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Everyone settled down, then I explained to them about the afternoon with Ibrahim, Matt, and catching Cole watching the video. They might be able to help me think this through.
“Maybe I should tell Daddy before he sees it. It could cause a lot of damage to his company and for Julia, too.” I groaned loudly and flung myself backward onto my stack of pillows. “Why hadn’t I figured this out? Cole was probably the bastard that leaked it after he saw me at Harrison’s party.”
Zoe quirked a dark eyebrow at me. “I could have helped you with that. When he saw you at Harrison’s, he most likely released it before he hauled your ass out. Maybe he decided to punish you for disobeying him.”
I propped my head on my fist. “When have I ever obeyed Cole?”
“When he cockblocked you every time you got asked out in high school,” Dani added. “No wonder you messed around with the staff. You were doomed the second Cole showed up in your life.” Dani’s expression flickered with sympathy.
Zoe reached over and took my hand in hers. “You and your dad are super tight. Even more so since your mom died.”
A sharp stab to my heart sent pain rippling through my chest. Daddy and I were close, but so were Mom and me ... until the day I’d excitedly skipped through the front door of our house from drama club late one afternoon and found her dead on the kitchen floor. She’d passed away when I was thirteen, but it felt like yesterday.
I swallowed over the lump in my throat, attempting to control the swell of grief. Later, we’d learned it was a brain aneurism. It was over in a second for her, but for Daddy and me, the pain would last a lifetime. I’d struggled when Daddy sat me down and told me that he was dating someone new. He’d only waited a year before he’d started dating, then he met Julia, and they were married by the time I was fifteen and Cole sixteen.
“Daddy has always told me I have to own my fuck-ups.” I cringed.
“Yup, this was definitely a ‘fuck’ up.” Isabel added air quotes for emphasis.
Sibyl snickered. “Sorry, I know this isn’t funny. What do you think he’s going to do?”
“Cut me out of the will,” I replied without a second thought. “Make me work for a humble living for the rest of my life. I’ll have to sell everything I own to pay for college, then live in a ...” I shuddered before I ever spoke the word, “dorm.”
Isabel’s features fell. “Are you sure, Shae? Don’t you think your dad did some stupid shit when he was younger?”
I rubbed my neck, exhaustion weighing heavily on me. There was no way I could sleep, though. Each time I closed my eyes, I was afraid I would see the dead guy in my dreams.
“I have no idea. He’s never shared any wild stories with me, but he might not have wanted me to get any ideas. As far as him cutting me out of the will ... no, I’m not sure. I’ve never gotten caught before, but I do know he’s going to be super pissed.” I smoothed my blue and white comforter, unwilling to make eye contact with my friends.
“If I were in your shoes, I would definitely talk to him first. He’ll respect your honesty, and maybe the consequences won’t be as drastic as disinheriting you,” Dani said. A hint of sadness weaved through her tone.
Isabel shifted, sitting cross-legged. “I agree with Dani.”
Sibyl and Zoe nodded in agreement.
“Well, then I better figure out what to say to him because he’ll be home tomorrow.” Unease pumped through my veins. How in the hell would I have a conversation with my daddy about having sex with two men at the same time ... in his limo ... with his staff? I groaned and hid my face in my hands.
A noise in the hallway pulled my attention away from my thoughts. I hopped off the bed and peeked out to see what I was hearing. Cole walked in my direction, talking softly on the phone, his expression grim.
White-hot anger blossomed to life inside me, and I closed my door so the girls wouldn’t hear me confront him.
He jerked his head up, his gaze narrowing as he saw me. I curled my fingers into tight fists and marched into his room.
“I can’t do this right now, Shae.” He paused at his doorway.
I didn’t care what he did or didn’t have time for. He owed me answers.
Cole followed me and tossed his phone on the bed. His knuckles were bandaged, and the blood had been washed off his face.
“I saw you,” I hissed. “I saw what you did to that man. And you’re involved with motorcycle thugs?”
Cole grabbed my shoulders and pinned me against the wall so fast my head spun. He lifted his brow, and I read all the words he hadn’t spoken but conveyed perfectly. I had seriously overstepped with him.
“You gonna kill me, too? I mean, you shared the video at the party, so why not murder two people in one night?” I smirked, but my stomach flip-flopped like crazy.
Cole glowed with fury as he pinned me to the spot with a hot glare. He boxed me in, placing his palms against the wall and closing the gap between us. We were toe-to-toe. A spark of electricity flickered through the air, causing me to gasp as a delicious warmth spread into every fiber of my being.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” His voice was calm—the quiet before the raging storm.
