Page 20 of Billionaire Temptations

“No.” I smiled as I sat down.

“Well, now you can say you have. We’re going to tour Central Park in style, Miss Knight.”

As we sat in the carriage, I took in the beauty of Central Park. I felt like a princess for the first time in my life, and I must say, I enjoyed it.

“Why don’t you tell me about your real childhood,” Max spoke as he looked at me.

“There’s not that much to tell. My dad left us when I was two, and my mom struggled her whole life to support us. She got pregnant with me at seventeen and dropped out of school. My grandparents were upset and kicked her out. When I was old enough to work, I got a job, finished school, and then worked full-time to help her with the bills. My childhood was not a magical one, but my mom did the best she could, and she worked really hard. I couldn’t fault her for that.”

“She never married?”

“No. She dated a few guys for a while, but they always turned out to be lazy jerks, kind of like Justin. It took me a while, but I finally saw the kind of person he was and where his life was going, which was nowhere, and I wasn’t going to be stuck with someone like that. I have goals and dreams for myself.”

“You certainly do, Emma.” He smiled.

“What about your childhood? It couldn’t have been all bad growing up rich and spoiled.”

He chuckled. “It wasn’t all that grand. I was more of a trophy for my mom and dad than anything. Their firstborn, and a son at that, who would take over my father’s company and carry on the Hamilton name and image. Everything in my life, since the day I was born, was carefully planned and calculated. The private school I went to, the friends I was allowed to hang out with, even the college I attended.”

“Which was?”

“Columbia. I had to follow in my father’s footsteps and even join the same fraternity he was in. It was like he was reliving his youth through me, and I hated it.”

“What about your sister?”

“She’s going through the same thing but is more of a rebel than I was. They are the reason why I won’t settle down with anyone. It’s all a show.”

“Does your mom know about your dad’s affairs?”

“I don’t think so, and if she does, she’s stupid not to have left him by now. But she’s just as money-hungry as he is, so I’m not sure she’d ever give up the Hamilton name or lifestyle. One time, we were on vacation in Hawaii, and my mom had taken ill with a migraine. My dad took me and my sister down to the beach and then told us to stay and build sand castles while he went and talked to someone he knew. I watched him as he walked up the beach and to a hotel room near where Fiona and I were playing. After a while, I got up and peeked inside the sliding door that I saw him go through and watched him fucking some other woman. I’ll never forget the feeling of sickness and disappointment that shot through me.”

“I’m sorry, Max. How old were you?”

“Thirteen. At that moment, I realized what a fake he was.”

“Did he know you saw him?”

“No. But it was that day that I started acting differently towards him. He wasn’t my hero anymore. A few years later, Iwas at a hotel, having lunch with one of my friends who was staying there, and I saw my dad and some woman walk through the lobby and to the elevator. I quickly got up from my seat and watched them get on the elevator and go up to the third floor. I ran up the stairwell and made it just in time as they got off the elevator and watched what room they went to. I sat up against the wall outside the room and listened to the moans that came from inside. It made me sick. For some reason, I thought that maybe Hawaii was a one-time thing with him. When the moans stopped, I knocked on the door. I wanted nothing more than that asshole to get caught. Surprisingly enough, he opened it with a towel wrapped around his waist. The look on his face was priceless. I just shook my head at him and left. Later that night, he took me out and said he was sorry and that he’d never do it again. He told me that if I told my mom, I’d be cut off and lose everything. There was no use in hurting my mom anyway.”

There was sadness in his voice when he spoke about his childhood. Here was a man who had the world at his fingertips but was unhappy. I grabbed his hand, and he looked over at me with a small smile.

“I’m sorry he’s such an ass. But I don’t think you’re anything like him if you’re worried about that.”

“Not really. I don’t want to be tied down to one woman for the rest of my life and play the happy little married couple with the perfect family. It’s not my style. I don’t like to answer to anyone. I do what I do, and I do what I please. I don’t need some girl trying to control me. I watch my mom try and do it with my dad, and look what’s going on in that relationship.”

I didn’t know what to say at that moment. I was in shock that he would even say something like that to me.

“Hang in there, Hamilton.” I smiled.

“I am.” He kissed the side of my head.

We grabbedsome lunch at the Central Park boathouse, and as I was sipping my wine, Max looked at me in a panic.

“Take the ring off. Now!”

What the hell? I slid the ring off and clenched it tightly in my hand just as a beautiful, tall, dark-haired woman approached us.

“Hey, Max,” she said as she looked at him and then over at me, giving me the bitch look.

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