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But I knew it was a lie, and the only reason he insisted on a female nanny…was because he wanted me to have a positive influence from a woman aside from Aunt Esme.
He divorced Mom a year ago and forbade her from entering the house, throwing all her clothes away and canceling her credit cards. All Price brides sign prenups, so wives don’t get anything during the divorce, and she was furious, screaming that he ruined her life.
According to Santiago, who overheard his parents' conversation, my dad could tolerate a lot of stuff from her, but her indifference toward me was not one of them.
She tried fighting for custody with insane child support, claiming that every child deserved to be with their mother, but Dad just laughed and kicked her out once again.
Their divorce caused a huge scandal. The newspapers painted Dad as a villain who abandoned his wife during such a tragedy, and she happily gave interviews left and right.
Dad was called so many names that made no sense to me. They also said how I’d grow into a narcissist just like him under his influence.
Whatever that means.
My dad is the best man in the whole world, and I don’t care what everyone thinks. He chose me and accepted everyone’s scrutiny if it meant my mother would stop abusing me with her words on a daily basis. Something Octavius’s parents failed to do.
And for that, I’ll always love and respect him.
However, three days ago, he hired a new nanny, and God knows where our butler found her because she wore such washed-out clothes it was hard to guess their color. The boys felt bad about scaring her off, especially when she polished her plate so quickly the cook barely had time to blink, but I was determined.
I don’t need a nanny.
But no matter what I do, she stays, and I hate it. Dad is away on a business trip, so he’s yet to meet her, and I hoped at first maybe he’d fire her like he fired one of them for trying to seduce him… This woman, though, has no idea what style is.
Even Grandpa, who flirts with anyone, barely pays her any attention and asked our butler if Dad really got this desperate for her to be in our house.
“She bakes good cookies too,” Remi pitches in while my frown deepens. “And she never tattletales on us or calls us names. I think you should keep her.”
“She’s also smart,” Octavius adds.
“Whose side are you on?” They all shrug. Some cookies and smiles and all of a sudden they want for me to be stuck with a nanny? None of them has one! “Dad will still pay her.”
“She’s poor, Florian. Have you seen how happy she was to discover she could live here and how her eyes lit up at the sight of the bed?”
Now they make me feel guilty, but I don’t want a nanny. She’ll probably find something bad about me too and start to hate me, and I’m done with that.
“Jacob! Open the fucking door!” We all freeze at my mother’s familiar screeching voice and turn around to see her marching toward our mansion. “Open it!” She quickly gets up the steps and bangs on the door. “You fucking asshole! He left me! Because of you.” Tears stream down her cheeks, and my friends wince, although why I don’t understand.
Her affair with my uncle has always been public knowledge, so it was no surprise she started living with him, but just like Dad predicted, it seems he didn’t want her without the family money attached.
Uncle Bellamy is a leech and can’t work to save his life. He used up all the resources his late wife gave him and shipped his son off to his maternal grandmother in some small coast town.
“I’ll deal with it. Start the treasure hunt.”
“But—”
I raise my hand. “Do it.”
After a pause, they nod and go to the oak trees while I race to the entrance, hoping to get rid of the woman who gave birth to me so she won’t ruin my night.
Her presence and scorn always bring me back to the basement. My scars hurt while a disgusting smell twitches my nose, and the voice fills my head so loud and overwhelmingly, I always start crushing things around me.
Usually, a call from Uncle Lucian saves me, but sometimes it doesn’t, and I end up destroying my room.
“He’s not home. You need to leave,” I tell her once I come closer, and she spins around, fury written all over her beautiful but cruel face. “Or security will escort you out.” And I don’t want it. She will find a way to twist the truth and claim she wanted to see me and instead got dragged out.
“You little piece of shit.” I flinch inwardly at her name-calling and tense when she comes to me, breathing heavily while anger pours from her. “It’s all your fault.” She grabs me by the shirt, tugging me closer as she leans forward. “If Frederick were alive instead of you, I’d have everything.” She shakes me to the point of my teeth snapping. “You should have been the one to die.” I twist in her hold, trying to get away because the smell of her sweet perfume makes me nauseous. “I’d have my perfect family, and Bellamy would have stayed with me. But no. You had to survive. And I can’t even use you now because Daddy dearest loves you so much.” One more hard shake. “Why did you survive, Florian?” She slaps me hard on the cheek, my head snapping to the right as pain travels through me, and I stop to breathe from the shock. She never raised a hand on me. “Why? Life is mocking me every time I look at you.” Slap. “I hate you, you little useless piece of shit.” Slap. Slap. Slap. “Why did God take his son and keep Jacob’s alive?” I’m too shocked and confused to process her weird words.
I’ve always known my mother hates me. She never physically showed it, but her words combined with each blow…open up my festering wounds and make them bleed anew.
