Page 7 of Thorns of Malice

My parents tried to legally fight me, but ultimately, I won.

Unfortunately, the trust doesn't give me the power to do that with Avery or my little brother Cooper. It clearly states we all own the estate and have the right to live in the main house.

So, no matter how much Avery or Cooper annoy me, I can't get rid of them.

Yet.

I have faith in my abilities to eventually figure out how to get them out of my house. But right now, I have to deal with my sister's twisted soul and Cooper breathing down my neck, trying to prove he's a valuable asset to Carrington Enterprises.

He's not.

And Avery showed up at the exact moment I was fighting my demons, loathing myself for ever letting Bobby near Ivy and not stopping the game before rush night.

I hate how he drugged her.

I hate how Avery, or he, drugged her again at the induction brunch. I'm still unsure which of them did it, but the amount she had, sent her into a deep sleep for too long. And I know what happens if you take too much or too many doses in a short time span. Bobby's father was always clear that the drug he created could turn goats into nymphomaniacs.

To this day, I wonder if my sister drugged Ivy again the night she slept with her or if Ivy willingly fell for Avery's charm. Either way, when I let myself go down the Ivy rabbit hole, I can't get the images of my sister and her kissing out of my mind.

So when Avery barged into my office with a folder, I was already three sheets to the wind and reliving my nightmares. I told her to get out, but she waved a piece of paper in my face, claiming if I was going to steal John Ford's hybrid, then didn't I want to rub it in his face?

I was too drunk to know how she knew it was John Ford's, but after I sobered up, it reconfirmed she had to have been the one who leaked the video on campus. Avery must have seen the photos I took of John's notebook.

Avery continued to wave the paper in my face with his address. Instead of realizing I could get a private investigator and find him myself, I let my intoxicated emotions take over and fell for Avery's trap. I would have let things be as they were, knowing it was for the best.

Over the years, I thought about finding Ivy. To this day, she's the only woman who's ever captivated me. But anytime I contemplate finding her, the scene with Avery's hand on her pussy and their lips locked stops me.

So Avery caught me at the perfect time, and the temptation was too much. Her plan to throw Seducing Ivy into John Ford's face suddenly seemed like I had to do it.

He hated me before he laid eyes on me. It was my father's fault, but he never would have given me a fair chance. There were even times Ivy stayed away from me because of him.

So I became desperate for Avery to give me information I could have found myself.

She conveniently had a contract ready for me to make her company a subsidiary of Carrington Enterprises. She'd wanted it for a long time, and I never understood why. However, I wouldn't give it to her just because she wanted it.

Until that night.

There was a clause stating she got to utilize Seducing Ivy for a new fragrance line, but I was too drunk and drooling over the information she had in her hand.

Once I signed and she gave me the paper with John Ford's address, I kicked her out of my office.

I went to the patent website where it stated Seducing Ivy was awarded to me, printed it off, then stuck it in an envelope.

I contemplated driving to Georgia and hand-delivering it so I could see his face when he opened it.

But I knew deep down I wanted to see Ivy more.

And then the vision of her and Avery filled my mind once again.

I addressed the envelope, put it in the outgoing mail, and burned the paper my sister gave me, knowing it was too dangerous for me to keep.

But my actions for being weak that night created deeper consequences, and I curse myself for the millionth time.

Avery's company is part of Carrington Enterprises. The necklace she gave to Ivy that I designed, which my sister took credit for, is the one my little slut wore so proudly with her matching whore-red lipstick and nail polish. And now it's for the entire world to see.

I tried to forget about that necklace. It represents everything about the night I wish never happened.

Now, it'll forever be in my face. Seducing Ivy is a game changer in the floral business, and Avery's surely created a best-seller.

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