KADE
No way was I going back to my suite at the Atlas after everything that had happened, but I had nowhere else to go for now. The only place left was my parents' house or the lodge outside of town. I chose Mom and Dad's since it was closer, though I knew it would mean lectures.
When I let myself in I thought just maybe I'd make it up to my old room for a hot shower and some Tylenol, but Mom spotted me on the stairs and the jig was up.
“Kade, what on earth are you doing? You can't just text me that you're not going to show up." She sounded hostile as normal, but in her snooty way that screamed entitlement. I hated how they thought they could make decisions for me just because they still let me live off their bankroll.
"Ma, please." I kept straggling up the stairs until Dad's voice joined the fray.
"Son, come back down here."
I stopped and looked over my shoulder, knowing exactly what would happen if I ignored and disrespected them. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, either. They would just freeze my cards and tell the managers at the casino not to let me in. It was petty, but it was effective.
"Dad," I sighed, feeling ever more grateful that his little brunch party was over and his guests had gone home. "I have a hangover. I just want a hot shower."
"You should know by now that when I invite you to brunch or dinner I have a purpose for it." His forehead had more ridges than the Rockies.
"And you should know by now that I don't want to be set up for relationships or jobs, or any other reason. I can handle my life without you interfering." My foot dropped to the step below me and I walked back toward them a few steps.
Mom scoffed angrily and waved her hands in the air. "And after everything we've done for you!" It was the same thing I'd heard a dozen times a month for the past five years. She hated that I wasn't her little baby who could be controlled anymore. "You know everything you stand to inherit when your father passes and yet you disrespect us by?—"
"Mom, please." I pinched the bridge of my nose and scowled at her. "I said I have a headache."
She huffed and stomped off, feet slapping on the floor like a child. And they thought I was the one who acted childish.
I did understand their point. They had paid for everything in my life, every day of my life. But sometimes the way they treated me was so controlling. Seeing them squirm and be upset was my only joy in life.
"You need to get control of your behavior." Dad's eyes darkened, and he gave me that expression that said he was infuriated with me. The one I'd seen only when I did things that were going to cost him dearly, and I knew he knew before I even heard the words come out of his mouth. "Mark called me."
"Of course he did," I said, sighing. "Look, Dad, I can handle it."
“No, you look!" Dad marched over to me and I noticed how sunken his eyes were; he looked tired, as if he'd been up all night. "Sleeping with a random woman every week is one thing. But you went and married one now? Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost me?"
"I said I can handle it," I grumbled through clenched teeth. I started back up the steps, but the lecture hound followed on my heels.
I spun around when I reached the top of the steps, hovering a foot above him. The height advantage made me feel bolder, and I lashed out as he spoke again.
"You're acting like a child, Kade. It could cost me?—"
"I said, I'll handle it!" My jaw tightened before I continued. "I'll get her to give me an annulment and it'll cost you a few million. You have hundreds of millions lying around uselessly. It won't cost you anything."
Sometimes I swore he lived on a different planet. Dad would try to make this about reputation and honor or something, when in reality it was just a mistake. Nothing a few bucks couldn’t fix. So long as I could get her out of my head, everything would be fine.
"Enough of your reckless behavior." He was seething as he mounted the top step and stared me down. "You went off andmarried a gold digger. You have no clue what she's going to do. Without a prenup, she now has access to half of your net worth. Don't you understand that?"
I found it comical how his nostrils flared when he was so angry, so for fun I liked to goad him. "Well then, you have even more reason to cut me off entirely, don’t you? Go ahead, drain my accounts. I'm having a shower."
Without waiting to see what his response was, I turned and stomped up the hallway. I know how immature I was being, but at thirty-six years old, I was done being pushed around by them. I had several million tucked away in accounts they didn't know about, which would tide me over until Mom started that thing she always did where she begged me to be her son again and pleaded with Dad to forgive me.
Right now I just wanted something to make this headache go away.
My room was exactly how I left it—scattered laundry, bed unmade, empty bottles of liquor and beer sitting around. Thankfully my parents' maid wasn't as eager to parent me as they were.
I stripped off my clothing and stood in my boxers by the mirror, looking at how tired I appeared. I must've been up later than I thought, or the stress of this was getting to me.
Lainey Rowan had done a number on me—or maybe it wasn't her and I was just really weak. The one time I wanted to be a nice guy, I got sucked in too deep. I wondered if this was why my Dad was always such a shark in business. Start caring and get duped.
My phone rang, and I stooped to pull it out of my pants’ pocket. Dan Price's number flashed on the screen, so I swiped to answer.
