“Sweetheart, you haven’t even given me a chance to talk to you after you came back from Europe.”
“—and you still look at me like I’m still a child?” I go on, grabbing the folder that’s been under my pillow for days containing every piece of information I all but killed myself to gather as I retraced all my blotchy, blurry steps. “Well, I’m not.”
“Mia—”
“I’ll be late for school. I have to go.” With that, I dash out the room, holding the folder tightly to my chest as my mind races, trying to think of how I can make this right.
“Wait, Mia, we’re not done talking!”
“Yes, we are!”
“But Julian’s trial—”
“Is none of my business until I’m called in to testify.”
If I do this right, no one will be testifying, and my father’s treacherous plan will all go up in flames. I won’t let him win. I won’t let him hurt my boys.
I have to make sure this file full of evidence to exonerate Julian is delivered on time. And for that, I need to deliver this to Cole who will get it to the appropriate people.
As soon as I open the door however, my breath catches in my throat and my heart skips a beat as I stare at the person standing in the doorway, clearly waiting for me.
“Good morning, Mia,” she says sweetly. “Or should I say, Amy.”
Ah fuck.
Chapter Six
Mia
“Courtney,” I say, all the energy I had somehow mustered up draining from my bones like it was never there. “What are you doing here?”
She eyes me carefully, then steps back. “Is your mother-aunt here?”
“Her name is Nicky,” I snap. “That scar on your face where she scratched you in your little fight made that abundantly clear, don’t fake amnesia now.”
“Amnesia?” she mock gasps, clutching her pearls, literally. “How close to home for you, huh? No, I haven’t forgotten what that woman did, coming into my home and wreaking all sorts of havoc like that.”
I sigh, not in the mood to hear anything she has to say, especially if she’s been sent by my father, her partner in all the crimes that go against parenthood.
“Yeah well, you can both reminisce over a cup of scorching hot tea to scald your wicked tongue,” I murmur, closing the door behind me as I clutch the folder in my arms tighter, hoping she doesn’t see it. “I have an education to get.”
“Oh please, you and I both know you’re above high school with your intellect, why bother?”
“Because I want to,” I snap, quickly going down the short stairs, passing her as I walk toward my car. “Now kindly fuck off. I’ve kept my distance from your son.”
“Or maybe he has ignored you enough that you’ve finally got the hint,” she fires back. I stop, sucking in a harsh breath.
She’s not wrong. Julian was only in jail for a few hours the day we arrived back from Europe and for two weeks he’s ignored me, quite thoroughly too.
“Yeah, well, you got your wish,” I say, unlocking the car. “You always get what you want, no matter what or who your hurt.”
“I’m not trying to hurt anyone, contrary to what you might think of me,” Courtney says. “I’m actually looking out for—”
“Hmm, please don’t,” I say, cutting her off as I swivel around to look at her. “Just because you let us stay here doesn’t mean you’re looking out for any of us. You swooped down like a vulture and snatched my childhood home up as your own after your ex-husband created the environment where my family struggled to pay our bills. And God, I can’t forget the deal you made me make and the environment you and my father created for that, so yeah, you’re not looking out for anyone but yourself.”
“Well,” she sighs heavily, dramatically. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
What? The nerve of this woman.
“I’m done talking to you.” Turning around, I open the car door. But she stops me before I can get in.
“Not so fast, Mia, about that deal we made…” she trails off. I tense up, my heart pounding.
“What more do you possibly want?” I whisper, feeling weary and disheartened. “You already took everything from me.”
“I simply wanted my sons to—”
“Stay away from me, yes I know,” I snap. “I agreed to your stupid terms and now, you need to uphold your fucking side of the deal and I don’t see you doing anything! Why the fuck are you here?”
“Mia—”
“He’s going to court in a few hours, why exactly are you here?” I demand, turning around to look at her, Cole’s text from earlier now starting to make sense. “Why is Julian still going to court? It’s been two weeks.”
Courtney has the decency to look away then, her eyes shifting to look at everything except my face. Dread sinks its nasty claws into me. I feel goosebumps rise to the surface of my skin. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, that she’d at least follow through but now, looking at her…
“What. Did. You. Do?” I grit out, each word feeling like it’s being ripped from out of me.
“Mia, you have to understand,” Courtney starts, taking a step closer to me, her voice a bit shrill with the panic and fear she was trying to mask since she showed up. “I didn’t do anything, your father—”
I can’t help but laugh at that. It’s as humorless and hollow as I feel inside.
“This is not funny.”
“On the contrary, it’s fucking gold,” I laugh. “Let me get this straight before you get any further. You trusted all the bullshit he spewed that day when I came begging you to help your own son and now you just realized he’s a traitor and skilled liar who doesn’t give a damn about anyone’s wins but his own?”
She looks away and BINGO! I laugh humorlessly. “How does it feel? To be backstabbed?”
“I thought he’d keep his word,” she says, fake sincerity in her voice.
“Aww, how cute,” I mock, anger igniting my words. “You’re the last conniving bitch I thought would ever have a naïve moment. And it’s pathetic to say the least.”
“Watch your mouth.”
“I think not,” I seethe. “I lost all my respect for you the moment you sacrificed your own sons. Then I heard of what you did to Aiden… you lost my fucking vote. Hating me, I wouldn’t have minded but what you did… there’s a special place in the pit of hell for people like you.”
She looks away then, twirling her car keys in her hands. “Yeah well, until that day comes, I need your help to get Julian acquitted.”
“You put him in that situation, set him up for a national scandal so disgusting, his entire future is in jeopardy—”
“Now don’t you start judging me!” Courtney snaps. “Every move I made ensured that Julian’s future will be set with the girl he is to marry and continuing on the Mason-Fitzgerald legacy and then with the power of the Bishops, he’ll be unstoppable.”