to exist. She looks smug and confident. Like everything and everyone around her is of little to no consequence. Paige puts on a good front but I know her. She’s nervous.
She should be.
“Finally,” my aunt says, her arms folded over her chest, a mirror image of her daughter. “Maybe now, this…personwill finally give us some answers and we can finally move on.” Giving me a sugary fake smile, she sighs. “It’ll be nice for us to put this to rest so that the two of you can be friends again. I’m sure this has been one big misunderstanding.” Looking at my father, she drops her arms to place a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure your father will agree that this has gone on long enough. As soon as this is over, I’m sureyou’llagree that an apology is in order. Paige’s reputation has been damaged. I’d hope?—”
