AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Boys," she purrs in greeting as she takes a seat in the vacant chair. I can already tell she has no idea what this meeting is about; she wouldn't be wearing that smug smile if she did. "Sorry I'm late. Have we ordered yet?" She takes a menu, glancing over it.
The four of us stay silent, and when she pops her head up from the menu, her expression sours when she realizes we’re all glaring at her.
"Della. We need to talk,” I start us off, needing to get every single fucking thing off my chest quickly so I don't have to look at her anymore. Everything she has done for us means nothing now that she has destroyed the only important thing in my life. My family. I haven't talked to any of them in a week, and the silence is starting to crawl under my skin and eat me alive from the inside out. I have survived by dedicating my every spare minute to finding the truth so when Amelia finally decides to talk to me again, I have answers for her.
Della looks around the table, her eyes narrowing to thin slits. "What the fuck is going on? The four of you look like you're going to a funeral."
"Maybe we are," snips Devon, smirking at Teo.
Her eyes flick to him, and she glares daggers in his direction. "Start talking, Heath," she demands, a poisonous edge to her tone.
I clasp my hands under my chin and smile at her, taking my time to respond. She has been messing with me for a long time, and I want to enjoy every last second of her demise, relishing her discomfort the way I can only assume she did mine. I don't think she knew who she was playing with, thinking she would actually get away with this shit. I can tell she has no idea we have worked out her secret. No fucking idea at all. I don't know why, but it makes this all a little sweeter. I can't wait to see the shock on her face when it all clicks into place.
"It's come to our attention that you no longer value the four of us as clients of yours, so we all think it's time to let you go," I tell her matter-of-factly.
"Are you fucking serious? I made you who you are today. Without me you would be four losers playing in your mom’s garage back in Palm fucking Springs. You don't get to fire me," she spits back angrily, her voice in a hushed tone so she doesn't alert the full table next to us what she's saying. It's what we all expected. She's got a nasty streak even when she's in a good mood, and this is sure to tip her over the edge.
Iwan drums his fingers on the glass tabletop, like he is getting impatient with the whole scene. "Well, it's either that or you quit, because we don’t work with a manager who lies to us and thinks she can manipulate us into doing what she wants," he seethes. I don't think I have ever seen him so angry before, and I like it. I guess you can only be walked all over for so long before you explode, and after what happened last week, we have all realized just how much this woman was controlling our lives.
"We know what you did, Della," Devon singsongs. He has a more playful look in his eyes; they glisten with delight. This is a bit of a game to him, catching her out and letting her know just how badly she fucked up.
Her eyes flick frantically between the four of us as she catches up with the program. All that scheming and planning has gone to waste now that the house of cards she stacked so perfectly is crashing down around her. "Are you guys high again? What the fuck are you going on about?" She half laughs, trying to lighten the mood, but I can see the desperation written all over her face. It's not so fun when you're the one in the dark.
"How well do you know Elara from Influencer Magazine?" I ask, already knowing the answer to my question but needing her to at least own up to it.
She blinks back at me, surprised by my question. "I don't, I... I have passed a couple of interviews her way, that's it," she stutters out, sounding as convincing as we thought. She's full of shit, and she knows it's over.
"She thinks we’re dense, guys." Iwan chuckles darkly, looking at the brothers. Teo has been unusually quiet since we got here, and I feel like he has taken this the worst. He had a soft spot for her. He's sitting slouched back in his chair, arms folded. The black baseball cap he has on is nearly covering his eyes, so it's hard to read his expression "Funny that you were both from the same small town back in Oregon, then," Iwan continues, his glare now icy.
Della’s eyes skim over Iwan as she takes a sip from the glass of water in front of her. She places it carefully on the table, like she is trying to give herself time to process what's going on and work out a way to get out of it. Her "I don't give two fucks” persona is starting to slip. She's smart, and I'd say she already knows she's up shit creek.
Teo pushes his chair back, the metal legs scraping on the pavement, making Della jump. He gets to his feet, like he's had enough. "Yeah, you're not talking your way out of this one. We've done our research, and you two not only lived in the same town, but it looks like the same house for a brief period while your parents were dating."
Devon stands with him, and Iwan and I follow. "So, I guess that makes her like your stepsister?" adds Devon with a smirk toward Teo, and he nods back, agreeing.
Her eyes darken, and she pushes her chair back, standing. "She's not my fucking stepsister. They only dated for a couple of years before her skank mom left for another man." Her voice is louder now. In her panic she has forgotten she's in public.
I close the gap between us, staring her down. "What part did you play in the viral video last week?" I ask through clenched teeth. I've had enough of this shit. She's not taking off before I get the answers I need.
"That was all on her. She's the one who is obsessed with you, it's got nothing to do with me," she shrieks, throwing her hands in the air.
"Except it does, because you set it all up. Elara thought she was messaging me, but all along it was you. You made her believe I was into her, to break up me and Amelia. For ten years we put our trust in you. Why would you do this to me?" It's not enough for me to know it was her, I need to understand why. How could anyone be so hurtful to the people they are supposed to care about? I thought that's why she stayed with us so long, that this was more than just business, that we were friends, but I was wrong.
Her eyes narrow in on me, her finger going to my chest as she pokes me with her long firetruck-red nail. "Because that goody-two-shoes blonde was going to destroy you guys. Can't you see what she is doing to you already? You're spending more time apart than ever; your music is suffering. I was trying to save you. And all I get is hate for it."
"You were trying to save yourself," I spit back, my temper close to boiling point.
Devon, Teo, and Iwan join me. "We’re all happy with our choices, Della, we have made enough money that we don’t need to work another day if we don’t want to. We will still live very happy lives. You're the only one who's going to miss out," Devon tells her. "And now I guess you have to live with yourself." He gives me a satisfied nod. We have said what we needed today, and she knows where we stand.
We walk away from her, leaving her standing alone like she should be. The messages she wrote to Elara were disgusting, explicit descriptions of what I wanted to do to her once we could finally be together. It was all there typed out in text message and started a couple of days after the reunion. Poor Elara was used as a pawn in Della's sick game. Teo and Devon are going to drop her phone back this afternoon and explain what Della did to her and that we know it wasn't her, but it won't change what Della did. We all have to live with the consequences. Mine might be that I never see Amelia again. But I will do everything I can to make sure that's not the case.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
HEATH
Istrideoutofthe elevator and into Amelia's design studio like I'm supposed to be here. I'm on a mission to save my relationship, and if she won't pick up her phone, then interrupting her day at work it is. Her assistant Summer is behind the front desk and eyes me with suspicion when she sees me approaching.
"Summer." I smile in greeting. "I know Millie probably still doesn't want to see me, but this is urgent. I need to talk to her." It's been a week since I saw her or the kids last, and if I don't see them soon, I'm going to go insane. I have tried to give her space to deal with the current situation, but I can't wait any longer. Especially now that I know exactly what happened. She needs to hear me out.
