Chapter 23 #2
“I can’t live on your property like I’m the help.”
A sarcastic grin pulls at my lips as I fold my arms over my chest.
“That’s where you’re drawing the line?”
“I can’t do it.”
“You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Yes, you are. And it has nothing to do with me. You’re jealous of her. What did she do to you, Henrietta? She’s just as annoyed with her father’s will as you are.”
“I didn’t expect her to be your mistress.”
“She’s not your problem. The only reason I had married you was to have control over you till I recouped my money.”
“We were together once.’
“So? You stole my money, did whatever the hell you wanted to with it, and then married her father. You used your marriage to protect yourself, and now you’re making such a fuss about it.
Had I not stumbled into you that day in New York, I would’ve never known that you were once married to this woman’s father.
I bet you regret going to the cemetery that day.
You were pretty crafty. I’ll give you that.
I had my men look for you everywhere. You knew how to keep a low profile, and honestly, getting married to a math teacher? ”
I laugh.
“Knock me over with a feather. That had never crossed my mind. You can’t be mad at me right now because I keep you here,” I say.
“That’s not why I’m mad?”
I unfold my arms and pick up my drink again.
“So you admit you’re mad. Good. At least we agree on that. We’ve been through this shit before, Henrietta. You’re not going to ruin your life because of some woman.”
“She isn’t just some woman. A year from now, she’ll be rich.”
I shrug.
“What can I say? Her father may not have been a savvy man, yet he surely had a ton of luck. Allegedly. He died young, though. I hope you didn’t have anything to do with it.”
I study her. Her expression is frozen.
“Henrietta?”
Her eyes focus on me, yet she says nothing.
“Did you do anything to him?”
“He died of a heart attack.”
“A lot of things can trigger a heart attack.”
“Are you hinting at sex?”
“It crossed my mind.”
“I wasn’t home when it happened.”
“Which doesn’t mean anything. You must’ve put a lot of strain on that poor man’s heart.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“Sure. As you say.”
I check the time on my watch and pick up my jacket.
“I need to leave, if you don’t mind. Lila stays here. And so do you.”
I run a steady hand over the lapel of my jacket as she doesn’t seem to acknowledge me in any way.
“We’re done here,” I say. “You can go back to New York in the fall when she'll no longer have to stay with you.”
“Are you sure I can leave then?”
“Damn sure. I don’t need to see you every day. Your work here is done.”
“What about you and her?”
“That shouldn’t be of concern to you.”
Her eyes search mine.
“You’re after her father’s business. There’s no fucking way you aren’t.”
“I’m surprised you have time to stick your nose into someone else’s business. You have enough problems yourself.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying this. I know you.”
“You know nothing.”
“You never fell for a woman. Never had feelings for one. Ask me how I know.”
“Are we getting all melodramatic now? Let’s go. I don’t have time for this shit now.”
“I think you do. I’ll tell her the truth if you don’t let her come with me. I’ll tell her what your plan is about getting all the money.”
“That’s a lie, and you know it.”
“But she won’t. She doesn’t know who you are. Does she really know who you are? Is she ready to live with the feds’ cars parked across the street?”
I tense up as I remember that text message.
She wouldn’t fucking dare.
“What are you talking about?” I ask absently.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. She needs to know what your real life looks like. All the risks involved. How else can she be with you?”
“You’re so concerned with something that has nothing to do with you.”
“Okay then. So let’s see. I’ll tell her you want her money.
She’ll probably want to hear the truth from you.
Even if you tell her it’s a lie, you’ll still need to prove to her that you aren’t after her money.
That you have real feelings for her. I’ll suggest to her to ask you to wait for her.
Yeah, wait. Wait until she finishes school, takes possession of her inheritance, and you get the money from me, and file for divorce.
Does she know about our little understanding? ”
I stay quiet, weighing whether the chunk of money that she owes me is worth the aggravation in the end.
It’s a lot of money, and as I’ve said before, we go all back, but my hands are badly itching to do something about it.
She’s become so annoying lately.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought,” she goes on, as if she doesn’t know that what she did to me is not a great pillow talk topic.
“So, there are many things she should know. Showing her that you have true feelings for her is a great plan, in my opinion. You just need to have patience, get your girl, my money, her money, in whatever order you want, and I’ll be out of your hair. ”
Henrietta has always had a streak of vengeance in her.
Still, I can’t do what she’s asking of me. I can’t play with this woman, Lila Skye. If I need to tell her the truth, I’ll tell her the truth.
“I’ll say this only once. Leave Lila Skye alone. You stay here, so she doesn’t have to follow you to New York. You can leave in September if you want to. Do not play with me, Henrietta. And stop spreading lies about me.”
She looks at me, mischief glinting in her eyes.
I go on.
“Make an effort. I really don’t want to have blood on my hands. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to give her a ride. She’s working for me tonight.”
I don’t care for the flash of surprise moving over her face.
I just slide past her, knowing full well that this isn’t over. It’s only the beginning.
She won’t be satisfied until Lila and I split up.
And the truth is, I know what Lila needs right now.
The truth from me, of course. But the truth won’t set either of us free. It will most likely break us.