Page 26 of Beautiful Revenge
“The boring life of a billionaire’s daughter. That will never sell on Netflix,” Chrissie scoffs.
I tear my gaze from the floor to the windows with the same view I had next door. Every sign of the wedding is wiped from the property. I watched it happen in real time, but the team who swept in to get the job done worked so fast, it was like I was watching it on fast forward.
Just like that, it’s over.
I wish it were that easy to erase the entire relationship from my brain.
A new day and a new start.
“Is it wild that the least of my worries at the moment is sharing a suite with a strange man?”
“Yeah,” she stresses in two syllables. “It’s a testament to how fucked up your life has become. Don’t forget, I want you to check in. Your normalI’m alivetext will do.”
“I promise. I’m going to get out of the room and get some fresh air. Call me with any updates.”
“Will do. And if I don’t hear from you, I’ll be forced to call. And if you don’t answer, I’ll call your new roommate. I don’t care how broody he may be.”
I smile. “I’ll text soon. Promise.”
No sooner than I say goodbye, do I press go on the number that I have so many missed calls from, I’ve lost count at this point.
She answers on the second ring. I’m not surprised. “Harlow! I am in the middle of a crisis. Answer my calls, dammit!”
My eyes fall shut, and I immediately regret returning her call. “I’ve been a little busy, Janie. And you’ve kept me up to date with every voicemail followed by more texts. I’ve also been getting calls from Dad’s executive staff. There’s only so much I can do to cover for you.”
She lowers her voice, but that doesn’t mean her tone isn’t laced with tension. “This isn’t my fault! I hired an entire staff to stay with him night and day. My orders were for him never to be alone.”
“So you still haven’t found him,” I state as I head to mybathroom and put her on speaker. I drag a brush through my hair as I speak. “My father was taken from his home. I’ve given you time. If you don’t contact the authorities, I will. When this hits the news, stockholders will lose their minds. That will be on you.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Her tension is palpable over the line. I continue to fix my hair into a sleek, high pony. “Stockholders are the least of our problems, Harlow.”
“Someone has to worry about the markets,” I say as I tighten my hair and reach for my lip oil. “Lord knows, Dad would be. If we only knew where he was. I just got off the phone with the CFO. You’ll be getting a call soon. He knows you’re in charge.”
“I can’t deal with this.” A sob hiccups through her words. “This is too much, and the medical staff isn’t taking any responsibility. They said they were following my orders even though I made no such directive. There was no way I’d have him moved. He was too weak.”
“This wouldn’t all be on you if you would have allowed me shared power of attorney. You might not be in this mess and we’d know where my father is had you not demanded complete control.”
“Your father is missing, and you’re still hung up on that? What’s wrong with you?”
I smack my lips together after applying gloss and grab my cell. The more panicked Janie becomes, the calmer I feel. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I have a long list of things that are wrong right now. The fact that my elderly father is missing on top of everything else is not something I should have to worry about.”
“I told you not to refer to him aselderly,” she snaps.
“You should’ve thought about your husband reaching the elderly stage when you married someone so much older than you. His age is a fact you can’t change, Janie.”
“I need your help, okay?” I’ve never heard her like this. It appears there are some things in the world that money can’t fix. “I’m beside myself.”
I know my stepmother well enough to know she’s not beside herself with worry for my father. Her anxiety stemssolely from how this will blow back on her. And she’s not wrong to worry.
I decide to throw her a bone. “I’ll make some calls.”
“That’s it? Who are you going to call?”
“I’ll call Stonebridge PR to give them the heads up. They don’t like you anyway, so it will come better from me.”
“That’s not what I meant when I said I needed your help, and you know it,” she snaps. “Dammit, Harlow. Help me find your father!”
“You think this is fun for me? I’m usually their favorite person since they can rely on me for positive news, but after I canceled the wedding yesterday, I have some sucking up to do. This will put me on their shit list. The way I see it, I’m doing you a huge favor by keeping them in the loop. They’re good, but I doubt they’ve ever prepared themselves for a missing CEO. I’ll fall on this sword for you and let them know what’s going on.”
