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“Have you? I thought you intended to conquer the title of her mother, but that won’t be happening if you end up in a body bag, whether by pissing off Nicolo or by your father’s gun when he gets out of jail.”
I jolt, my eyes growing in size. This…he didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?
“You thought I wouldn’t find out the truth if you hid it well enough?” “My truth or the lack thereof has nothing to do with you.”
“On the contrary, it has everything to do with me, considering you intend to bring your messy past and bloodied family ties into my daughter’s life.”
“I would never do that. I’d protect her wit...
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“Listen here, witch. I’ll personally put you in a body bag before your chaos affects Gwen. I didn’t raise her all these years so you could fuck it all up with your past mistakes.”
“I’ve only made two mistakes in my life. The first was meeting you and the second was not suspecting my daughter was alive. Putting away a murderer doesn’t belong on that list and I won’t let you or anyone else make me feel otherwise.”
“You’re richer than oil princes and just as hedonistic. Why the hell would you need more money?”
“Money is not the currency I was envisioning.”
His gaze drops to my Louboutins, then slides up my blue slacks, to my beige button-down, and stops at whe...
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“Don’t even think about it,” I warn, my voice as rigid as my posture. “I haven’t said anything.” He feigns innocence, but his voice has lowered to a rumble.
“You’re looking at me weird. Stop it.”
“Weird how?” “Like a man looks at a woman. I’m not one of your playthings, Kingsley. I’ll cut your dick off in your sleep b...
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“It’s a warning.” “I don’t do well with those.” He steps forward and it takes all my tenacious control to keep from backing up. “In fact, I most definitely take it as a challenge, so keep an eye open in the dark. You never know what will be lurking in the shadows.”
“I don’t usually wish people good luck when I intend on breaking them, but you need lots of it, sweetheart.”
“Let’s get this over with. I want nothing of his money, so we’re done here…”
She freezes mid-sentence when her eyes meet mine. “Aspen…?”
“Caroline.” She kicks the door shut with her foot, completely disregarding her “public” code of conduct. Caroline used to have two personalities—one for the people, one for me and herself.
“It’s really you,” she lets the words out on a small breath. “Wow. You actually look the femme fatale role now. How have you been?”
“Quit joking.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Take the money.”
“Since when is that word in your vocabulary when it comes to money?”
“Since I grew a backbone.” She stares in the direction of my floor-to-ceiling window t...
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“I was married when I first met Mateo. My first husband was everything I’d ever wished for. A frat boy with Mommy and Daddy’s oil fortune. He gave me my fairy-tale dream. A big house, luxurious cars, and trips to exotic places. Oh, and a few black eyes. But hey, some fairy tales need to have an abusive Prince Uncharming with fertility issues, right? He crushed my dream to conceive children of our own, and I still stayed. But then he cheated on me. I grew a backbone between that and hearing that he’d been telling people I was the infertile one.
“But he’s no different than Steven and all the other men. He got bored, and bored men cheat. I walked in on him wrapped up with his side piece in a hotel room.”
“Mateo doesn’t want a divorce, which is why he’s in jail after beating the hell out of my date last night. I hope he stays there for a few days.”
So tell Nicolo you convinced me to walk away with nothing. He’ll be pleased with you for driving the gold digger, aka me, away.”
“Now that the crap is over, let’s meet for mimosas sometime under less stressful conditions.”
“Caroline, either tell me or I’m taking your ass to report this to the police, even while you’re kicking and screaming. Actually, I’m taking you anyway, so speak while I’m still being nice.”
“Who still can’t sense danger even after it hits her in the face. Literally.”
“Ouch. Touché
“I missed you, bitch. I’m glad we...
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“Don’t give me that. Wait, are you still mad because you think I told your aunt and uncle about that night?”
“Why do you look so surprised? Of course I did. I said, ‘You’re my best friend ever, call me.’ ‘I’m sorry you lost your baby, no one deserves that. I’m here for you.’ ‘Please don’t leave. You’re my ride or die.’ You ghosted me anyway.”
“Your baby being stillborn. I know you wanted the child, even though you were a kid yourself.”
“She wasn’t stillborn.” “W-what?” “They lied—the hooker and the alcoholic, as you called them. They shoved a stillborn in my arms and made me think it was my daughter while they sent my real daughter to her dad.”
“Oh my God, they fo...
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“Even though we searched for him for weeks...
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“Of course not. I’d rather drown in shit than snitch to that hooker.”
“Oh, she will once she gets an earful from Auntie Caroline.”
“No, Callie. We’re fragile as it is. Don’t meddle.”
“You’re fragile because you’re being stupidly ca...
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“Careful is intelligence, not stupidity. And stop smili...
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“What? You called me Call...
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“Whatever,” I say with nonchalance, but I can’t r...
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She even sends me a picture of her giant huskies and proof that she activated the alarm.
Her updates include a burned lasagna, a millionth rewatch of Friends, and bad dad jokes.
When I reach my building, I step out of my Range Rover and pause. I swear I just saw a shadow in my peripheral vision.
Nicolo was supposed to join us in the unholy union, but some other business came up. Probably torturing a poor soul until they wish for death.
Aspen, who’s sitting on my right at the bar because I unintentionally—or intentionally—made sure I was between her and Mateo, listens carefully to his statement.
She releases a breath, exasperated at that as if she’s a teacher and Mateo is a naughty boy in her class, then hikes her sleeves up her arms.
