It means letting Dad down.

And I can’t let him down, nor can I lose her. Not yet. I love her, probably a bit more than Scott as a sibling. It’s much easier to be around her. She’s kind and accepting. Sweet and generous. We are only two years apart, she younger than me. We can relate about a lot of things.

I haven’t seen her in weeks. I’m sure she misses me because I miss her like crazy. Luckily, she has her boyfriend David, but as soon as this thing with Griffin is sealed tight, I will be on my way to hang with her for a whole weekend.

I grab the phone, but I end up not answering. I absentmindedly stare at it. I need to think. I need to digest this pill of guilt. Jackie wouldn’t approve of this, which is why I have yet to tell her. She hates lying. She has a good heart. I wish I could say the same for myself.

Griffin is going home with that contract and I know he’s not going to read through its entirety. I know because, as he mentioned, he trusts me, and since he knows I created the contract, he’s going to skim through it, sign it, and then hand it back to me with the need of a quickie.

But just in case he does get to read it all, I’m going to distract him with emails. I’m going to get him to really, really trust me.

Me, Angelina Clark, the terrible, no-good liar.

The backstabber.

The slut that tricks men like Griffin Boyd into contracts.

My phone buzzes again after several minutes pass.

I stand and walk towards it.

Scott.

I pick up immediately and answer with a faint voice.

“Angelina?”

“Yeah?”

“You alone?”

“Yes.”

“Is it done?”

I shut my eyes briefly, gripping the phone tighter in my hand. My eyes feel hot, my palms now clammy, and with the biggest brick of disappointment sitting at the pit of my stomach, I answer, “Yes, Scott. It’s almost done. He’s going to sign it tonight.”

“Really? That was faster than I thought, but that’s good.” He sighs, as if relief is truly flooding him as much as my remorse. “This is good, Angelina. You did great. He trusts you?”

“I assume so.”

“Figures. I knew he’d trust you more than he would me. There’s always something to get a man to crack. My stunning sister, of course. Good thing he never met you before. When are you flying back in?”

“A few days after he signs. If I leave as soon as he signs it, it’ll look too suspicious on my part. I have to keep hanging with him, opening him up. I have to distract him from the contract until we get it filed and finalize with Lexi.”

“Right. Okay. Well, when you get here come right to my place. We have a lot to discuss, sis.” He pauses and I remain silent. Apparently my silence deafens him because he speaks up again. “You are still… in on this right… sis?” I want to shout no! I feel horrible. Disgusting. But then Scott continues talking, and I feel even worse, but I know he’s kind of right. “Ang, it’s because of the people he works for that Dad is gone. I’ve told you this over and over again. Don’t get your emotions involved. You did what you had to do, and now we are set. Once he signs that contract I will handle the rest. You won’t even have to see him again if you don’t want to, and there won’t be anything he can do about it.”

“I know, Scott.”

“Good… so cheer up!” He forces a laugh.

And I do the same, dropping my head in the process. “I’ll let you know when I’ve landed.”

“Okay. Remember, you’re doing the right thing here. The bastard has what we should have because of his stupid father-in-law. Nothing personal against Boyd, but we have to get to the root of it all and you know what that is. We are done letting people walk all over us. The Clarks are taking back what’s rightfully theirs.”

“Right,” I breathe, nodding, but I can’t fight the plummeting in my stomach, the heavy knots forming. Scott says goodbye and I hang up, slowly dropping my phone as I stare ahead through the window for, I’m certain, the fourth time today.

He is right. Dad would probably still be here if it weren’t for Steven Jenkins. He never would have panicked or stressed. He never would have endured that stroke.

He was a hard working man, but shit went haywire and his stress levels doubled. His blood pressure spiked after what Jenkins did to him.

But, now that we’ll have Griffin wrapped around our finger, we will be on top again. We will be winning again.

Like Scott said, it’s nothing personal against Griffin. I know he will hate me when he finds out the truth... but he won’t find out too soon, I hope.

If it does happen sooner rather than later, I won’t show my face anymore. Scott will do all the work and transfer everything to me. I’ll stay in New Mexico and handle what I can.

Griffin… he’ll expect me, but I won’t come, no matter how hard it will be not to… and soon I will get over it. If Scott can’t make it, we’ll send someone else. We’ll hire someone, and Neil can finally go in peace like he always wanted.

It’s all worked out.

All of what Griffin owns—all that he has worked so hard for—will soon be ours, and he doesn’t even know it yet.

I can’t imagine how betrayed he’ll feel, but my family is more important. Jackie is sick, and I need money to keep her healthy. Jackie comes first. Fulfilling Dad’s wishes, making him smile up in heaven. That is the goal.

He lost everything because of Jenkins, and we’re snatching that shit right back and shoving it right in his fucking face like the pile of shit he is. The greedy bastard will probably have his own stroke, die right when the news is delivered.

But let me not get ahead of myself. First, we need Griffin Boyd’s signature because Griffin is Jenkins’s sole proprietor. In a way, without Boyd, Jenkins is nothing. He would be broke without him. We looked into it. We know.

Once that’s done, everything will be set in motion. Everything will be much better… well, everything outside of our new partnership with Boyd, that is.

I’m not sure how he will take it, and I truly don’t expect him to understand.

I’m generally a good person. I have never betrayed anyone in my entire life, but I’m glad I didn’t get in deeper with him. I’m glad we aren’t months in, to the point where I would have no choice but to feel something for him.

But even if we were, this would still have to be done.

I would feel worse than I do now, but either way it would be too late to take it back. I guess that’s how this business works. If you don’t fight hard enough, you won’t win.

TWENTY ONE

Colette

He’s still not home. It’s four in the afternoon and he’s still not here.

I’m getting way too worked up, so much that I end up calling my guy. He answers with a smoothness in his voice. His voice always reminds me of chocolate. Dark, sinful, and sweet. His voice is a sin, really.

“Have you heard from Griffin?” I ask him.

“Give me one second,” he says, and then I hear shuffling.

I sigh impatiently as I pace my study, staring at the depressing painting I created last night due to my annoyance with the Potters.

When he is finally clear, it takes me by total surprise when he says, “Griffin is here. In my office. We’re going for lunch in about thirty minutes.”

I frown at the floor. “What?” I spit. “Why is he with you? Why didn’t he come home?”

He’s quiet on his end for several seconds. “I don’t know. Why? Was he supposed to?”

“No—well, I don’t know. He said he was going to work to do something but I called and his assistant said he didn’t come into work.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, a thickness swelling in my chest. “Is he… is he wearing fresh clothes? Does he smell sweet, like a woman has been around?”