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“We’ll see about that,” he says, his voice devoid of emotion. “Give it some time, and you’ll come to your senses. Look, Jade, I have to run to a meeting. Please think over the consequences of your actions if you want the money in your trust fund.”
“It was never my money anyway. You can keep it.”
“And it never will be yours if you pursue an unsuitable profession.”
“You mean a profession you haven’t chosen for me?”
“Jade, that’s enough.”
“You were never going to let me be a journalist were you?”
He snorts. “You were never that good of a writer. Why do you think you write about social events for the school newspaper instead of something more worthwhile?”
“Because of my sorority.”
“No, not quite.” His tone is so smug I wish I could slap him in the face. “Writing is not one of your strong suits, darling. You would have found that out the hard way when you applied for jobs. I was even going to let you submit your resume to The New York Times so you could see for yourself that you belong at the bank with me. But I don’t want you to tarnish the Westbrook name with something as silly as your writing. We have a reputation to uphold here in Manhattan.”
“You’re the worst person on earth,” I say with gritted teeth. “I hate you.”
He chuckles, and from the sounds of it, he’s moving through a crowded hallway. I hear an elevator ding and then more voices. “I have to go, Jade. Do as I say and think things over. Otherwise, you will suffer the consequences. I know you will make the right choice. You always do.”
Not this time.
Before I can respond, the line goes dead.
That asshole hung up on me.
Furious, I throw my cell phone across the room. It hits the wall and falls into the laundry basket on the floor.
“I take it that didn’t go well,” Shannon says.
“No, not at all. He’s a monster. What’s wrong with him? You should have heard the way he talked to me.”
“I heard enough,” she offers. “I thought my parents were unsupportive of my decision to open a bakery, but you have it way worse than me.”
“Your parents are afraid of you losing money on a business they don’t understand. I’m sure they’ll come around once you get it running. But my parents will never get on board with my decision to go to nursing school. He basically told me I’m stupid and can’t write and that I have to work for him or I won’t get any of the money in my trust fund.”
“What are you going to do?”
I shrug against the wooden headrest. “I don’t know. He’ll basically disown me if I become a nurse, and the sad part is that I don’t care. He has way too much power over me. It’s always been his way or the highway. I can’t live this way anymore. Even if I end up being a terrible nurse and fail out of nursing school, I’d at least like to say that I tried.”
“Then you should do it.” Shannon cups my shoulder with a bright smile. “I’m following dreams no one understands. You should see the weird looks I get when I tell people I want to start a bakery called Shake-n-Cake. And even weirder looks when I tell them the shake part is for the girls who will dance while they serve my signature cupcakes.”
“It’s different,” I say. “But I love the idea and so will other people. You make one hell of a cupcake.”
“And you’ll make a good nurse. You just have to take the first step and see if it’s for you.”
At least some people believe in me. It’s always the people you expect the most support from, and when you don’t get it, it feels like a knife to the chest.
Despite the sick feeling that call left behind, a sense of relief washes over me. I finally told my father how I feel. And I’ve made a decision, one that hopefully is the right choice.
Chapter Nineteen
Killian
“I know you’re up there, Killian,” Jade yells from outside my window, throwing something at the glass. “Open the damn door. Right now.”
I shake my head, wondering how many people are gathered outside of their houses watching her make an ass of herself. She’s doing it on purpose. Jade knows how much I hate it when she makes a scene.
“You need to talk to her before she breaks something,” Jamie says, his eyes fixed on the flat screen on the wall in front of us. “Preston will be up your ass if you don’t deal with her.”
Sitting on the floor next to Jamie, I click the buttons on the controller with my good hand, using my fingers on the casted hand to cradle it. It’s not easy playing games with one hand, but Jamie now has me hooked on his new video game, Quest for Shanaya. I still can’t believe he named it after Shannon. And to think, at one time, I sat next to his girl in class and hit on her for fun, only for him to end up with her.
