AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 30
LEO
Leo didn’t have any interest in the tea but watching Cassandra preparing it gave him something to focus on. What he had to tell her wasn’t the biggest offense in the world, but when he told her, it might change her opinion of him.
She took a cautious sip, set her mug down, and wrapped her arms around her waist. No surprise she’d be in a self-protective mode.
“Well? I’m here and you’re here. Let’s talk,” she said.
He might as well get straight to the point. “Did you ever attend the International Architecture and Builders Association Awards ceremony with your father?”
Her brows drew together. “Just once. It was held in New York that year. He was nominated for an award. My mom was sick, so I went with him.”
“Did he win the award?”
“Yes.”
“What else do you remember about that night?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I remember someone spread a rumor my father had bribed a few members of the judging committee. It wasn’t true.”
He braced himself for the next question. “Did he ever find out who spread those rumors?”
“I don’t know.”
“It was me.”
Cassandra’s expression remained calm as her eyes focused on his with total concentration, which was far different than the anger he’d expected.
“Why would you do something like that?” she asked, her voice full of cautious curiosity.
“Let me explain. My father was asked to announce the Builder of the Year award because he had won the previous year. He flew Malcolm and me to New York, dropped us off, and then took the jet to Miami.”
“Why did he leave?”
“It was that rivalry between your father and mine. Everyone expected Nikos to win, and my father refused to stand on a stage in front of his peers and give the award to his adversary.”
“Okay, so why didn’t you just let it play out?”
Good question. He recalled his father leaving them with a wave, telling them he’d pick them up in a couple of days. Meanwhile, Leo and Malcolm argued all the way to the venue about what to do. He wanted to bail on the dinner, but Malcolm insisted they had to go.
“I was angry he dumped us there. I didn’t want to be alone with Malcolm because he and Whitney just got engaged.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I got drunk. I was in an ‘I don’t give a fuck’mood. Whenever I heard someone trash talk my father, I would lean in and tell them the reason my father didn’t attend is because there were rumors of cheating and bribery.”
She stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Why would you do something so stupid?”
He was embarrassed to tell this story, but he wanted her to know everything. “I needed to vent. That bad joke of mine took off like wildfire.”
“People believed you?”
“At first they did, but eventually everyone realized I made it up. I became the joke.”
“Did my father confront you?”
“He did more than confront me. He hunted me down. I found a girl who was willing to fuck and took her to a utility room next to the ballroom. Your father burst in looking for me. He was livid and not just about spreading lies about him, but also because I had this half-naked girl with me. She had long dark hair.” He waited to let it sink in.
