"Bullshit!" I screamed at the glass doors. "You have no idea what you've just done! You people are going to hear from my lawyers!"

I stormed down the street to a bar on the corner where I ordered a drink and tried to calm myself down. I picked a corner table and sat down to try and figure out exactly where I stood. I made a quick list of the things I no longer had access to, and then made a list of the things that were still at my disposal.

I had a cell phone in my own name and a bank account I'd started my freshman year in college in which I'd stashed enough money that, if I was frugal, would keep me afloat for a few months. I knew Bugsy could probably figure out a way to make the money we'd generated for our startup last long enough to make a sale, but that wasn't a sure thing. One thing I knew for certain was that I was not going to return and marry some woman I'd never met simply because it would help my father close a business deal. That much I was certain of.

Once I'd laid things out in a concrete fashion, I could see that it would be a challenge, but not impossible to move forward. However, there was one more thing I needed to take care of before I headed over to Bugsy's.

I dialed my mother's phone number and wasn't surprised when she didn't pick up. She was a professional socialite who spent her days planning benefits for her multiple charities and maintaining her biggest asset—herself. I knew it was highly likely that she was at, or on her way to, her favorite spa in the Loop, so I headed over to find her.

She was just entering the lobby when I arrived. I watched her stride across the marble floor of the lobby in her Chanel summer suit and black stiletto heels.

"Mother!" I called. She didn't turn around. I quickly covered the distance between us as I asked, "Mother, are you still speaking to me?"

"Adam, you are my son and I love you, but your father is right," she said in an icy tone. "We cannot abide disloyalty in this family. Why won't you marry Veronica? She's a beautiful girl and she'll make a lovely wife for you."

"Wow, he got to you fast, didn't he?" I said marveling at the way in which my parents quickly solidified their bond against outsiders. This wasn't new to me; I'd seen them do this time and again when they'd felt betrayed by friends or family members, but I'd reassured myself time and time again that they'd never do it to their own son. "Mother, I don't love Veronica. I don't even know her!"

"What did you expect?" she said coolly looking me over. My mother was a beautiful woman, but her beauty was the brittle kind. It was designed to intimidate and, as a result, keep people at a distance. "Besides, love is overrated."

"Mother, we have a good idea and a great product," I said. I wanted to explain the idea to her, but I knew it would most likely be futile. My mother rarely thought about anyone but my father and herself. "It's not like I'm selling family secrets to the competition! I'm just doing what I feel is the right thing."

"Yes, well, that's all relative, isn't it?" she said coolly. "Adam, you need to realize that you come from a family that prizes loyalty and s

ervice to God and to the family first. You have put your individual needs above those of the family and the business, and that is unacceptable. You will marry Veronica or you will be dead to us."

"That's ironic coming from you," I retorted. "You're telling me that no one in this family has ever done anything that went against what the family demanded? You and Father didn't exactly follow the rules, did you?"

"Don't get smart with me, young man," my mother hissed as she raised a crimson, lacquer-tipped finger in front of my face. Her anger was palpable. And then she inhaled deeply, dropped her hand and said calmly, "Of course you can choose to do other things, just not this other thing."

"That seems incredibly hypocritical given the fact that Father did not follow in his father's footsteps and married you," I said instantly regretting what I'd said as I felt the sting of my mother's hand connecting with my cheek.

"You will honor your father and mother!" she raged for a brief second before the mask was quickly put back in place. I stood staring at her fighting the urge to raise my hand to my cheek. She hissed through gritted teeth, "I won't tolerate this disrespect from my own son. You either toe the line and come back to the family, or you go your own way, but don't expect any sympathy or assistance from me if you choose the latter."

"Wow, you really are an ice queen, aren't you?" I said aiming at her wall of defense, and firing off what weak rounds I had.

"You have no idea," she said as a cruel smile lifted the edges of her lips as I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Fine," I nodded accepting the terms of the deal. I would not grovel before my parents, not this time and not for any amount of money. I looked my mother straight in the eye and said, "Take care of yourself, Mother."

"I always do," she said smiling coolly. Then she turned and clicked her way across the lobby to the front door of the spa and disappeared inside without so much as a backward glance.

I was truly on my own.

Chapter Five

Grace

The phone rang as I was cleaning up the kitchen and deciding what to pack. Mike's voice on the other end of the line made me tear up. I quickly explained what had happened and that I needed to go home to help my family.

"Of course, of course," he said, "If you need anything, anything at all, just ask."

"Thanks, Mike," I said swallowing the lump in my throat. "I'll call as soon as I have an idea of when I'll be back. I just don't know what I'll need to do."

"Hey, don't worry about a thing," he said reassuringly. "But do you think you'll be able to get back in time for the Miter meeting?"

"Mike..." I trailed off unable to conjure a response.

"Too soon?" he asked before answering his own question. "Yeah, of course, don't be worried, Grace. We'll figure out a way to make it work. Just take care of yourself and your family."

Tags: Claire Adams Romance
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