I was so close to that inheritance!
“You have to do something crazy with the money when it hits your account,” Josh said. “A big chuck of cash like that requires a celebration.”
“Vegas?” Eric suggested.
“Maybe skydiving,” I said.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Grace does it,” I remarked. “She could come with. Wait a minute.” I laughed. “No she can’t. She can’t know about the inheritance. She’d have my balls.”
“She’s gonna find out,” Eric said, incredulous. “Once the money hits your hedge fund, it’s going to be public knowledge.”
I froze.
“No,” I said, horrified. “She’ll find out about the marriage stipulation on the money. She’s not stupid, far from it. She’ll put two and two together and realize I strung her along for a divorce.”
“And at that point,” Josh suggested, “you can offer her a cool million for her pain and suffering.”
“I can’t,” I said, panicking. “She didn’t want to be divorced. She started sobbing when she saw the papers then went on and on about how being divorced was going to ruin her life and her chance at true love and make it hard for her to do business. She wanted an annulment. She’s going to hate me for ruining her life when she finds out. Shit. I’m going to lose her!”
“That’s probably a good thing.”
I looked over my shoulder to see my father standing in the doorway of Eric’s office.
“Your secretary let me in,” he said to Eric’s questioning look, then took a seat beside me and unbuttoned his jacket.
“Chris,” he said, shaking his head. “The older you are, the more like your mother you become. It’s disappointing.”
“Get out,” I spat at him.
My dad laughed meanly and sat forward in his chair.
“You are a complete idiot,” he said softly, “just like your mother.”
“Except she was the one who screwed you out of millions of dollars,” I retorted.
“And you’re about to get screwed out of billions.”
I blinked. “No, I’m not.”
“Stupid is right,” Addison said, swinging around the doorway. “Everyone warned you Grace was up to no good.”
“That’s right,” Linneah said, bouncing in behind Addison on bright-pink platform heels. “We told you, and you didn’t listen.”
“It’s because he’s so handsome,” Addison said, placing her palm under my chin and running her thumb over my mouth. “The handsome ones are always so dumb.”
“This is a private meeting,” I said. “You all need to leave.”
“You’re crowing about how you’re going to inherit a bunch of money, scot-free. Meanwhile, Grace has been scheming behind your back the entire time,” my father said coldly.
I clenched my jaw, bracing for whatever lie he was about to spin about Grace.
“You didn’t notice,” he continued, “because you never notice. It’s like how Addison almost steamrolled you until I jumped in.”
“Then why is she here now?” I crossed my arms.
“I’m reformed,” she said in an innocent voice. “I never should have hurt you, and I’m here to make it up to you. Trust me. As soon as I met Grace, I knew she was a no-good gold digger.”
