Page 6 of Queen Of Dark Money

"Soyou want something."Hiswords were flat, but know-it-all, with a hint of holier-than-thou and a dash ofsuperiority,like he was so much better than us.Hismommy and daddy's silver spoons helped with that, but to hear him talk, you'd think he pulled himself up by invisible bootstraps and took on the world on his own. "WhyamInot surprised?"

"Stuffyour superiority schpiel, please;Iwouldn't have called you ifIhad literally any other options."Thecord had started to cut off the circulation to my finger, soIlet it unwind with a sigh, willing the tension from my body and failing miserably. "Mom'ssick.Likereally sick.AndIdon't have the money to get her this surgery?—"

"It'sabout time the bitch died," he snarled, the venom in his voice like ice in my veins.

WhyhadIthought this man would give enough of a shit to help me, help her?She'dbe better off dead than indebted to this sleazeball human being.Icouldn't believe she'd ever loved him or that there'd been anything to love once upon a time.

"I'mnot asking you for a favor.I'mwilling to pay it off?—"

"Whenyou win the lottery?Don'tmake me laugh.Youcould spend your whole life paying and still not touch the principal balance of a loan that size.Medicalprocedures aren't cheap; regardless of which one she needs, you can't afford it.Soyou came crawling to me hoping to exploit your unproven link to me?—"

"Unproven?Unproven?!?"Iwas shouting now, in the middle of a waiting room, butIdidn't care.Theorderly who walked past the entrance to the room gave me a nasty glare but kept on after the initial interaction.Itried to focus on lowering my voice and took a deep breath, hopingIcould let the stress go with the air from my lungs. "Yourprecious daughter is my fuckingtwin?—"

"I'mending this call?—"

"No!"Islammed my fist into the side of the fucking payphone, drawing the orderly's attention once more.Thistime, she continued to watch me, no doubt to ensureIdidn't damage anything.Asigh escaped me asIpinched the bridge of my nose and tried again. "Wait."Aftera heartbeat,Iadded the rest on as an afterthought, choking on the word as it slipped from my mouth. "Please."

Hischuckle made me see red, butIcouldn't let that get to me now.Therewas a nice little rage room downtownIcould hit up and freak out in when this was all over.Theowner andIwere cool, and sinceIdid a lot of pickups of scrap and junk for their bash pits,Igot to use it whenIneeded.

Notthat the need arose often, but the offer had always been on the table.

"I'mlistening," he said finally, leaving the ball wholly in my court. "Whatdo you have to offer me thatImight actually want?"

"Anything,"Ibreathed, wishingIhad more than myself to offer.Iknew damn well we'd been struggling for a while now.I'dhave to take on some less-than-ideal jobs to keep us afloat whileMomwas down in the hospital, especially since they wouldn't cover her stay past two days. "I'llgive you anything you want."

"Youhave nothingIwant."Hepaused for a moment like he was seriously considering it, andIfoolishly let myself hope.Hopethat he'd found a tiny shred of humanity inside himself, that his heart had thawed a smidge and caused him to rethink his decision.

Iknew how this would end, butIlet myself believe it could end differently.

Ishould have known better.

"Callme back when you have something to offer me that's worth a damn."

Translation: your life is worthless, and so are you.Hopeyour mother rots.Havea great life.

Iwas appalled but not surprised, ironically.Theidea that this man could stick his dick in a woman, have a kid with her, two kids, really, and then abandon her in her hour of need, reaffirmed my decision never to fall in love.I’dhad enough of manipulating, bullshit men in my life.Menwho bailed at the first sign of difficulty or hardship.Thereweren’t enough hours inthe day to spend a single one of them worrying about a man who couldn’t be bothered to give a damn about me.

Hell, my last ex bailed because it was coded into him to constantly be looking for the next best thing.Andsure enough, a shiny new toy came along by the name ofKrissy, with her bottle-blonde hair and her vapid giggles, and that was all she wrote.

Islammed the receiver down on the cradle of the payphone and let the tears flow, hating their sting but needing it to reaffirm my decision.Iwould have to do something drastic, but the number one most important thing here was the one person who had never abandoned me, no matter how insurmountable the obstacle or how hard things got—my mom.

Shewas allIhad, andIwould be damned ifIlet her down when she needed me most.

I’dhave to sell my soul–or possibly my body–but as long as she came out of it on the other end of things alive, it’d be worth it all.

Soas soon asI’dcalmed down from the rage-inducing conversation with the fuckwit who’d donated to half my genetic makeup,Ipulled my phone from my pocket and opened up the search bar, typing the line that would set my life on a whole new course, inevitably changing my very destiny in the process.

Enteryour search terms.

. . .

. . .

. . .

CamGirlWebsites.

Brutaland unforgiving, the chairs in the hospital’s waiting room were a joke at best, and torture devices at the worst.ButIpaid it no mind as my thumb scrolled mindlessly through the different pop-up options.Websiteafter website professing to bethe number one site for a side income;hot cam girls now; most popular site in the world!flashed before my eyes asIskimmedeach one, growing increasingly disgusted asIwent on.Halfof them were cheesy names that made me gag a little.Buthere and there were a few that looked promising.

---