Page 40 of Pretend for Me

“Oh, really? That’s interesting since Holden was with me going over the Japan reports most of the day …” Parker trailed off, quirking an eyebrow inquisitively at me.

“Oh yeah.” I pursed my lips, the truth on the tip of my tongue, but instead I quipped, “I’m mixing my days up again. Wyatt has me working on too many things at once. I guess I really should start paying more attention.” I chuckled uncomfortably.

Parker must have sensed my discomfort because he held out his hand to grab my shoulder. “Matthew, are you okay? You seem very jumpy and out of sorts,” he inquired.

My eyes widened.Fuck. I needed to reel myself in before I fucked everything up before I had a chance to find enough evidence to stop Wyatt. I didn’t need to be visiting Parker in jail.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just I saw Cassie recently and it’s been fucking with me,” I told a half-truth.

“Ah that makes more sense. She was a wonderful young lady, Matthew. Please remember your happiness is the most important thing. Not the money or notoriety.” Parker opened his mouth to say something more, but after a minute, he simply shook his head. Instead he said, “I’ll see you at the club.”

I nodded, getting into the town car and making my way to the country club where the doomed dinner was being held.

“Hors d'œuvre, sir?”The server extended a silver platter with assorted small appetizers on it toward me. I shook my head, declining politely, and I continued scanning the foyer for Wyatt.

Shareholders filed in slowly but surely—some with their wives, some solo. While many of them migrated to the dining hall where the sit-down dinner would take place, I walked outside, waiting for my adoptive father, with the smokers getting their last cigarette in before dinner.

I turned to one of my colleagues, bumming a cigarette off him. I wasn’t a smoker by any means, but these last few days would make even the most straight-laced person want a little relief.

Just as I exhaled the smoke, Wyatt waltzed his way over, raising an eyebrow. Liz was lagging behind with Rowena, her caregiver, pushing her wheelchair. She looked frail and nothing like the woman I once knew.

“Disgusting,” Wyatt muttered.

I snuffed out the cigarette before I scurried around Wyatt to make my way toward Liz, taking over for Rowena as designated wheelchair pusher.

We entered the dining hall and were greeted by investors and shareholders alike. I crouched down next to Liz, wanting a few moments to chat. I felt guilty for not visiting her more often like I intended, and I had to tell her that before we were amongst the crowd. Fuck the place cards and the assigned seating.

“I’m sorry, Ma, for not visiting. I thought ... I don't know what I thought,” I admitted sheepishly. I had been wrong about so much lately. Things had gotten so out of hand.

Liz waved me off and then extended her hand to palm my cheek. “Oh dear, it’s fine. I’m fine. I’ve come to terms with things. The doctors say there’s not much they can do. My heart is just too weak, and I wouldn’t survive another operation. Don’t mention it to your father, you know how he gets …” She inhaled a deep breath, looking around the room for presumably Wyatt. Liz exhaled when she saw he was speaking to Arthur Harris. Looking at me with a melancholy expression, she stated, “Matthew, I need you to know that all I’ve wanted is for you to be happy and successful. I’m not sure I understood what that meant until recently. The money—” She let out a humorless laugh. “The money gets you nowhere. I mean, look at me, we have endless amounts of money, but when it’s my time, I can’t stop it.”

“Ma …” I trailed off, not knowing why she was saying all this.

Tears began forming in her eyes. “When we adopted you, I was scared of losing you after we’d already suffered so much loss?—”

“What’s all this about?” Wyatt demanded, glowering over where we were hunched together. I rose to meet my father eye to eye.

“I was just telling Matthew how proud I am of him and to stop smoking!” Liz swatted my rib playfully, smiling slightly. I looked down at my mother, puzzled, and she shook her head. The moment was over. Whatever she wanted to say was a moot point now.

“Matthew, I need a word with you.” Wyatt motioned for me to follow into the lounge area we just left.

I had to play my cards right, or I could very well fuck up everything. Less was more, I kept trying to remind myself.

Wyatt stood there wordlessly for a minute, looking me up and down. “Matthew. Oh Matthew, what are we going to do with you?”

I gulped. Could he have found out already? Was the office bugged? Paranoia started to surround me.

“What do you mean?” I asked dumbly.

“Don’t try to play cute!” Wyatt scolded, “You’re smoking? Are you purposely trying to upset your mother? What the hell was that back there? She’s in a fragile state and has not been doing her best, and you go out of your way to upset her.”

I blinked, bringing myself back to reality. My father had the audacity to scold me about smoking a fucking cigarette when he was out here framing his wife’s—who was so fucking fragile—brother-in-law. Yeah, he was one to talk.

“I’m sorry. It was a one-off.” I sucked my teeth, trying not to let my grievances air before I was ready.

“Matthew, I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.” Wyatt turned to leave, but I stopped him, desiring to capitalize on this moment alone.

“Wait, can I ask you something?”

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