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“No!” Toby barked out, and he pointed at Sebastian. “You’re either with me or you can get the fuck out.”
“We’re with you,” Danny interrupted quickly.
“Good. Then you can do what you do best and see what you can find out about her. There’s got to be some dirt on her, something she doesn’t want people to see or learn about. Once We have that, it doesn’t matter what the DNA test says. I’ll buy her out of the Estate, all of it, and that will be that.”
“How do you propose we do that?” I asked, my stomach twisting around an influx of acid as Toby’s smile turned a little crazed.
“Well, she already talks to you, right? So, get her talking some more. Learn what you can, all of you. My father’s indiscretion doesn’t belong in our world, understand?”
I glanced at Sebastian, who gave me a slightly sympathetic smile.
“Alright,” Danny said softly. “If that helps you, we will see what we can do.”
“Lucas?” Toby looked directly at me. “Are you with me?”
I wanted to say no. Something about this didn’t quite sit right, but letting Toby down when I’d already played such an intense part felt like a betrayal I could never come back from.
“I’m with you,” I replied. “Always.”
The words became tasteless in my mouth, and I sighed.
This didn’t sit right with me at all.
12
SCARLETT
Eighteen missed calls glared up at me from my phone, and I didn’t have the heart to return a single one.
Ever since the Gala, I had remained in my hotel room trying to process how quickly that event had all gone to shit. Toby had seemed completely, almost painfully angry at me for something that was utterly beyond my control. I never asked to be born, never had a choice in who my parents were and while his demand for a DNA test had been cold and callous, now that I’d had time to process it, I understood it.
As a late-night, teary call with Lily had pointed out, the DNA test could work in my favor. If it came back positive, then I would have a stronger stance against protecting my house and that was all I cared about. If only I could get Toby to understand that.
Lucas had called a few times, but I hadn’t called him back. Instead, I asked for an address to send the beautiful dress back to him and he continued to tell me it was a gift. It now hung in the closet, hidden away in its dust jacket. How sweet he had been, but I was far too embarrassed to contact him after he had witnessed that fight. And he knew Toby. All along I had been in his circle and didn’t even know it.
Back to the eighteen missed calls, I stared at them with a heavy heart from beneath the blanket nest I had created on the luxurious couch in front of the massive TV. Late-night movies and early-morning talk shows had entertained me ever since Matt came to my room the day after the Gala, took a sample, and told me he’d be in touch.
Instead of his name on the screen though, it was Shane. Clearly, he hadn’t gotten the hint from the numerous texts and calls I’d ignored before and now his attempts to contact me were growing more and more insistent.
As if he could hear my very thoughts, another call blared to life and his name danced across the screen as the shrill tones of his basic ringtone flooded the room.
Fuck.
I groaned and then, finally, hit answer.
“Scarlett!” Shane barked the moment the call connected. “About fucking time. You think I’ve got the minutes to waste trying to fucking call you?”
“You could try not calling me,” I replied, letting my head fall back onto the pillows around my head. My setup was quite cozy, to be honest, and a little tipsy considering the adjacent coffee table had 1 and a half empty bottles of wine.
“How else am I supposed to get answers?”
“What answers?” My tone remained bored, my gaze on the TV across the room as it played the credits to the latest action movie, I’d distracted myself with.
“You think you can cheat on me, and I won't find out?” Shane snapped.
I barked out a dry laugh as the memory of Shane and that woman in my bed burst forth in my mind. “I’m sorry, I’m the cheater?”
“Yes, you fucking are, you disrespectful bitch!”
