ZEKE
She hates me. She would’ve killed me where I stood if she had the chance.
She’s said it before, but this time, she meant it. I would have known that without her saying it.
“Do you want to tell me what the hell that was all about?” the boss bellows. “You mean you let her run around and fuck random boys at that school? What the fuck did I hire you for? You knew I needed her pure. I told you so, explicitly.”
She could’ve thrown me under the bus, which is exactly where I deserve to be. She left me out of it, no matter how much she didn’t want to. I hate that the way she spared me gives me hope.
But there’s no guarantee she won’t eventually spill the truth if he pushes her hard enough.
“She’s lying,” I mutter, staring at the open door. I can just imagine her up there, screaming into a pillow, sobbing in the middle of her bedroom floor. If it wasn’t for her father, I would’ve followed her. I would have fought to make her see the truth somehow. I wasn’t plotting against her.
But dammit, I didn’t do a single thing to help either. It’s practically the same thing.
“She’s lying? And you know that how?”
Once again, I’m reminded of the similarities between father and daughter. He sounds just like she does when she’s indignant, demanding. To think, he didn’t raise her, either. Nature versus nurture. Thank you, Intro to Psychology.
I turn slowly, willing myself to keep it together until he lets me go. “I know it because she hasn’t been out of my sight. Because every time the front door opened or closed, I received an alert telling me so. She never snuck out. She was never alone with a boy, ever.”
This is dangerous territory. Eventually, he’s going to come to the natural conclusion that I was the one fucking her. Unless I can convince him otherwise.
“Then why would she say that?” He slams the side of his fist against his desk. “Where would she come up with that?”
“She’s upset,” I remind him as quietly and evenly as possible. “Just like we knew she would be. That’s why I recommended she find out about the engagement before the family gets here, remember? This is exactly the kind of reaction I expected.” Fuck me, how am I still standing here? Pretending I’m on his side, talking about her like she’s nobody. The way he does. It’s the only way to get through to him, sure, but it makes me sick, the way I have to coddle him.
It’s enough to bring his face back to a somewhat normal color anyway. There was a moment there I was afraid he would have a stroke on the spot. Still, his fists are clenched, his breathing erratic. “So you’re saying she said it to get back at me?”
“Why else? She was throwing a tantrum.” Forgive me, Mia. I have to say something to convince him.
“Yeah. She’s pretty good at that.” He runs a hand over the top of his head, blowing out a huge sigh. “Well, she won’t be my problem much longer. Rinaldi can handle her from here on out. I only hope he has the stomach for it.”
And that’s it. That’s all he cares about. Not how Rinaldi will treat her. He doesn’t care if her husband is understanding or abusive—though I have no doubt he’d rage and scream and throw things across the room if she ever showed up at the house with a black eye. It wouldn’t make a difference. Nothing to upset the alliance between the two families.
“You know, sir, if I may.” He lifts a shoulder, still cooling off. “With all due respect, she’s worth a lot more than you give her credit for.”
He snorts, but the sound cuts off when he realizes I’m not kidding. “What do you mean?”
“For one thing, she’s probably heartbroken knowing she won’t be able to go to school anymore. She takes her work seriously. Straight A’s in all classes. She was proud of that, and she wanted you to be proud.”
“What the hell do I care? I didn’t go to college, and I turned out just fine.”
“Understood, but still. She had plans of her own, and you never gave her any idea of your plans. You blindsided her. And don’t forget, before you found her, she was used to taking care of herself. Her and her mom.”
He stabs a finger in my direction. “I took her out of the gutter, in case you forgot. Did she? Because I can put her right back there again if that’s how she’d rather have it.”
“She’s independent,” I murmur, hoping to calm him down. “I’m sure she inherited that headstrong attitude from you.” I don’t even know what I’m doing. I’ve never so much as breathed anything that sounds like a disagreement with anything he has to say. There’s never been any reason to disagree with him. He’s the boss, I followed orders. End of story.
She changed everything. Including me, who I am. I see that now.
“So what you’re saying is, I should’ve asked her opinion? We both know where that would have gotten me. She’s impossible.”
“I know. But she’s also smart. She has a mind of her own. Going from making her own decisions to being told who she will marry and when. All this time, she had no idea you were even thinking about arranging a marriage…” All I can do is shrug and hope he doesn’t blow my brains out on the spot. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if he did at this point. What the hell good is anything if I don’t have her? I’d rather take my last breath right now than watch her being forced to marry a man all because of his last name and his connections.
“I’m not about to apologize. I didn’t lose my balls, you know.”
“Nobody expects that. But maybe, if you approach her with a little more empathy, you’ll get a lot further. She only wants to feel like you’re listening to her.”