Page 66 of Scandalous Secrets

“You think you’re better than everyone else, but you’re not,” I said. “I can see it in the way you try to put others down to build yourself back up. You couldn’tstandthat I was at that event with Troy, so you tried to humiliate me.”

“I couldn’t care less what plaything Troy brings anywhere. He will tire of you eventually. I’m the only woman who has ever successfully locked him down. Just watch me do it again.”

The smile that spread across her lips told me this was all just a big game to her. She didn’t actually care about Troy. She just wanted the satisfaction of knowing she could have him again. It was disgusting.

“I feel sorry for the desperate little girl you are,” I said coolly. “Troy deserves better.”

Even if I wasn’t with him anymore, I still didn’t wishthison him.

Heart and I turned on our heels and left the room before Veronica could respond, the steam following us out as the door shut behind us. My hands shook as we walked back toward the locker room.

“Oh, my God. She’s theworst,”said Heart in disbelief.

“Can we go?” I asked. “I know you had the whole day planned, but—”

“Of course we can.”

I smiled at her gratefully. I couldn’t stand the thought of being in the same building as that awful woman any longer. We dressed quickly and left before we had a chance of running into her again.

Chapter 30

Troy

“What are your thoughts, Mr. Gunner?” asked the older gentleman sitting on the other side of the conference table. His name was Mr. Belleview and he was one of my most important clients, with millions invested at my firm.

“Hmm?” I asked, my attention being brought back to this room when my thoughts prior had been floating anywhere but here.

“Did you hear what I said?” Mr. Belleview asked with a slight irritation in his voice.

Monica sat across from me scribbling notes. Kathy cleared her throat and I looked at her with annoyance that she was even here for this meeting. I wondered if my father had her sit in to babysit because of Mr. Belleview’s status, as if I couldn’t handle it. Yet, here I was, proving him right.

“Mr. Belleview, if I may…” said Monica, giving me a look before turning to him. It was a look that saidI’m about to save your ass. I didn’t know why she did it. I didn’t deserve it.

I watched as Mr. Belleview assessed Monica to see if she had any authority to speak with him regarding his investments. He probably wasn’t used to a woman running a meeting where his money was concerned, but I had no doubt Monica could handle it. She was smart. She’d been working alongside me for months, sitting in on meetings and going over investment papers. I didn’t see it until now just how good at this job she had become.

I watched Mr. Belleview’s eyes linger a little too long to where Mrs. Belleview might have something to say about it before giving his full attention to Monica.Old perv, I thought. But could I blame him? She was stunning. A distraction in her cream pantsuit and lace camisole peeking out from under her blazer, her dark hair pulled half up in a clip.

Listening, I tried to catch up as she went over the papers that Mr. Belleview had before him. I wondered if he was even listening as he nodded and watched her stupidly perfect mouth talk numbers. Thanks to her, I figured out where we were in the meeting. I was able to catch my bearings, so I could continue without looking like a total idiot.

I watched Monica completely steal the show, impressing all of us with her knowledge of his accounts and what his next steps should be. Her assertiveness was sexy as hell. I always admired that about her. How hard of a worker she was. She did it because she had to, while I got to scrape by on my father’s tailcoats. The thought made me hate myself.

And I already hated myself for hurting the woman who sat before me.

Kathy looked at me knowingly, her lips pressed tightly together as she typed out a text. Probably to my father. And for the first time, I didn’t care. I didn’t care about any of this. I hated sitting in this room trying to pretend I was remotely interested in what we were talking about, which was how to make this millionaire richer. Like he needed it.

All month I had been trying to sort out these feelings of apathy. Apathy toward work. Apathy toward my usual night life. Apathy toward women. I kept telling myself that it was because of Monica and how things had ended between us. That it was leaking into other parts of my life, making everything dull.

Itwasdull. But it wasn’t simply because I had lost her. I realized now, in this conference room, that I hadn’t cared about this job in a long time. If ever.

I never had a chance to explore my options in life. My schools were picked for me. My university was picked for me. My classes. My degree. My internships. My job. It had all been picked for me by my father with the intention that I would go into the family business. His one pride and joy out of everything in life, including my mother and including his children.

It was the sad reality, and one I had tried to fit into for as long as I could remember. I let him dictate my life because he was a man of success and made me think that I wanted that success too. And the only way to get it was to follow in his footsteps. Exploring other paths wasn’t an option. They were frivolous and foolish. Or so he said.

As I watched Erica pursue her own dreams, even though it was a struggle for her sometimes, I couldn’t help but feel envious of my little sister. She chose a different path. It might not be earning her billions, or really even thousands, but it was still what she loved. Not that my father had any intention of letting her run his company one day. He was old-fashioned. He believed that spot was only for a man, and I realized now you would have to kill yourself to even get it.

Still, she could have had a seat at the table, but she didn’t want it. It disappointed my father, but not in the way I disappointed him with every choice I had made in life that wasn’t to his liking. The partying. The Vegas wedding. The way I ran his company.

I couldn’t blame him for the latter. I would never run my company as he did, but it wasn’t because I was lazy. I realized that now. It was because my heart wasn’t in it. I wondered why it had taken me so long to realize it.

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