Page 61 of Her Filthy Mistake

He slugs down his drink. “I mean, your dad has a hardon for this Jace character and refuses to sign him. He said he’s a loose cannon and spread a bunch of rumors about him to make sure Ethan James didn’t sign him either.”

My hands ball into fists. What he’s saying can’t be true. Bile rises in my throat as I calculate the distance between where I’m standing and the bathroom. It’s too far. I swallow. Where’s the nearest trashcan? The last thing I want to do is vomit on my red dress in front of everyone. “Are you lying?”

“What?” His head snaps backward. “Why would I lie about that? The original contract is in the file cabinet, ready for your father’s signature.” He turns on his heel as if he’s tired of the conversation and wanders off.

The lump in my throat is so large I can barely breathe. Shit. I’m not going to make it. I speedwalk, dodging people on my way to the bathroom. With each step, my stomach flips and flops.

When I get close to the bathroom, I swerve to the right, take the elevator, and ride to the top floor. I can toss my cookies in my purse if necessary. I need to know the truth this instant.

Five minutes later, I have Jace’s contract in my hand. The contract my father jabbed his pen across x-ing out Felix’s proposed offer. It was a solid offer. Okay. It was a shitty offer now that I know he lowballs people and screws them to get more money for himself. But he wouldn’t even give Jace that satisfaction.

Why? What did he have against him? It doesn’t make any sense. He’s signed guys who overdosed on a regular basis. I scan down the page and land on the date. It was the week after Jace stayed at my mom’s place for Christmas. The Christmas after I turned 18.

The weekend, we laughed and talked until all hours of the night, and my crush fueled into a full-on puppy love. Fuck. I close my eyes. It was my fault. I wouldn’t stop gushing about him at Dad’s house after that visit. I lean over the desk and vomit into the trash can.

Chapter Thirty-Five

An Hour Later

Zoe

It took me this long to compose myself and find my father, who’s now red-cheeked and watery-eyed from too much alcohol, making it a perfect time to corner him about Jace. Especially now that he’s no longer surrounded by people fawning over him. I need a straight answer once and for all.

I rest my hand on his forearm. “We need to talk.”

He twists his head around and smiles. “Sweetheart….” He throws his arm around my shoulders. “I thought you’d left.”

“No.” I glance around as the two men he’d been chatting to a few moments ago weave into another group of partygoers. “I need to ask you a question, and this time, I want an honest answer.”

“What?” His eyes narrow as his entire body stiffens. No one questions my father. I know that I’m risking his wrath, but it’s worth it. Jace and I might not have a future because he was using me, but I’m going to make things right. It’s only because of me that he lost his chance at a music career.

“Why did you refuse to sign Jace four years ago?”

“He’s never been on my radar. You know he’s not that good.” His eyes harden as he steps back and drops his arm to his side. The contempt on his face makes my skin crawl.

“Felix said he brought a contract for you to sign Jace. Four years ago.”

“He’s wrong.” The haughty set of his chin pisses me off. “I don’t know what line he fed you, but he’s wrong.” Shit. I should have said I found the contract in the file cabinet. My stomach churns again. I don’t want Felix fired over me.

“I saw the contract.”

“Fine.” He waves his hand in the air. “I refused to sign a contract for him. He’s not good.”

“Yes, he is.” My jaw flexes as the crowd closest to us turns to stare. “Felix thought he was.”

“Zoe.” My father’s voice is low and lethal. “You need to watch your tone if you know what’s good for you.”

My heart thuds in my chest as the realization hits. I’ll never be my father’s equal. I’m only a player in his game. I’m not a man, and my brother chose not to entertain a career in the music industry. That’s why he’s hellbent on marrying me off to Ethan James. “Did you refuse because of me?”

“Ple-e-ease.” He laughs. The sound has a derisive tone to it, sending a chill along my spine, but I continue to hold my ground. I’m not letting him push me around any longer.

When I don’t back down, he swallows and shrugs. “Fine. I didn’t like how you looked at him and talked about him. You were an 18-year-old impressionable teenage girl fawning over a 26-year-old man. A man who should have known better than to play up to a teenage girl to get on my good side. It didn’t work, and I told him in no uncertain terms that I don’t tolerate people using manipulation to get close to me. Pretending to think you were funny or smart or attractive or whatever sick game he was playing. I told him if he talked to you again, I’d ruin his career in music.”

How dare he. He threatened Jace for no reason. It’s not like he put the moves on me. All he did was talk to me and tell me his hopes and dreams. That’s it. No touching. No kissing. Besides the peck I gave him under the mistletoe, but that was initiated by myself not him.

“He didn’t speak to me again for two years.” And it broke my stupid heart. Did he not speak to me again because of my father’s threats or because he was only using me to get to my dad?

“So?” His eyes glitter like black diamonds under the sparking chandeliers.

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