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I forced my hand onto my lap. I’d been nervously biting my finger. If I didn’t stop, I’d make it bleed. I’d never been able to kick the bad habit.
The door clicked open, and I shot up, Lenny mimicking my move.
An unfamiliar woman stepped out, not a wrinkle in sight on her black suit, her hair pulled back into a tight bun. “Mr. Maxwell and associates will see you now.”
I cut wide eyes at Lenny. His hand found mine, and I held on tightly. Together we walked through the door and down a long hallway decked out in beige carpet, muffling our footsteps.
The woman stopped at a closed door and knocked. A voice called out to enter, and she pushed it open, then stepped back.
I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin, walking inside what turned out to be a conference room. A large wooden table sat in the middle, one side covered in screens, another in windows.
Mom was sitting with five people on one side, a satisfied smirk on her face. She already thought she’d won. But she forgot how much Lenny meant to me. And I’d never give up. The only thing that mattered to me was my brother.
When we walked in, she jumped up, holding out her hands and rushing around the table. “My baby.”
Before she could pull Lenny into a hug, he hid behind me.
Mom’s face fell as she turned to me. “What have you been telling him? Trying to poison him against me?”
I released a humorless laugh. “No need for that since you’ve done it all on your own already. Like every time you forgot you had children.”
Her hand shot to her chest, and she forced out a tear. Fascinated, I watched it trickle down her perfectly made-up face. I’d forgotten how well she could play a role if she really wanted something.
Ignoring her theatrics, I pulled out a chair, motioning for Lenny to sit before taking a seat next to him, holding his hand to offer comfort for us both. Not turning back to Mom, I pulled my phone out and put it on the table. “Are you done?”
She gasped but thankfully retreated to her side of the table and I faced the other people in the room. “Hi. I’m Ariel Caster. And you are?”
They seemed taken aback, staring at me as if I’d declared I was going to take my clothes off and roll around on the table. It was certainly big enough. I could do a lot of rolling.
The guy next to Mom regained his composure first. “I’m Kevin Maxwell.” He pointed to the man beside him. “This is my associate, Benson.” He pointed to the woman at the end. “And my assistant, Penny.”
He turned to the other side of him, where Mom and two other people sat. “And Mr. and Mrs. Caster.”
I blinked at the grandparents I’d never met. They looked removed, like they were watching a play in the theater. Everything from their haircuts to their clothes screamed money.
Why are they here?
The few times Mom had mentioned them, she’d been drunk and ranting about their archaic rules and the sticks up their asses.
I could certainly see the sticks, but Mom’s interpretation of rules had always been creative.
They spared me a brief glance, their attention focusing on Lenny, who gripped my hand so hard his knuckles were white.
I fixed my stare back on Mr. Maxwell since he seemed to be in charge. My blank face belied the storm that raged at seeing my family sitting on the other side of the table. “Why are we here?”
He gave me a patronizing smile, and I gritted my teeth against the urge to tell him where to stick this meeting. I was doing this for Lenny. “Your mother has very graciously offered to compensate you for your expenses during the time you watched your brother if you sign over custody.”
Lenny’s hand shook in mine, and I squeezed it, as much to reassure him as myself. “No.”
Mr. Maxwell’s smile didn’t falter. “Ms. Caster, let’s not drag this out. How much money do you want?”
“I don’t want a cent. I want for you to leave us alone.”
“You know as well as I do that you have no chance if this gets taken to court.” He pointedly looked at the empty chairs. “You don’t even have a lawyer. And you only have guardianship, not custody.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I’ll fight this until my last breath.” Focusing my attention on Mom, I made sure she knew how serious I was. “There is no way I’ll ever let you get anywhere near Lenny.”
She raised her brows at me. “We’ll see about that.”
