A Redo (Sterling Shore 6)

She stops in front of me, trying to catch her breath. “I didn’t think you’d be here. Why didn’t you say Wren Prize was your daughter’s father? And what the hell are you doing? He’s an amazing guy! How can you be so vindictive as to keep his child away?!”

What the—

“Back the fuck up!” Bella barks at her. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

Jillian scowls at her. “Wren Prize has donated money to this hospital, paying for surgeries for children whose parents couldn’t afford it. He has been a part of so many charities that I can’t even count. He’s not someone you try and take advantage of.” Her eyes cut back toward me. “Shame on you!”

Shame on me? What is this—fifth grade?

“I haven’t ever taken advantage of Wren,” I say, more confused than offended. I think I’m more shocked than anything at all.

“I hope he takes custody of your little girl, because you sure as hell don’t deserve to be a moth—”

Her words are cut off, and my hand is falling down before I even realize what I’ve done. I just slapped her. Holy shit.

My hand burns from where my palm connected with her cheek, and her wide, furious eyes meet mine as she holds the affected area with her hand.

“Slut!”

Bella bursts out laughing. “That insult would be more suited for me than her. Damn, Jill, red’s a good color on you. Need a matching hue for the other cheek? I’ll help you out.”

She stumbles backwards, probably afraid Bella really is about to slap her. Bella wouldn’t slap—she’d punch. I’m wishing I’d punched her right now.

“What the hell was that about?” Bella asks as Jill storms off, spewing more immature insults over her shoulder. I’ve landed back in elementary school.

“Hell if I know,” I grumble, wincing when my hand throbs. I might not have punched her, but I sure as hell slapped the fuck out of her. My hand looks blistered.

“Allie!”

I look up to see Lisa, my boss, has just called my name. My body tenses when I see the fury in her face. I’m pretty sure they don’t allow employees to just go around hitting each other.

“Yes, Lisa?”

“Human Resources would like a word with you.”

Fuck.

***

ALLIE

WREN PRIZE CONNED

By Hershel Monstrel

Everyone knows the golden boy we call Wren Prize. He’s a pillar of the community, has a heart of gold, and always looks out for the little man. But who looks out for him? Apparently the answer to that is no one.

It’s painful to write this story, to know how easy it is for someone as loving, kind, and gentle as Prize is to be conned. But according to various sources, it appears that the richer you are, the bigger target you become.

Seven years ago, Wren Prize was vacationing in Cancun, letting off steam like young men do, when he was approached by a woman who took advantage of him in his drunken state. Prize was seduced, led to a bed, and then allowed to leave. However, he never saw the girl again.

Most people would speculate that the girl just wanted a good time. Prize assumed the same thing—until she showed up seven years later with a daughter, claiming it was his.

She moved to Sterling Shore and stalked him for a while—months, actually, according to sources. She finally approached him in a supermarket where she told him that he had a daughter. That’s when it all began—seven months ago.

He was married at the time, and everyone knew they had been together for ages. Their wedding was a love story of its own, and everyone flocked to witness it. But Allie Thrash showed up and turned his life upside down.

Her claim was that she couldn’t remember his last name, yet she happened to stumble upon a news article that held a picture of him. She happened to know someone in town to move in with. And she happened to bump into him at the supermarket that day. I’ve never heard such lunacy, and sadly, Thrash has actually managed to interject herself into Prize’s life using this tale.

“Wren was always happy with me. We’ve always loved each other. Everyone knows how long we were together. It’s heartbreaking to see him falling apart the way he is,” Erica Prize stated in an interview. “I refuse to change my name. I love him, and I’m not done holding out hope that he’ll find a way out of this mess. He’d be there for me if the tables were turned. I’m just hoping we can get it sorted out soon. He misses me so much, and if we could be together, we would. You’re right to refer to our love as a fairytale, because that’s how it’s always felt.”

In order for Prize to be a part of his daughter’s life, he had to give up Erica. According to the family source, Thrash is very jealous and doesn’t want other women around her daughter. She only offered him hours at a time to visit his alleged daughter, and Prize was afraid to spook her into running away with the little girl, so he complied.