“She wanted to.”
“Let me guess. You pushed her away.”
I raked a hand through my messed-up hair. “I didn’t have a choice, Evelyn.”
“You always have a choice, Barrett. You’re the one who told me that, and it’s always stuck with me.”
“Not with this. Her family said we couldn’t be together.”
“But it was all lies! Anyone could watch that press conference and see straight through her lies. I wanted to slap her across the face and shake the truth out of her when I saw that.”
“It doesn’t matter, Evelyn. None of it matters. The Diamonds are royalty in America. They couldn’t have their daughter, heir to their fortune, associated with someone with sexual assault allegations leveled at him.”
“And what are you, chopped liver? You have built an empire, Barrett. Your name means something too.”
“Not anymore.”
“Well, fix it. Clear your name. You have the documents that implicate them and show the world Jessica is a lying bitch.” She slammed her fists on the countertop, a few drops of her coffee spilling out.
“Calm down.”
“I don’t understand how you're not screaming to the rooftop about this. You have the proof.”
“I will, trust me. I will take them down like the pieces of shit they are, but it stops nothing between Lourde and me. It doesn’t fix a goddamn thing.” I pushed my seat out and walked off.
“Barrett, wait.”
“Just leave me, Evelyn, please,” I said and walked off to my bedroom. My headache fucking aching.
* * *
It was the afternoon by the time I resurfaced. Speaking with my media manager and detectives, I’d spent the entire morning strategizing, and it was about to play out in front of my very eyes.
Holed up in my home office all morning, we’d run a faultless plan that saw both Hamptons’ directors already arrested. What I had installed for Jessica was much more than an arrest—it was a public apology. She needed to repair the damage and do it in the same public way she ruined my reputation in the first place. Truth was, I couldn’t give a fuck about my name anymore. My empire could crumble around me for all I cared—although my staff, I didn’t want them to suffer. But everything meant nothing without her in my life.
I walked outside to find Evelyn relaxing in the living room with the television volume turned all the way up.
“Well, someone’s been busy.” She averted her gaze from me back to the large screen on the wall, where I tuned into the news anchor on screen.
“Breaking news: Arrest made following fraud and defamation, news press to follow shortly.”
“Evelyn, I guess I should apologize for walking off before. I just have a lot going on, which I know is no reason to be huffy at you, but you know…”
She patted the space on the couch next to her, and I sat down. She lowered the volume on the remote.
“I know, but sometimes you need a little push if you veer off course, and I think you may have with Lourde.”
“I can’t do anything about it. I’ve just got to accept that this is it. Her mother is probably arranging her marriage to Finigan Connelly at tonight’s charity ball.”
“Finigan Connolly, the governor’s son?”
“Yes, he comes from old money and a long line of politicians… perfect husband material for Lourde.”
She laughed. “Ah, I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Finigan Connolly makes Charlie Sheen look like an angel.”
“What are you talking about? The guy’s reputation is cleaner than my asshole.”
“Please don’t mention your asshole around me again, and no, I guarantee you it’s most certainly not.”
“Well, go on!”
“Think black book of prostitutes and endless prescription drugs on tap.”
“You’re pulling my chain.” I laughed.
“Not at all.”
“There’s nothing in the press.”
“Of course not. They own all of Boston. They just pay off whoever they need to, to make these stories disappear.”
“And you know this, how?”
“My physiotherapist’s sister, who is a doctor now, worked the scene for a while.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Worked the scene?”
“Don’t judge, Barrett. She had to save money for her college tuition. Being a doctor doesn’t come cheap, you know. “
I gestured impatiently, needing her to continue.
“Anyway, dear old saint Finigan was one of her clients.”