Her words took a while to sink into me.
“What?” I asked, raising my head and tearing my eyes from the money.
“Five hundred thousand? A million? You will have to move, of course. I don’t want you staying near them. I’m sure two million will have you comfortably settled for the rest of your life.” She crossed her legs and pressed her lips into a thin line.
She was joking, wasn’t she? “No,” I said, pushing the briefcase away.
She curled up her lip in disbelief. “Two million isn’t enough for you? You are one greedy little minx. How about three? Is three enough? I’m even willing to go for four.”
I shook my head. “It’s not about the money. I’m not going to leave the twins, regardless of what you give me.”
She sneered. “You want the whole pie, don’t you? The whole fortune.”
“Why are you trying to split us apart? Is it about something they said when you came over?”
She gritted her teeth. I supposed I struck a nerve. “Let me tell you something, whore. My sons will be bored of you before you know it. They’ll leave you in the dust, and you won’t be getting a single cent from me.”
I had to remind myself they’d break up with me eventually time and time again. But something didn’t make sense. “Then why are you giving me money to leave them now?” Was it because they didn’t want me to leave? Hope gripped at my heart.
She ignored my question by puffing out a breath of frustration. “You’re not suited for my sons. You’re of a lower breed. Imagine going to functions with that crass attitude of yours. You’ll end up mocking my whole family. What will you bring to the Crawford family? Nothing but shame.”
A lower breed? Just because this woman had money, it didn’t mean she could go around insulting everyone. “That’s not very nice to say. My parents raised me well enough.” I definitely wasn’t going to accept her offer after her slew of insults, as enticing as it seemed.
“I only want the best for Ryan and Riley. They deserve only the best, and unfortunately, you’re not it. Take the money and leave. You’ll be doing the both of them a favor. You don’t belong in the world my sons live in. You’ll stick out and be mocked for the rest of your life.”
“I’m not leaving, Mrs. Crawford.” I stood firm with my decision. What made me so firm? It wasn’t like the twins and I had pledged commitment to each other. I wouldn’t exactly be betraying them if I left. They’d simply lose a sex partner. That’s all.
And then, I said it. “I love them.”
My words surprised her as much as they surprised me. I didn’t want to believe my feelings myself, but Kristie was right—people could fall in love in a week. Every particle of me hoped the twins felt the same way. That was the reason why I hated it when they talked to other girls. That was why I didn’t want them to leave me.
She raised a finger and stared at me so intensely, I could imagine her bending over to try and land a bite. “I won’t fall for that so easily, you crazy slut. You’re in this for the money. You want my family’s fortune—and don’t you dare think for a second I’ll hand over all my wealth to some dumb whore like you.”
“I don’t want any of that. I love Ryan and Riley. I'm here for them, not the money.” Saying it out loud again affirmed my feelings. “And you’re not so much of a saint, are you, Mrs. Crawford? Two divorces before meeting their father?” I read about that slice of information when curiously researching the twins last week. I absolutely adored the internet.
Her cheeks turned into splotched shades of red, and her hand balled into a fist.
I shut the briefcase and shoved it into the hands of her as**sistant. “Take your money. I don’t need it.”
She pushed herself up and wiped her dress down, puffing up her chest as she did. “I’m not giving it to you anymore. You’ve had your chance. I’m not willing to continue discussions with a Neanderthal. Be warned, Ms. Fontaine. I tried to be nice, letting you off the easy way. I have other means to get rid of you, and I’ll make sure you’ll suffer as you go down.”
Her sentence wiped the smug expression off my face and set a lump in my throat. I couldn’t take the threats of a billionaire lightly. I had nothing to hold myself against her. She could ruin my life and send me away if she wanted to. Heck, she could hire someone to kill me by tomorrow, or at least my imagination thought so. I was starting to regret how brash I had been when talking back, but I couldn’t change my mind now.
“I’ll see you next time, Ms. Fontaine,” she said, spinning around on her heels. She strutted off as her as**sistant followed closely.