Page 140 of Vacation Friends

“Because I’m the oldest child,” Adrienne said. “And guess who is supposed to be first in line for Dad’s company? Me.”

Joshua’s face went paler. “There’s no way you are going to get that job. There are clauses in the contract. My dad wasn’t just going to hand this over to someone who wasn’t qualified. He was too savvy for that.”

“You mean our dad? Either way, I’ll never stand a chance if you’re still in my way. That company belongs to me.”

“Why in the world would you even say that?”

“You never had Dad’s smarts, but I do. I know your new product is going to fail.”

“No, it’s not!” Josh insisted.

“It’s why you’ve looked so nervous all week. This is the big launch, but it has a lot of problems. A battery that doesn’t need to be recharged or replaced for three years is a brilliant idea. But I know in tests you’ve had problems—problems you’ve tried to cover up. That battery also explodes.”

Maddie’s eyes widened.

Was Adrienne correct?

Josh didn’t argue her point.

“Is that true?” Maddie asked. “You were launching a faulty product, and you didn’t say anything so you could be promoted? What if it hurt someone?”

“We just had a few bugs to work out!”

“Josh . . .”

“You have no idea how much pressure was on me! Without this new battery, we would have lost our investors. I would have been out at the company. I had to do whatever was necessary to see that it succeeds.”

“You’ve always been entitled, though, haven’t you?” Adrienne continued. “This project is no different. You liked the prestige and the luxury of the company our father started. I know all about your extravagant lifestyle. Then there was me and my mom. We lived in a two-bedroom house with my grandma. My mom and I had to share a room, and we barely scraped by.”

“I’m sure if my dad knew he would have helped.”

“No!” Spittle flew from Adrienne’s mouth as she said the word. “Father had no interest. He pretended like he didn’t know my mom. Pretended like I didn’t exist.”

“Then why didn’t you go to court and fight him?”

“Because my mom believed that life would be better without him attached to us. Once she saw his true colors, she wanted nothing to do with him.”

“That’s not my fault.” Josh raised his hands. “I still had nothing to do with this.”

“My mom was too nice of a woman to fight for what she deserved. She died two years ago of cancer. If she had been married to your father, I’m sure she could have gone to all of the best treatment centers out there. Maybe she could have even been cured. But we didn’t have that kind of money or resources.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Josh said.

“Don’t be sorry for my loss. Be sorry for yourself!” Her voice cracked with anger.

“What are you going to do with us out here, Adrianne?” Maddie asked.

Adrienne pointed her gun at Josh. “Walk.”

He looked behind him, and his eyes widened. “I have nowhere to go. There’s a cliff right here with a thirty-foot drop into the ocean.”

Adrienne’s eyes lit with malice. “Exactly.”

CHAPTER

SIXTY-THREE

Maddie had to do something.

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