Cruel Legacy (Cruel 3)

Sightings: Inside New York City Elite’s Decadent New Year’s Eve Celebrations

I read through the list of names that I recognized and many more that I didn’t. But there, at the bottom, near my picture, was my name.

Natalie Bishop wearing a stunning Cunningham Couture original at the Trinity club event.

My heart skipped a beat in wonder. I forgot for a second that Lewis was standing in front of me. That I was holding his phone.

I had come to be noticed at that event. I had known that my picture would be taken. That I might end up being circulated for the dress even if they never used my name. But this was more than I could have wanted. They had listed me as a part of the New York elite. Me…without a Warren or Kensington in sight.

My insides coiled in joy. I sure hoped Katherine saw this. It would be pretty fucking brilliant. Though only a start.

“Convenient,” Penn muttered under his breath. “Natalie, give him the phone back, so he can leave.”

I pushed it back into his hands, careful not to touch him. “You should go.”

“Listening to everything he says again I see,” Lewis said. He sighed. “I just wanted to talk.”

“That’s not happening,” I said at the same time Penn barked, “No.”

“I can handle this,” I told Penn. I wanted him at my side, not answering for me.

“Give me five minutes to explain,” Lewis said. “Please.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Explain. Explain? You want to explain why you blacklisted me? Why you made it so that I couldn’t get another book deal? Why you ruined my career? Sure, go ahead. But don’t think that I’m going to believe a word of your bullshit anymore. And I sure as hell am not going to be alone with you again.”

“That was a mistake,” he said with earnest. He glanced between me and Penn as if he really hadn’t known that he’d be there. As if he’d thought all along that he could corner me.

“A mistake,” I said in a huff of disbelief.

“Yes. I can fix it.”

I looked at him in disgust. Of course. Just fix it. A snap of his fingers, and he could be Mary Poppins and set everything to right, too. That was how it worked on the Upper East Side.

“Don’t insult her,” Penn growled.

“I’ve texted you about a hundred times since you left. Surely, you got at least one of them to read what I’d sent you. How sorry I was about how I’d reacted. That I wanted you back.” Lewis took a step forward into the apartment, and Penn straightened at my side. “Please, we can fix this.”

“You know, I didn’t get any texts actually,” I told him, standing my ground, even as my heartbeat pulsed wildly against my throat. “I blocked your number after what you put me through. We can’t fix this. And you can’t fix my career and think that we’re going to suddenly be okay again. Believe it or not, Lewis, there are consequences to your actions. You’ve never had one before, I know. This is one. Me. So, fucking get used to it.”

I grabbed the door and went to slam it in his face. But Lewis slapped his hand on it before it could even get close. His mask had completely fallen. All of a sudden, he looked like he might attack us at the provocation.

“You have no idea what you’re doing,” he said.

“I think I finally do. I’m not a pawn anymore, Lewis,” I told him. “I’m the queen on the board.”

Lewis looked as if he were about to do something very, very stupid. And then, Amy appeared at my side, flanking me like Penn was.

“If you don’t get the fuck out of here, I am going to call the police. You’ll get off easy because you’re a Warren. They probably won’t even give you a slap on the wrist. But we have enough evidence of your stalking behavior, coupled with a call for your disturbance, then it’ll start to look like a case. Maybe you’ll get that slap…or worse, maybe it’ll all catch up to you.”

“I’ll put my weight behind it, too,” Penn spoke up.

We all knew how much the weight a Kensington carried, especially since his mother was the mayor.

Lewis glared at us, at the solidarity between the three of us standing against him. “I’m not doing anything wrong. I just wanted to talk to Natalie.”

“I don’t want to talk to you. So…go.”

“Fine,” he spat. “When you wake up and stop acting like I’m the bad guy, call me, so we can figure this out.”

My eyes rounded in shock at his words. He was beyond delusional. I might have doubts about Penn’s involvement in all of this, but I had none about Lewis. The fact that he’d responded by blacklisting me said everything I needed to know.