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“That isn’t what I…” Harry crosses his arms over his chest and sits back, giving up on his retort. “Is there anything else you need me to do, or can I get paid and go nurse what’s left of my fragile male ego?”
“Can you reverse the transfers from my account, putting my money back?” Perseus asks.
“No, but I can make a transfer from this account into yours, minus my fee of course.”
“Do it, add twenty percent to your fee.”
“Oh a tip, nice.”
“Not a tip, a retainer. I want you to be on call for the next few months while we get this sorted. And can you stop the hacker from accessing my accounts again?”
“Kinda, I can’t rewrite the bank security, but I can make it send you an alert anytime money goes out of this account. Though I would suggest just getting a new account, with new numbers.”
“Set the alert, move the money and we’ll be in touch.” Perseus pauses, looks the kid up and down. “And, good job.”
Chapter
Forty
Athena
Since the kid left last night, a melancholy cloud has descended on the entire house. I hoped it would only last the night, but even I must admit, sitting here with my cup of coffee in the morning seems oppressively sad. We know without a shadow of a doubt Paris betrayed us all. Not just the girl he was flirting with the past several weeks, but his honorary brothers, and my mother.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why.
Yes, his mother is ill, and his father cut them off, but that isn’t where the money was going. Maybe if his mother was being taken care of better, if she had a nurse and a whole house that was furnished and heated, but she wasn’t. Well, she is now, but that wasn’t what Paris was using the money for.
He fooled me. He isn’t the man I thought he was, and I’m not the only one taking it hard. Eros is resigned. Not a single ‘I told you so,’ has fallen from his lips. Heph is angry, and Perseus is beating himself up, like it is somehow his fault.
I want to be in my feelings about this. I want to lock myself away and cry out the hurt and the anger brewing inside me. Anger at him for his lies, his betrayal of me and my mother, but mostly anger at myself for falling for his sweet nerdy bullshit.
I’m better than this. I’m Athena motherfucking Godwin.
Though currently, I feel anything but.
I am lost in thought when Mrs. Medea puts the mail in front of me with a huge manilla envelope addressed to me on top.
I pick it up and notice it simply has my name on it. No address or postage, so it was hand delivered… weird.
“What’s that?” Eros takes a seat at the kitchen table in front of me.
“Only one way to find out.” I open the envelope and slide its contents out on the table in front of me and stare, not really believing what I am seeing.
It’s page after page of tabloid headlines:
Godwin Princess Fallen from Grace.
Who Says Three is a Crowd?
Lost Son of Freya Godwin Getting Close to His Baby Sister.
The pages go on and on, each one with a picture of me in a compromising position with one of the guys. Making out with Paris in his car. Eros going down on me at the party. Perseus lying me on top of Eros while he kisses me. Even one where I am kissing Eros while straddling Heph. It looks like I am fucking him while kissing Eros, and Perseus is watching, waiting for his turn.
“Fuck!” I scream, pushing the photos across the table. “When did these run? I need to call my lawyer. I need to call my father. I can’t believe—”
“They are fake,” Eros interrupts my melt down.
“Uh, no all those things happened, kind of. The pictures are real.”
“No, the headlines are fake.”
“I know they are, but it doesn’t matter. The scandal will—”
“Athena,” Eros barks out, getting my attention. “The headlines are fake.” His voice is much calmer now that he has my full attention. He hands me his cell phone that has the front page of one of the tabloids. There’s nothing about me on it. “These are a threat. Nothing has been released to the press yet. Is there a note with the pictures?”
“I don’t know.” I sit back down on the chair, my heart racing and tears stinging the backs of my eyes.
“Let’s look, but first I am keeping this picture for my wallet.” He takes the one of him on his knees with my dress pulled up and his face is buried in my cunt.
I roll my eyes and start sifting through the pages, ignoring the misogynist headlines about me being a whore. God forbid a woman likes sex.
