Page 143 of Scandalous

“Call me when you have a number,” he snaps before hanging up the phone.

Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees and hold my head in my hands. I fucking hate my father with the burning passion of a thousand suns.

“He was as cheerful as always,” Ezra says.

“Should I do it?” I blurt out.

Ezra taps his fingers on the wooden desk. “I’ve never asked, why have you kept the shares this long? He’s been asking you since you were eighteen to sign them over.”

“Honestly? Because I hate the idea of giving him what he wants.” I clench my jaw. “And they are mine. It’s the one thing that ties me to my family.”

Ezra shakes his head. “It’s not though, Drake. You have your name and no matter what that bloody arsehole says or does, he can’t take that from you.”

“I’d officially be wiping my hands of them if I do it. I would be all on my own.”

I think about what Aurora said about facing trauma. Before her, I would have never considered it, but maybe it’s time.

Ezra chuckles. “You would be getting rid of a pain in your ass that you’ve had for your entire life. As for the other thing you said,” he glares at me. “You will never be on your own. You have us. Family isn’t always blood, we’ve proven that. Time and time again. Don’t insult us by downplaying what we mean to each other.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I confess.

“Ultimately it’s a decision only you can make, but Santi, Liam, and I will support you either way. If you’re really interested in getting rid of them, I can look over the papers he had drawn up.”

I chuckle. “You know, if I’m going to actually go through with it, I could always just sell them to someone else.”

Ezra laughs. “Revenge. A dish best served cold. I like it.”

“What are we laughing about?” Santi asks as he walks in with Liam behind him.

“My father called,” I tell them.

Santi takes a seat next to me as Liam walks up behind me.

Liam rubs my shoulders. “What did the devil want?”

I look at Ezra, silently asking him to fill them in on the last twenty minutes and with zero hesitation, he does. Everyone is silent for a moment, absorbing the new information.

“I won’t lie. I love the idea of you selling them to someone else. Preferably someone who will be a pain in his ass,” Liam says as he squeezes my shoulders.

“If I were you, I think I would sell them,” Santi says carefully. “You don’t have a healthy relationship with your family, and you hate everything about Vegas. It would be a clean break for you.”

“Put the house up for sale at the same time,” Ezra says, referring to the house I inherited from my grandfather. “Start over somewhere new.”

“I don’t think I hate Vegas. I hate the person I was in Vegas. I hate that my father is there, but Vegas itself was never the problem.” I admit.

“What makes you say that?” Liam asks.

“Something Aurora said to me. She thinks I’ve been so hesitant about Vegas because of past trauma. She thinks facing it and working through it will give me a different perspective. I think she’s right.”

“She’s right,” Ezra adds. “I never wanted to push you, but I’m glad she did. She truly is a blessing to us.”

I nod, considering my next move.

“Put out feelers.” I look up at Ezra. “Find out who wants some oil shares.”

“Are you sure?” He raises a brow.

“I’m positive.”

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