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"I hope you tell Sophia it's me, not her."
Dad chuckled and the tension in the room relaxed.
"So…about Joy? What does working it out mean? I thought you guys were getting divorced."
"We are. She's just being extremely difficult."
"Why?"
"She married into money and signed a prenuptial agreement. Now she's attempting extortion to get whatever she wants. I've already purchased a home for her, a summer home in the Hamptons, agreed to a monthly stipend, on top of a nice settlement, but nothing more. We had an agreement when you were born, which she's broken countless times that I have record of. I've let a lot slide. I'm not proud of it and it's something I deal with every day, but enough is enough. I'm done letting her get away with whatever she wants because I feel bad."
"She probably hates me," I said quietly. "She probably blames me for everything, for ruining her lifestyle."
"She hates herself more and hides behind it every day with riches. It's why she acts the way she does. Joy is a very insecure woman, so she belittles those around her to build herself up. What she doesn't realize is when she washes that shit off her face every night and hangs up her hideous Hermes scarf, she's still the same person she's always been. I've been patient. I know I've made mistakes, but this latest stunt was the icing on the cake."
I contemplated my next move. With Dad mentioning blackmail, I felt like I could mention what Kova said to me. I just wasn't sure how without it looking obvious.
I pushed my plate away and stuffed my icy hands into the front pocket of my hoodie.
"Dad, I have a question… Some things have been said around the gym for a few months now. Is it true Joy helped Katja blackmail Kova into marrying him?"
Bringing the crystal tumbler to his lips, he took a long sip with an unnerving look in his eyes. His shifted back and forth between mine, and it was in that simple action that I had clarity.
My obvious response was that I needed to remain unaffected and completely blasé to the conversation. I wouldn't let him hear the anxiety in my voice or see my fingers shaking. The truth was, I was a ball of paranoia.
Dad placed the glass down on the matching coaster. His fingers remained wrapped around it before answering. "Supposedly."
"How?" I groaned inwardly.
"Why do you care?"
"I don't. It’s just gym gossip." I responded too fast and now I needed to fix it. I sat back and casually crossed my legs. "I didn't know Joy and Katja were even friends. I always got the impression she didn't like her."
"She doesn't."
I blinked. "I'm confused."
"Joy has never liked Katja. Joy doesn't like anyone more attractive than her, or someone who has the potential to have more than her."
Mean girls were pretty on the outside but ultimately the ugliest of the bunch. The more I learned about Joy, the more I saw just how hideous she was inside.
"So it's true, then? She basically forced Kova to marry her."
"If I was Kova, I'd have married her too."
I tilted my head to the side, unsure how to take that. I studied him back.
"What do you mean?"
His eyes didn't leave mine. "He hasn't been inappropriate with you, has he?" he asked, testing the waters.
I blinked rapidly.
Keep calm.
Don't over react.
Keep calm.
