“That’s bullshit, and you know it. Despite what I did to you, you were still there for me.”
“And I’ve been there for her. I’ve made all of her problems go away—because I care about her. I bought her that townhouse so I would know she would always be taken care of. That’s the extent of my emotions.” I took another drink of my coffee before I left the mug in the sink. “What time do you want me there today?”
“We’re just going to change the subject now?”
“I’m not changing the subject. Conversation is over. Now, what time?”
“One. And are you sure you want to do this?”
“I want Simone to lose, and I’m willing to do anything to make that happen—including lying under oath.”
I signed all the paperwork at the office and received the keys from the real estate agent. Once the transaction was completed, Monroe officially owned her own piece of property. To the average person, it was an expensive piece of real estate, but to me, it was just pennies. Not only would Monroe have a place to live, but she would always have some wealth in her name. If something terrible happened, she could always sell it for the equity.
I called a designer next and asked them to decorate the space, providing the living room furnishings, bedroom sets, and dining table. Monroe didn’t own any furniture, so she would need to get started somehow.
Dread had been sitting in my stomach all afternoon because I didn’t want to come face-to-face with Monroe. I didn’t want to watch her walk out of my life for the final time. I didn’t want to acknowledge that our arrangement was officially over. She’d been the woman in my bed for months, and now my bed would be empty for months. Running out and grabbing tail right away didn’t feel right.
And I couldn’t go back to my cherry-popper ways. Those days were over.
Monroe’s was the last cherry I would ever pop.
When it was almost one, I realized I had to run over to the courthouse a few blocks away. I put the keys to the townhouse on my ring and then had my driver take me to the building where the hearing was taking place.
I joined my brother minutes later. We were in private in the break room, so I spoke freely. “How’s it going?”
“I think the judge is leaning toward me. Simone’s having a hard time keeping her cool. When we played the video of her and that guy in the park, she nearly lost her shit.” He added more coffee to his cup and took a drink. “She’s lucky she got the five million from me. I don’t think she’s getting another cent.”
“Good. She better not.”
“You’re sure you still want to do this? Because you don’t have to.”
“I know, Coen. And I definitely want to do this.” I would be lying under oath, which was a crime, but I was willing to do anything to help my brother get rid of the parasite that had burrowed its claws into his skin.
“Alright. No going back.”
“No going back.”
“Have you talked to Monroe today?”
I glared. “You really want to talk about her right now?”
“Until you get your head on straight, I always want to talk about her.”
We returned to the courtroom where the meeting was being held. Coen had his expansive legal team, and Simone just had a single lawyer along with his assistant. She looked like she wanted to kill me the second I walked into the room.
Revenge was so sweet.
We took our seats, and the judge continued the hearing. Since I was the only witness to the legal documents, he asked me to recount my story.
“The three of us were in the conference room at work. My assistant Jillian had just brought in coffee and snacks. I had the paperwork for the new development we’re establishing in Jackson Hole. We signed that first, and then Coen and I asked her to sign the prenup since they were getting married in a week. She signed it.” I wasn’t a big fan of lying, but I wouldn’t hesitate to play dirty when Simone was trying to ruin our lives.
Simone practically growled. “Liar. Fucking liar.”
“Silence,” the judge commanded. “If you can’t control your outbursts, then you can leave.”
She turned silent, but her look was still furious.
The judge turned to me. “Is that the truth?”
“Yes.” I looked him in the eye.
“And Mrs. Remington knew what she was signing?”
It was a sin that she got to have our last name. It made my insides churn. “Yes. But she didn’t look over the paperwork very carefully. However, she knew what she was signing, and it’s not our fault she didn’t read every line or consult her own lawyer about it. That’s her mistake, not ours.”
Simone’s eyes looked like they were about to burst out of her head.