Page 576 of Filthy Elites

What the fuck happened to the universe?

"Well, she's getting ready to go out." I add, "With your dad," if only to test this newfound tolerance he's faking.

"Cool."

Cool? Cool.

"You never told me where you want to go to college—scholarship aside. If the world was your playground, where would you pick?"

"The world isn't a playground for anyone but the privileged few like you, Chase." I manage to say it without much bitterness.

"Indulge me. Tell me your dreams."

"No, thank you. I'd rather not give you the ammunition to turn them into nightmares."

He looks hurt. His jaw ticks, but he takes his time to speak, to measure his words. "You don't trust me."

"You don't respect me," I immediately respond. "Ergo, yes, I don't trust you. That's how it goes."

"I respect you, Erica."

A chuckle bursts out of my throat. "Right. Clearly. My thoughts, my opinions, my desires all matter to you greatly. So much so, you dismiss them at every turn and take great pleasure in humiliating me."

"I don't take pleasure in humiliating you. And I respect your desires. They just don't align with your thoughts most of the time."

I have to give him that. I want him, and I don't say so, because, well, I respect myself too much to give in to my bully.

I'm just as sick as him.

I sit. "So, what are we eating?"

He unwraps a plastic container filled with risotto, and another one with shrimp that smells incredible. "I don't know what you like yet, so I got one portion of a handful of courses. We can share."

"I eat everything."

"Well, dig in before it gets cold."

I don't need further encouragement. At the first mouthful, I moan in delight. "God, this is amazing. Where did you get it?"

"The new Italian place in town. You should have said yes to going out. I'm sure it's better right off the stove." He polishes his food off superfast, and waits for me to catch up before opening up another container.

This time, we're having gnocchi with too much cheese."I could die happy right now."

"Who would have thought that all it took to seduce you was your weight in carbs and fat?"

"Seducing my daughter, are you?" Audrey stands in the doorway of the kitchen, in a long red dress, her blonde hair tied to one side and falling on her shoulder in perfect waves.

I expect Chase to drop the mask, forgo the bullshit, and be rude as fuck. Hell, I'm almost looking forward to it. Instead, he smiles. "Mrs. Simons."

"Audrey, please. Mrs. Simons is my ex-mother-in-law." She winks. "Well, I'm glad to see you getting along so well. Does this mean you've changed your mind about tomorrow?"

"No, Audrey. Have fun tonight. You look amazing."

My mother rolls her eyes. "I see I'm dismissed. Have fun, guys. Don't burn the house down."

"Don't wake me up to post bail," I shoot back.

She gives me an air kiss and leaves. Chase laughs, and I glare at him, ready for his disparagement.

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