AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The anger this man has for me is palpable.
Like a noose tightening around my throat, never failing to remind me it’s there.
I’ve had it. “What is your deal?” I throw my hands in the air. Months of anxiety, anger, grief, and heartbreak burst out of me with my words. “I get it. You hated your father. But what the hell did I ever fucking do to you?”
“Change of plans,” he announces, making a U-turn that has me reaching for the center console.
My fingers brush against his thigh with the movement.
Both of us freeze.
Then Trent grits out, “We’re going back to my house. You can eat there.”
I shrug, returning my hand back to my half of the car, where it belongs. “I didn’t want to eat with you anyway.”
We continue to drive, the air in the car thick with tension.
This man makes no sense.
A conundrum I have no hopes of unraveling.
The perfect treatment he gives to Ivy and his mom makes sense. They’re his family. The one that didn’t abandon him. But the center? It’s obvious everyone at Cresthill loves Trent Aldridge. It’s a difficult pill to swallow, mostly because the label’s warning reads: HE ONLY HATES YOU, PAYTON.
I stare at his profile, not bothering to hide it.
Why are you treating me like I’m the one who hurt your family? Yeah, you’re pissed at your dad, but what the hell? Can’t you just yell at me, get it off your chest, visit one of those expensive Manhattan therapists? Literally anything but this . . .
If my attention bothers him, Trent doesn’t show it.
“You don’t even need the money,” I finally say.
“You’re right, I don’t.”
He changes lanes with ease, then we’re back in his part of the city. The part full of men like him. Rich, savage, and privileged.
Who are you kidding, Payton? Those men are minnows. He’s the shark.
“Twenty-two million is pocket change for you,” I state the obvious. “So, what is this? A big middle finger to Daddy? Grow up, Trent.”
“The money is blood money, princess.”
“Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be . . .”
“What is that supposed to mean? There is no changing what it is. If you have a time machine that can take you back to the moment that bastard made the money, do share. Maybe while you’re at it, I can end him before he chooses to sell Ivy.”
I swallow. A lump in my throat formed with his rage. By my own, too. The part of me that believes Trent is angry. Stewing at Ronnie.
Some lines should never be crossed, and hurting your family is one of them. It makes Ronnie just like Erin.
Actually, it makes him worse.
At least Erin never sold me. I mean, I don’t doubt that she’s tried, but she’s not the type to succeed at things.
So, there’s that.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“What are you going to do, donate it all?” He snorts. “Doubtful. I have seen your bank records. Or lack thereof. You don’t have two pieces of shit to rub together.”
