“Think about it, Mom.” I stared her down. “If you blow this up for me, I’ll walk away with nothing.”
“But they’ll givememore money to keep quiet,” she said. “I know they will.”
“I’ll give you more,” I said quickly.
“Huh.” My mother rocked back on her heels, appraising me. “How much?”
“I don’t know yet. But it could be a lot, Mom. If I get paid, you won’t ever have to worry about money again. I can promise you that.” It killed me to say it. Although we were talking about a lot of money, it somehow made me feel cheap.
It made me feel exactly like what she’d called me.
She put her hands on her bony hips. “I’m asking you again—how much?”
“A million dollars.”
Her jaw dropped.
“Rory.” Rhodes headed toward us down the drive. “Is everything okay?”
I glanced at my mother. She was smiling, a smile that went all the way to her eyes.
I’d never felt so dirty in my whole life.
“Yes,” I told him, “everything’s fine.”
Before returning to his meetings,Rhodes made sure my mother was settled. As promised, he bought her a first-class plane ticket back to Nashville. He also had one of his guards escort her to the airport gate, ensuring that Tammy didn’t somehow find her way back to Barrington Manor.
I’d say I was relieved, but that was hardly the case.
I paced the bedroom restlessly, my mind whirling. I felt out of control, a feeling I detested. I had promised my mother money, and I was going to have to deliver. Otherwise, she was going to blow this entire arrangement up. Rhodes would lose everything—Luke, the company, his dignity, and his reputation with the board.
But I had backed myself into a corner, because now I needed the money more than ever. I needed to walk down the aisle with Rhodes, to marry him, and I needed everyone to believe it was real. But Miranda’s threats were still hanging over us, just waiting to rain down.
Even if I could convince my mother to stay quiet, Miranda was just going to find another way to undo me. To undous.
I never should have come here. More than that, I never should have let myself fall for Rhodes Barrington. I had known all along that it was a recipe for disaster. And now, on the edge of paying the price, I couldn’t bear it. Was it just yesterday that I had dreamed of us all being one happy family? Having Josie and Bo come live with us at Barrington Manor, playing with Luke in the pool, summer barbecues, and family holidays? I should have known that was never going to happen for a girl like me. I was, after all, my mother’s daughter.
She had called me a prostitute, and she wasn’t wrong.
But the worst part was my heart. I could live without the money, and I could live with my own personal shame. But what was going to break me was Rhodes—knowing that I was responsible for his ruin. Because in spite of everything, I had fallen for him.
It was ridiculous. I felt like an idiot. I’d fallen for my billionaire fake fiancé, a rookie move if there ever was one.
The near-miss with my mother and the fact that Miranda was inches away from unraveling our lies were just driving the truth home. I would never be anything more than a poor girl who never finished high school, who stripped for strangers on the internet, who came from nothing. I was no one. I had no right to be at Barrington Manor. I could play a role, and I could pretend, but I would never belong to Rhodes.
I would never belong in his world.
OUTSIDE
RORY
I continued to pace,about to jump out of my skin, when Rhodes finally returned. His tie was askew, his eyes stormy. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.
“Actually, I need to talk toyou.”
“Let’s get some fresh air.”
I followed him down the hall to the grounds, relieved to be out in the sun, relieved to be wearing shorts and a T-shirt and not some stupid traitorous pantsuit, relieved to be away from Barrington Manor. The walls had been closing in on me. I glanced at Rhodes. Still in his suit, he stalked across the manicured lawn like a man on a distinctly unpleasant mission.
