AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cat swallows and puffs out her chest. “I fixed everything. They’ll kill the story.”
“What? How?” I stutter, feeling both shock and relief in the moment.
“Jay is going to handle it. He owns the building that channel eight leases. He’ll make sure it doesn’t air.”
My irritation spikes. “So you didn’t handle it. You are trying to handle it, but we all know Hanson will benefit from our family being destroyed, so in the end that story will come out.”
She shakes her head, her chin firm. “He won’t.”
“Why, Cat? Why would Hanson suddenly care about covering up our family’s secrets when they’ve been trying to spill them for years?”
She looks to the window and then turns back to us, resolute in her stance. “Because we’re going to be family. Hanson Liquors and James Spirits will be merging.”
“The fuck they will!” Carter screams, and I nod in agreement.
“Jay and I are getting married. Our companies will merge just like our families.”
“Are you nuts?” I say, my voice rising to an alarming level.
This must be a prank. There is no way that Grace did this. There is no way in hell that Hanson is marrying my sister. And there is no fucking way that our companies are merging. “Over my dead body.”
Cat sits down in the chair and crosses her legs calmly. “I did what I had to do. And now you guys will too. We’ll sign the documents, we’ll become family, and we’ll take this company in the right direction.”
I shake my head. “You can’t do this, Cat.”
She meets my eyes with determination. “It’s done.”
I throw the papers on my desk in frustration. “Stop acting like you can decide this.”
She glares at me. “I’m not an idiot, Cash. I can see it written all over your face. You told Grace about Chase, didn’t you? You’re the loose lip. So, don’t fucking tell me what I can and can’t do. I told you to stay away from her, and you didn’t listen, and now we have to clean up this mess. I won’t let this information come to light. It will destroy Chase if this is made public. Let alone Carter’s unidentified child. Jesus Christ, we’re a fucking disaster of a family; it’s pathetic. What will Pa say? I’m doing what has to be done, and you’ll let me because it’s your fucking fault we’re in this mess.”
I say nothing because I have no defense. Standing up, I walk out of my office and don’t look back.
Chapter 46
Grace
Buzzing with excitement over the interview and ecstatic to finally tell Cash that I’m all in—I’m ready to tell the world we’re together—I head straight to the penthouse. I walk in the door and slip off my shoes, massaging the bottom of my foot as I balance against the wall.
Although the lights are off, the evening sunlight pours into the room, illuminating the kitchen. Cash leans over the sink, his back muscles straining his shirt, and I feel my legs clench. I can’t believe I get to come home to this every night.
Quickly, I walk to him. “Hey Whiskey, I’m so happy you’re home early,” I say as I go to put my arms around his waist.
Cash spins and pulls away from me before folding his arms across his chest. As he stares me down, I see tremendous anguish written all over his face. When I attempt to touch him though, he pushes my hand aside and drops his head.
Dread pools in my stomach. “Cash, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t touch me,” he says in a low voice, his head rising and his eyes filled with anger.
I recoil at his words, confused and scared.
“What are you doing here, Grace? You told me you’d destroy me. You warned me. Well, you kept your promise. What, did you come back to gloat?” His voice is low, but the emotion is loud and clear.
“Cash, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Look at me,” I beg as tears well below my lids.
“Look at you? Look at you! Are you out of your mind? You destroyed my family, Grace. You and Hanson. Was this his plan all along? Somehow get me to open up and spill all my family secrets so he could take control of my company? God, I fell for it. I fell so damn hard for you. Fuck!” he screams and picks up a glass before lobbing it at the wall. The glass cracks and breaks into pieces, flying in all different directions, and I jump back in shock.
Tears break the barrier and flood my face as I try to wipe them away with the back of my hand. “Cash, please, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do it. Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”
For a second, he looks up at me and I think he’s going to believe me. He’s going to stop this insanity, but then he asks in an almost patronizing tone, “Did you do an interview with Vanessa today?”
My stomach sinks and my face must give away my guilt because Cash coughs out a bitter laugh. “Exactly. See, that…”—he points at my face—“that tells me everything I need to know. You betrayed me, Grace. You destroyed my family. Destroyed my company. And you trampled on my heart. I thought we had something special. I thought I finally had it. A woman who loved me. A real chance at a family.” My lips quiver as I watch a tear fall from his eye. He slaps it away as if he’s angry he allowed me to see it. “But it was all a lie. Get out! Get out of my house. Get out of my life and don’t ever show your face here again.”
Desperate, I grasp his shirt, trying to get him to look at me. “Don’t do this, Cash. Whatever you think I did, I didn’t do it. She twisted my words. I swear to God, Cash, I would never betray you.”
“The minute you talked about my family on the news, the minute you agreed to sit down with her, you betrayed me. You put your career first just like you told me you would. And she used your ambition, your need to put yourself above everyone else, your selfishness—she used that to destroy me. And you let her because that’s who you are. A selfish woman who cares about nothing but her career. About proving that you deserve to play in the big leagues. That you don’t need a man. The fucking worst part about it though, Grace, is that I knew this about you, and I admired it. You didn’t need to prove your worth to me because I saw you and loved you just the way you were. But you proved us all right. You don’t need a man. You don’t need love. You don’t need anything but yourself, and now that’s all you’ll have. Now get the fuck out of my house.”
Cut to the bone from his words, I drop to my knees. I try to gather myself through my sobs but can’t move.
“Fine, if you won’t leave, I will,” he says, looking down at me with disgust. He’s gone before I can look up.
