Chapter 7 #2
"Watch where you’re going!" she says angrily. Then she realizes that she just ran into Tristen and me. Her expression quickly changes from scowl to sly smile. "Oh, it’s you."
It’s funny, that’s the second time in twenty four hours that I have heard those words from a woman’s lips. Steeling myself for the inevitable argument that is to come, I smile thinly and hold my ground. Daisy steps back after a long second, and Tristen jumps in.
"Hey Daisy," he greets her. "How’s it going?"
She looks at him, her expression as sour as if she were sucking on a lemon.
"I’m doing well. How are you, Tristen? I figured that you would have moved to the city for good."
He arches his brow curiously. "I did move to the city. That was years ago, by the by."
"Was it?" she asks. “You’ve always dressed like an old man, so perhaps that is why I get so confused when I look at you.”
His face tightens. He looks at me for support. My lips curl, and I smirk a little bit.
"You are kind of an old man," I tell Tristen. "Hell, even I am going to be thirty-four this year. It does seem like it was a long time ago, though."
Daisy straightens, pulling her dark cape more snugly around herself. "Time does fly, no matter how old you are. Is that not right?”
Tristen runs his tongue over his teeth. "You act like you aren’t the same age as we are. But we all went to college together. You just entered Princeton as we were leaving, a freshman to our senior class."
She puts her hands in her pockets and tilts her head, talking to him as if talking to a child. "I remember. I was there. Now, are you back in town or are you living in New York City?"
"No, I’m definitely not back. I am just visiting for a day or two."
"Well, that’s a pity. Harwicke could really use someone of your lineage. From what I can see, the whole town is going to the dogs. Everyone that I meet seems to be absolutely classless. It’s reprehensible, really."
Tristen purses his lips. "Then why do you still live here? You have the ability to live anywhere. If I remember correctly, you come from money just like I do."
"Yes, well." Her answer is not really an answer. "As you know, I’ve accepted Burn’s ring. So I’ll be staying here as long as he’s here. That’s what people who are married do for each other."
"Oh, is that all?" Tristen mutters.
Daisy rolls her eyes, dismissing Tristen so easily. She turns to me, her head tilting, her expression growing worried. "How are you, Dare? I saw you last night, but I didn’t think to ask. Are you back in town for a while?”
"I’m not. Not really."
Her gaze is drawn to my face. “Are you still upset with me? It’s been almost a year now."
I push out my cheek with the tip of my tongue, aggravated.
"No, Daisy. Honestly, I usually don’t even remember that you are alive."
She smiles with a flash of teeth. "Ouch, Dare. Well, it’s good to see that you have moved on.
I feel like that’s the least I can hope for you, since I fit so well with your brother.
Being engaged with Burn is like breathing.
Just totally natural and effortless. And I was thinking that maybe you would meet someone new who would feel the same way.
You know, I think that Sarah Harding is unattached at the moment.
I could set something up for you if you want. "
I watch her closely, seeing the pleasure in her eyes at my discomfort. I push it down, blinking. Just like with my brother, to show her exactly how I’m feeling is to let her win.
"Well, we have to be off. We have an important meeting to attend. I’ll see you around, Daisy."
To this, she smirks. "Not if I see you first, Dare."
With a wink, she strides off, heading toward the hotel lobby. I watch her retreating figure for a moment, resentment boiling up in my body.
"What a total bitch," I spit out through gritted teeth.
Tristen glances at the door that she just disappeared through, and he reaches out and pulls me by the arm. "Come on,” he says. “The more space that’s between us and Daisy, the better. I forgot that she was so unpleasant."
I look at him a little skeptically. "What do you mean? You used to like Daisy."
He rolls his eyes. "I was putting on an act for the good of our friendship. I never liked her. She was always bitter to me."
We walk down the street, and I think about the fact that Tristen never got along with Daisy. "It’s news to me, though I admit that it’s not unwelcome to me now. You were just putting up with her because I was dating her?"
He shrugs his shoulders casually. "I know the type of girl she is. She’s a lot like my sister—spoiled and shallow.
I knew that my sister often drove the friends of her boyfriend away if she decided that she didn’t like them.
So, you know... It was easier to keep up appearances than to say anything. "
"I wonder if that is how Daisy came to be this way, with such an entitled personality. It always amazes me that no one ever checked her or put her in her place."
"Yeah, well. Maybe you will be the first one to change that. Isn’t that what the entire point of rubbing Burn’s infidelity in her face is?"
I wrinkle my nose. "That is one of the possible outcomes. The other one is that she digs her heels in and becomes more entitled than before. Which one she will choose is unknowable as of yet."
Tristen lets go of my arm and cuts me a look. "I think I have an idea."
"Oh yeah?" I say, still engrossed in my doom and gloom.
"You should start dating this Talia girl. See how Burn likes it. Rub it in his face. And then, if you feel like it, eventually you can tell Daisy that Burn has been unfaithful."
A bark of laughter leaves my lips. "What?"
"Seriously, think about it. It’s beyond time for you to find another girl. Someone who is actually loyal. Why not this girl?"
"Women are only interested in me for my money and my name. I’m not like my brother.
I am not charming or Machiavellian. I’m not a drunk like my father or a gambler like my uncle.
I am the reasonable one, the one who usually compromises with other loud personalities in my family so that we can come together to accomplish even the most basic tasks.
No one actually wants me for my personality. Trust me."
"Maybe you’re just not looking in the right places.
I mean, there are tons of women out there in the world that are great matches for you, I’m sure.
My point is, why not get the ball rolling with a girl that could actually be useful for you?
She could be attractive with a little polish.
And Burn would look at her and realize that you have turned the tables on him. ”
I turn a corner, exhaling a deep breath. Ignoring the terrible advice that Tristen is currently giving me, I resume my train of thought, pretending that he didn’t even suggest it to me.
"I treated Daisy like a queen. You know that? I would never have cheated on her. I would never have been unfaithful. And for what? It seems like she left scars where my heart used to be. How will I ever trust anyone again after Daisy left me for my own brother?"
Tristen gives me a sympathetic glance. He claps me on the back of the shoulder. "I know. I know that was pretty harsh for you. Honestly though? It was what was best. If you guys hadn’t broken up, I was looking at having her in my life forever. Selfishly, I am beyond glad that it happened."
I frown. "I know. It just makes all of this Morgan Oil company business even harder.
I feel like I've already been passed over, even outright rejected.
If Remy looks at me the way that Daisy does, I have no chance of taking over the company.
I have no chance of getting the inheritance I deserve. It makes my blood boil."
He looks thoughtful. "We should have that drink that we talked about. But we should also hatch a plan. There is a way to persuade your lovely young Talia to tell you stories about Burn. So Daisy will get her comeuppance, I’m almost certain of it."
My lips lift at the corners. I pull out my cell phone and dictate a text to my personal assistant, asking him to extend my stay at the hotel. When I’m done, I look at Tristen with a grim smile.
I’m right where I need to be right now. I’m here in Harwicke, at Remy’s house, close at hand in case my grandfather has any need for me. I will stay as long as Burn does. I will win this battle, come hell or high water.