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Will gave a frustrated sigh. “Just give him the money, Dad. He’s already been screwed over by his father.”
Mr. Pardini wheeled on his son. “You think that just because you’re a Pardini, you’re entitled to be wealthy? The trusts were meant to meet your reasonable needs.That’s it. They were designed to enhance the family’s position through donations and investments. They were not meant to make individual billionaires!”
His voice rang in the small room, echoing in my ears.
“I am old, son. And I’m being hounded by my nephew, cousins, and every member of the family with a trust. They want out and I am tired of dealing with this. If your grandfather knew what had happened to this family, he would spin in his grave.”
He almost seemed to limp back to his chair behind the desk. He looked tired.
“I’m sorry that you had to witness this,” he said, addressing me suddenly.
I forgot my presence. “Oh, uh—it’s fine.”
We chatted; he asked me the same questions his wife had, but William said nothing. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, looking disturbed.
What am I going to tell Jessica?
Mr. Pardini wasn’t selling the shares out of greed, as I assumed. He was following a principle they were only entitled to the amount of money and work they had put into the family’s advancement. Frankly, it seemed fair. Then I thought of Luke, who had been disappointed by his father’s will—and now his uncle was, in his eyes, giving him a meager amount for his shares.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Natalie.”
“Yes, Mr. Pardini.” I leaned forward and shook his hand, Will watching me out of the corner of his eyes.
That was my cue to leave. I walked out of his office and wiped my hands on my jeans.
“That wasn’t so bad.”
Will scoffed as we ascended the staircase back to the room. He opened the door for me and I walked in, startled by the violent look on his face.
“What the hell am I going to tell my cousin?”
I lifted my shoulders. “Honestly, what can you do? Your dad has all the power and his argument made sense.”
He paced the room like a caged animal. “I should be able to do more. He’s one of us. He deserves what’s owed to him. God, this family is so fucked. This will ruin us.” Will sank to the bed and stared at the floor.
An odd feeling swept through me. Why was he so upset over this? Was this really about Luke anymore?
“When I first met you, you were thrilled that Luke’s dad was dead because he was out of the running for CEO. Now, you’re getting upset because he’s not inheriting his millions?”
A pained look crossed over his face. “I feel guilty about it. He’s getting screwed over.”
“You can’t control your dad’s actions anymore than you could control the accident.”
William’s eyes were livid. “Please, don’t.”
His hands gripped the edge of the bed, whitened with panic, and I dropped my gaze.
9
I swear to God, if you ignore another one of my emails, I will call you. You’re really acting like a bitch. I’ve been nothing but nice to you. I don’t deserve to be treated like garbage—
I deleted the email before I finished it, my heart pounding with poison. It coursed through my veins, spreading a sick feeling. The phone trembled against my ear.
“I’m getting freaked out by Ben’s emails. He has never called me names.”
Jessica sighed on the other line. “I think it’s best you ignore them, like Will said.” She paused for a moment. “He’s been over here a couple times, looking for you. He still has a key, you know.”
“What? He went into our apartment?”
