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“There was one final stipulation. In order for the estate to continue paying for your education, you must live at home or on campus if you’re going to a boarding school,” he says, and Fern’s fingers latch onto my leg and her nails dig into my skin through the material of my dress slacks. Covering her hand with mine, I look at her grandmother, who has a very smug smile on her face.
“If that’s all, Fern will be in contact with you, Mr. Ramos.”
“Again, sorry for your loss, Fern,” he says, standing from the couch and placing his items back in his briefcase while handing Fern a copy of the will.
“I’d like to talk to my granddaughter alone,” Mrs. McCauley says, crossing her feet at the ankles while sitting up a little taller on the side of the couch.
“Not happening.”
“It’s okay, Carter,” Fern says quietly from my side.
“Fern,” I growl in frustration, turning my head to look at her, wondering what the hell she’s thinking.
“You’ll be right outside, and I have a few things I’d like to say to her alone,” she presses, and I search her face then let out a breath.
“Three minutes,” I tell her, waiting for her to nod. Placing a kiss on her temple, I get up off the couch and walk Mr. Ramos to the door, stepping out into the hall with him.
“Who requested the stipulations in the will?” I ask him, closing the door behind me.
“Mrs. McCauley and Mr. McCauley both. Mrs. McCauley’s daughter had her when she was eighteen, and then disappeared, leaving the McCauleys to raise Fern on their own. I believe they are just trying to prevent something like that from occurring again.
“Has anyone heard from her mother since she disappeared?” I ask, wondering how much Fern knows about this situation.
“Not that I’m aware of, but then again, I’m not in the McCauley home, and we were friends, but not close enough for either of the McCauleys to share that kind of information with me.”
Looking at the door opening behind me, I watch as Mrs. McCauley steps into the hall, and then I look behind her as Fern lowers her head, following behind her while avoiding looking at me. Rage and vengeance begin to burn through me as I see a red handprint on Fern’s cheek, which she attempts to hide with her hair.
“We will be leaving now,” Mrs. McCauley says, pulling on Fern’s arm.
“Did you hit her?” I snarl, tilting Fern’s head up until her tear-filled eyes meet mine. “Get out now!” I roar, causing Fern to flinch and Mrs. McCauley to release her arm. “I do not give a fuck who you are,” I state, turning to face the woman I’m likely to murder. “You will never see her again. Do you understand me?”
“You know the stipulations of the will, Mr. Vault. She’s coming home with me now.”
“She’s not, Mrs. McCauley, and if you think the little bit of money you’re holding over her head will stop me from keeping your granddaughter, you’re sorely misinformed about the way I feel about her.”
“Are you going to pay her way, like she’s some kind of whore you picked up off the street?” she asks snidely.
“You ever call her a whore again, and I will bury you. Now get out,” I thunder, watching her face lose some of its color then her eyes narrow on her granddaughter.
“I knew you were just like your mother,” she hisses before storming off down the hall toward the elevator, leaving a stunned Mr. Ramos behind.
“We’ll be in touch,” I tell him before wrapping my arm around Fern’s shoulders and leading her into the apartment, locking the door behind us.
Leading her into the kitchen, I set her up on the counter then grab one of the dishtowels. I place a few ice cubes in it before moving to stand in front of her, spreading her legs to stand between them.
“You’re not leaving me, Fern. I don’t care what that woman says to you; you’re not going anywhere.”
“I can’t use you, Carter,” she whispers, placing her hand over mine on her cheek. “She’s right. I can’t use you. It’s not right.”
“You’re right,” I agree then pick her up off the counter and carry her to the bedroom to lie down. “I have some business to take care of, so I want you to get some rest,” I tell her, ignoring the look of anguish in her eyes.
If her grandmother thought she was going to scare my girl away by making her believe she could hold something like money over her head, she had another think coming.
Placing one last kiss on her forehead, I go into my office and make two phone calls—one to a private investigator, who I hope will be able to tell me more about Fern’s mother, and another to my estate attorney.
Chapter 6
Carter
“Are you hungry?” I ask Fern, who is standing in the open doorway of the bedroom, once again wearing nothing but my shirt.
Adding getting her stuff from her grandmother’s to the list of shit I need to get done today, I move to the kitchen and pull out some bread, peanut butter, and jelly, when she says, “Yes,” softly.
“Come eat, and then we need to get dressed so we can head across town.”
“Where are we going?” she questions, worrying a piece of hair between her fingers.
“We’re meeting a friend of mine,” I say as I start to assemble her sandwich.
“Okay,” she says, taking a seat on one of the barstools, watching me closely.
“How much longer do you have in school?”
“Three months, but I only have to go to two classes a day, in the afternoons.”
“That’s good, baby. What did you want to do after graduation?” I inquire.
“I was going to help Gramps out in his office over the summer then decide after that.”
“You can help me in my office,” I state immediately, thinking about her sitting in front of me at my desk with her legs spread, showing me her pussy while I work on cases. “Only requirement is you have to wear skirts and no panties. That way, I have easy access to my favorite snack,” I tell her, watching her blush. Then I think about her being around the other men at my firm, and the lust I was feeling is replaced with something else entirely. “Never mind about the skirts. I don’t think I could handle my colleagues looking at you.”
“No one looks at me.” She shakes her head, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
