Okay, so we’re going with sarcasm today. Noted.
“I happened to be in the neighborhood,” I answer cooly. “Ya know, I really didn’t think orange was in your color wheel, Beatrice, but you’re pulling it off.”
She flips me off. Her hands are uncuffed, but she has a manacle that’s anchored to the floor around one ankle.
“Why are you here? To gloat that I got caught?”
I take a seat in the chair across from her, making a show ofbrushing imaginary lint from my pristine suit before crossing one ankle over my knee. Then I look at her and ask the one question that’s been burning me up since I watched that video last week.
“Why?”
“Why what?” she has the nerve to ask.
I want to grind my teeth, but I refrain. “Why did you steal from my family and then sell the formula to our competitor?” Beatrice glances up at the corners of the room, and I say, “If you’re looking for the cameras, I had them turned off. Used the wholeI’m an attorney and need to speak with this prisonerthing.”
Beatrice returns her gaze to mine but doesn’t speak, and I’m already losing my patience. We have copies of the formula, of course, but it’s going to cost our business a fortune to sue Aquarius Cosmetics, along with all the other legal fees involved with stopping them from getting the patent they applied for. Withourformula.
“Was it for the money? Is Daddy not paying you enough? Answer me, Bea,” I say, purposely shortening her name because it pisses her off. “Why?”
Her jaw clenches, and there’s so much hatred in her eyes it takes me aback. “To punish you,” she grits out.
“My family?”
“Yes, but specifically you,” she says venomously.
“Why do you want to punish me?”
I can hear the grinding of her teeth as we stare each other down, and then she finally detonates. “Because you were supposed to choose me!” The shout is so loud it startles me, and I gape at her like she’s lost her mind.
“What do you mean, Bea? I did choose you. I was going to marry you, for fuck’s sake.”
The glare she shoots me could cut glass. “And then you chose some baby over me.”
Oh, I’m pissed now. “Some baby?I chosemy baby, and I would choose her all day, every day, over anyone.”
“It wasn’t just her,” Beatrice spits, her eyes venomous jewels. “You always chose everyone else over me.”
“Who did I choose over you? I treated you like a fucking queen,” I snap back.
“Your whole goddamn perfect family. You wanted to spend every holiday with them instead of me.”
I throw up my hands and let them fall. “What in god’s name are you talking about? You came with me to every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthday. Every single year because your family didn’t do anything special for the holidays.”
“You should have chosen to spend them with me. Only me,” she says, pointing at her chest.
“I took you on a two-week ski vacation to Aspen every year after Christmas. Just the two of us, so don’t act like I neglected you.”
Her eyes skitter away for a second because she knows I’m right. “What about when you used to come see me at MIT? You always sawHelixtoo.” She sneers my twin’s name, and that only pisses me off more.
“Because you lived in the same fucking town,” I grind out. “Fuck, Bea. I would have dinner on Friday night with my brother and then spend the rest of the weekend with you. I can’t believe we’re sitting here years later in a goddamn jail arguing about weekend visits when we were in grad school. What else did you want from me? To just ignore everyone but you?”
When her nostrils flare, I realize I’ve hit the nail on the head. She wanted to completely isolate me from my family. Beatrice didn’t want to be my top priority. She wanted to be myonlypriority.
“You had that special bond thing with your brothers, but especially with Helix. You were always laughing together.”
“Yeah, because that’s what families do.Normalfamilies,” I specify. “Not your cold-as-fuck psycho family with your awkward silent dinners.”
When her bottom lip trembles, I soften my tone just a bit. “I know that was your reality, Beatrice, but you have to know that’s not normal. It’s good to have family in your life, people you can have fun with.”
