Page 46 of Broken Rules

His face fell.“Wait?—”

“I swear to God,” I said.“I will kill you if I have to look at you a second longer.I cannot stomach the sight of you.”He made the mistake of getting in my way, and I shoved as hard as I could.Somehow, the mixture of my rage and his surprise was enough to make him stumble backward.I marched past him and out the door, searching desperately for my phone with a hand that shook so badlyI could barely get a hold of it.

But I did, and I called Claudia.She picked up as I slid behind the wheel of my car.“How did it go?”she asked, chipper in spite of her stuffy nose.

That was all it took.Her hopeful, eager greeting.That was all I needed for my resolve to break along with my heart.Covering my face with one hand, I sobbed.“We’re leaving.I’m packing everything, and we’re leaving as soon as possible.It’s over.It’s all over.”

It had never really begun.

19

LEX

Shattered crystal glittered on the floor, sparkling around the discarded roses.Something that had been so beautiful was now destroyed.What a perfect symbol.

I was in shock.Somehow, I couldn’t wrap my mind around what just happened.The movie was cut and pasted and reconfigured until it was more like Frankenstein’s monster than anything Summer had originally filmed.My father’s audacity at pretending there was nothing out of the ordinary about the whole situation.His ass-kissing sycophants applauding like they just watched fuckingCitizen Kaneor some shit.

And his announcement that he was stepping aside, handing over the reins.

I could hardly pin down any one of my confused, angry, disappointed thoughts.We had lost something good, and not only in terms of the footage Summer shot.

This wasn’t the time to think about her.I’d end up shutting down completely since the thought of her walking out of my life forever was too much to comprehend.No, I had one thing and one thing only that required immediate attention.I couldn’t let myself lapse into personal shit when there was betrayal to deal with.That meant slowly walking out of the office, where I left the shattered ruins of Summer’s bouquet, then turned down the hall, walking straight to Dad’s office.

The voices around me blended into noise that did nothing to permeate the shock still gripping me.

How could he?

How could I?

I’d sat there without saying a word, stunned at first, then self-preserving.We were in mixed company at the time, and I was seriously considering murder.No wonder she felt betrayed.

How was I supposed to make this up to her?Something she had looked forward to long before stepping foot through the studio gates.Her first major film, a dream come true.From where she stood, that dream had been thrown in her face.

I strode past his assistant’s desk and into the empty room.He wasn’t back yet, probably still patting himself on the back.I sat behind his desk, something that wasn’t lost on me, symbolism-wise.This would be officially mine.

I had never wanted it less.

He didn’t keep me waiting long.For all I knew, he got a call telling him there was a loud fight.My pulse pounded a little harder with every footstep, louder until he sauntered into the room wearing a patented Alexander Landry shit-eating grin.“What did I tell you?Your old man still knows a thing or two about what’s going to work.”

His smug attitude made me sick, though battling the urge to puke was easier than fighting the desire to hurt him.“You honestly believe that, don’t you?”I asked.“Somehow, you have deluded yourself into believing whatever it was I just watched is something worth being proud of.”

Laughing indulgently, he pointed to the desk.“That’s not yours quite yet.And you’re welcome, by the way,” he added as he approached while I stood.“Silly me, expecting thanks.”

“We both know you timed that announcement carefully.”He had played me like a fiddle from the beginning.I was clueless or arrogant enough to believe him.“To keep me from ripping your goddamn head off.”

He lowered himself into his chair with a sigh.“Son, that is exactly where you’re wrong about this whole thing.It’s better for you to learn it now.Pride is a useless goal to strive for.It doesn’t last.And it doesn’t satisfy investors.You want to be proud?Be proud of all the money your movie is going to make.”

When I scoffed, his brows lifted.“It means there will still be a studio for you to run.Did it ever occur to you that I did this for you?Knowing I would step back, handing you something that will survive?”

“But the movie is garbage.You have to know it.”

“It’s a hit,” he fired back, waving a hand.“You think people want to go to the movies to think?To learn how challenging it is for a woman to make it in racing?Give me a fucking break!They want to be entertained.They want to see a little skin.They want to be excited.They want to forget the shit going on outside that theater.That is what we’re providing.”

“Well, good luck with it.”I waved a hand, prepared to leave the room and the studio.I’d had more than enough.“I wasn’t bluffing when I said I would leave, so your fake offer to retire was wasted.”

“Iamretiring,” he insisted as I walked away.“At the suggestion of my oncologist.”

I had to give it to him.He always had a talent for pulling the rug from under me.I froze, the word reverberating through me.Oncologist.

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