Ashton Scott
“Cassia, the last time my father worried about me was a long time ago, so I find that very hard to believe. And yes, I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”
She moves closer to me. “I’ll always wor—”
Alessandra rolls her eyes and says, “You can cut the bullshit, Cassia. The only thing that ever concerns you is your social standing. Don’t come here today and use our mother’s health as a way to worm your way back into Ashton’s life.”
“Alessandra.” Dad’s sharp voice issues a warning when he joins us. “That’s enough. Don’t talk about things you have no idea about.”
My sister’s eyes widen as she is chastised. She’s only ever chased approval from two men in her life—Malcolm and our father. Malcolm gave it easily. Dad, not so much. I’m guessing that him taking Cassia’s side here is like a slap in the face.
I rake my fingers through my hair as I glare at him. “Jesus, Dad, you can be an asshole when you want to be.”
His eyes turn cold as his gaze settles on me. “I would prefer it if both my children could use their manners while waiting to hear how their mother’s health is. Particularly when we have company.”
Anger churns in my gut at his words. “You—”
Mum’s doctor interrupts our conversation. “Mr Scott, you can see your wife now.”
Dad nods at the doctor. “Thank you.” His gaze slices back to me, and with one last icy glare, he leaves us to follow the doctor.
Alessandra shoots up out of her chair and grabs her bag. “I’ll be back.” She stalks out of the room, leaving me alone with Cassia.
“Your sister always did hate me,” Cassia says.
“Hate is an extreme term.” This is the last conversation I want to be having today. Actually, I don’t want to be having any conversation with her, but it seems I’m stuck.
Her lips flatten in the way they used to whenever we had an argument. “Not where Alessandra is concerned, Ashton, but you were always blind to her when we were together, so I’m sure that hasn’t changed. It’d be nice if, for once, you could open your eyes and see things for what they really are.”
“Don’t push me, Cassia, because you might not like what I see.”
Her brows furrow. “What does that mean?” she demands.
“It means that sometimes I intentionally close my eyes when I don’t want to see what is plainly there to be seen. You have benefitted from that in the past. Let’s not start something we can’t turn back from.”
She stiffens and lifts her chin, a complete look of distaste covering her face. Securing her clutch under her arm, she throws back, “You think your father can be an asshole, but you don’t seem to acknowledge what an asshole you can be. You are far worse than Gregory.”
The sound of her heels tapping on the hospital floor fills my ears a moment later. It might just be the best fucking sound I’ve heard all day. What Cassia is doing with my family is a mystery to me, but I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot more of her while my mother recovers from her heart attack. Thank fuck I have Lorelei to stand by my side while I deal with it all. Her presence alone eases tension from my life in ways I never knew someone could.
39
Lorelei
“Here, I brought supplies with me,” Sienna says as she enters my kitchen just after seven that night and hands me a bag with the logo of my favourite bakery on it. “Figured you might need them after the day you’ve had.”
It’s been the longest day full of stress, so I could kiss her when I rip the bag open to discover two vanilla cupcakes. My favourite. “You are a goddess sent from heaven.”
She grins. “I try.”
I hold up a mug. “You want a coffee?”
Sliding onto a stool at my kitchen counter, she nods. “Of course. With a side of tell-me-all-about-what-happened-with-Cassia-today.”
“Ugh, you had to mention her name, didn’t you?”
She clicks her fingers, indicating I need to hurry up. “Spill. And then we can make a plan.”
I stop what I’m doing and look at her. “A plan?”
“Yeah, a plan for dealing with bitchy exes. I know you’ve never had to deal with one before, but I have, so I am the perfect person to advise you on this.”