Daddy's Angel (Montana Daddies 7)

“Excuse me?” her mother exclaimed. “We are Arianna’s family. She is obviously ill. She needs our help. We are not leaving here.”

“You have no right to be here,” Dominic told them. “You’ll leave now, or we will call the police. I’m sure you don’t want that.”

Her father stood and took hold of her mother’s arm, quietening her. He said something in her ear that no one else could hear.

“Fine. We will go for now. But we will be back. Of course, you will be paid in full for your time here. I’m just so sorry my daughter wasted your time.”

“Don’t come back,” she told them.

/> “Excuse me?” Her mother stood straight. “Arianna, you don’t know what you say. You’re ill—”

“I’m not ill,” she spat out. “And I’m not the liar here. All of you are. Do you really think this will get me to change my mind? To continue to support you all? It won’t. All it’s done is really shown me your true colors. I knew you were all selfish. I knew that you didn’t care about me. But deep down, there was always hope that you loved me. That’s gone now. Now I know that you don’t love anyone but yourselves. Larry, you’re still fired and from now on, I no longer have a family.”

Her mother gasped. “Oh, the hurtful things you say.”

“You cannot do this, Arianna. You need me!” Larry’s face was red, his hands were clenched into fists. “I made you who you are!”

“No. I did,” she said quietly. “I’ve had enough of you trying to manipulate and control me. All of you. Now go. Before I have you thrown out.”

“Come along, Bernadette.” Her father glared at her. “Just ignore her. You know she’ll change her tune once her boyfriend dumps her and runs.”

Was that what was going to happen? Bain was going to believe them over her?

Her family left, with Larry in tow. Suddenly, Bain appeared in front of her.

“Bain. . .I. . .you can’t—”

He took hold of her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Stay with Caleb and Dominic. Do not leave the apartment. I’ll be back soon.”

Then he was gone.

“Easy, Squirt.” Caleb wrapped an arm around her, walking her over to the same sofa where her family had just sat and eviscerated her.

Holy hell. Had that really happened?

“Wolfe, get her a drink,” Caleb ordered. “Aleki, get on her laptop. See how the hell they managed to get those files onto there.”

“I’ll be back, stay here with Caleb,” Dominic ordered her.

She nodded, feeling numb with shock as Caleb sat with her on the sofa, his arm around her shoulders.

But it should be Bain holding her. Bain who was looking after her.

Why had he just left? Where was he going? Would he be back?

“Why would they lie like that?” She was dimly aware of three princes taking up seats around them. The fourth one, the one who hadn’t seemed that interested in what was going on, remained by the window.

Maybe he just liked the view.

“Why would they do that? I don’t understand any of this. How did those letters get on my laptop? I never wrote them. I swear I didn’t.”

Wolfe returned with a glass of Scotch. She didn’t drink it. She only kept it here for her father and Larry. She wrinkled her nose. Caleb took it from her and held the glass to her lips. “Just have a sip, Squirt.”

“It won’t help.”

Nothing was going to help. Her family were treacherous liars. And Bain. . .where had he gone? Why had he barely looked at her? Did he believe them?

A sob broke from her lips.