Chapter 4 - SELINA CAME TO MY HOUSE DEMANDING AN APOLOGY
Selina arrived Thursday afternoon.
Uninvited.
Wearing pearls.
Naturally.
Dad opened the door.
She stared at him.
“Can I help you?”
Selina’s mouth dropped.
“You’re…”
“Gideon Sterling.”
She suddenly smiled.
Transformation complete.
“Oh, Mr. Sterling. What an incredible honor.”
Dad did not move.
“You called me an unemployed salesman at Thanksgiving.”
Her smile vanished.
I almost admired his memory.
Then Selina saw me.
“Phoebe, we need to speak privately.”
“No.”
“This is family business.”
Rachel stepped from my study.
“Then counsel can stay.”
Selina froze.
“What is this?”
“Consequences,” Dad said.
I gave him a look.
He raised his hands.
“Sorry.”
Selina’s voice hardened.
“You are destroying Rowan’s career.”
“No.”
“Vantage suspended Rowan because of transactions Rowan approved.”
“He was trying to help me.”
“With three hundred thousand dollars?”
Her eyes flickered.
“Business got difficult.”
“So you created invoices in my name?”
“I didn’t create anything.”
“Your company received the money.”
“It was temporary.”
I laughed.
That word.
Temporary.
Money becomes strangely temporary after somebody is caught taking it.
Then Selina pointed toward Leo’s bassinet.
“You’re going to destroy that child’s family over bookkeeping?”
My body went cold.
“Bookkeeping?”
“Yes.”
“Your son used my identity to route money from his employer.”
“You always exaggerate.”
Rachel stepped forward.
“Mrs. Mercer, this conversation is over.”
Selina ignored her.
Then looked at Dad.
“Surely you understand. Families move money around.”
Dad stared.
“No.”
“You’re worth billions.”
“Yes.”
“So this is nothing.”
His expression changed.
“That is the mistake people make around wealth.”
Silence.
“They think the amount determines whether betrayal counts.”
Selina looked away.
Dad continued:
“My daughter’s name is not your emergency fund.”
For once, Selina had nothing to say.
Then she tried one last weapon.
“You think you can keep Leo from Rowan because your father is rich?”
I stepped closer.
“No.”
“Rowan’s relationship with Leo will be determined by law and by what kind of father he chooses to become.”
“Not by Gideon.”
“Not by you.”
“And not by me alone.”
That unsettled her.
Because Selina understood power only as possession.
If I did not want to own Rowan’s future—
she could not understand what I wanted.
The answer was simple.
May you like
My life back.
---
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