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“Ask him aboutwhat, Alex?!” I don’t like his tone. I’ve never heard it before, and I’d really like to not be hearing it right now.
He takes a breath and pulls his hands out of his pockets before holding them up. “I’m just wondering, Luna…”
“Wonderingwhatexactly?”
“I find it… strange that you and he never talked about it.”
“About. What? Spit it out, Alexis.”
He slams his hand down on the table, scattering the folders. “About your inheritance! I find it hard that you couldn’t know about this! 50% of his stake! How could he not have told you? How could you not have asked for it?”
There’s nothing to do but stare at him. He’s got to be kidding me. Maybe he never really knew me at all. Maybe he’s always seen me this way.
I stand up, fists balling up by my sides. “You’re an asshole, Alex. I can’t believe what you’re saying.”
“Come on, Luna.” He snickers.
“‘Come on, Luna’ nothing! Fuck you!” I spit, anger boiling up my chest like a dormant volcano spitting to life. “No. We never talked it, not once. Not one fucking time! And I certainly didn’t ask for it! You should know me better than that. Or at least I thought you did. He tried, he tried my whole life, but I never everwanted a single cent of it. I didn’t want it then, and I don’t want it now!”
He scoffs, shaking his head, taking a step back. “I don’t believe you.” I take the chance to stand up, but he pushes me down again. “We’re not done here.”
“The fuck we aren’t, Alex. I’m not going to talk to you while you’re like this.”
I push on his chest, and he staggers back, reeling. I take the chance to run for the door and throw it open, racing to the elevator. His footsteps pound on the floor behind me, but the elevator opens and closes before he can get there.
I brace against the wall of the elevator, everything that’s happened in the last five minutes swirling around me in a dizzy, sickening whirlwind—Alex towering over me, his eyes crazy, his accusing words, the number one hundred sixty million. And Kingsley’s eyes staring at me like he doesn’t know me.
The elevator door dings, and somehow, when it opens, Alex is already standing there, panting.
“Luna!”
“Alex, go away. We’ll talk later.”
He winces and runs his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Forgive me. I was… I was… just out of my mind for a minute. Please, can we talk now?”
Pushing away from the elevator wall, I rush past him and run through the lobby toward the exit. He chases close behind and steps out onto the road with me.
“Luna, I said stop, dammit!” His voice cracks, and in the split second, my heart breaks for him and what this news must’ve meant to him as well.
I stop running, just for a second, and he takes the chance to wrap his arms around me and squeeze tight. Too tight.
“Let go of me, Alex!”
“Not until you promise not to run. Please. Let’s just talk.”
I struggle against him, but he just holds tighter. “Let go of me!”
In the distance, I hear the screech of a car. Footsteps on the concrete run toward us and someone grabs my hand and yanks me hard enough to free me from Alex’s hold.
“Baxter! What are you doing?” Alex shouts, trying to reach for me.
But Kingsley, with his hand still gripping mine, steps in front of me, blocking Alex with his tall frame. “What areyoudoing, Alex? She said to let her go!”
Alex tries to sidestep Kingsley, but he blocks him with every move. “Get out of the way, Kingsley. We’re talking!”
“Well, it doesn’t look like she wants to talk to you right now. So you need to calm down before that’s going to happen.”
“Fuck off, man,” Alex spits. “You said it yourself, this is a family matter. And you’re not family.”
