Page 7 of Hate You Forever (Hate 1)

She sighs, straightening her shoulders before handing me a folder from her desk. “There are certain…conditions that you’re not going to like.” She looks at me cautiously before continuing. “You have to be legally married, like actually head over heels in love, for at least a year before the firm becomes yours. But you only have three years to get this done.” Her words fade into the background as I read the provision she’s referencing.

Goddamnit!Of course he’d try to fuck me over like that. He never could make anything easy for me. My guess is he knew that would never happen, meaning he never intended for me to have the firm. I’m an asshole to everyone I meet, and I don’t even believe in love, thanks to him. He knew this condition would be impossible. Three years to get married, and be in love with the poor woman for at least a year? Yeah, right. He knew he was setting me up for failure when he wrote those terms.

Feeling unsteady on my feet, I toss my weight down into Kate’s office chair. “This can’t be real,” I mutter to myself.

I don’t want this to be real.

At this point, I’ll never have the firm. I don’t do love or relationships. And I definitely don’t do marriage.

“It is, Nix. I’m sorry.” Kate’s soft voice causes me to jump. I’m so in my head I forgot she was standing there.

Throwing the papers down on her desk, I run my hands down my face, frustrated as ever. “Maybe I can get around this,” I grumble.

“There’s something else.”

“What, Kate? What else could there be?” My voice comes out gruff and full of attitude that she doesn’t deserve.

“The executor. It’s… Randall Crowe.”

Fuck my father. Fuck him to hell and back. That jackass knew exactly what he was doing.

I finally lose my shit. Picking up Kate’s glass pencil holder, I throw it against the wall, watching it shatter into a million pieces. She gasps, flinching at my outburst.

Fuck no. No, no, no.

Not Randall fucking Crowe. That man has been trying to destroy me since I started working here. He was my father’s best friend growing up and has been an attorney at the firm since it opened. He’s always seen me as a threat to his success and tried turning my father against me more times than I can count. As if that would’ve taken much, my father always despised me for some reason.

If the marriage provision wasn’t hard enough, I know Crowe’s going to be working against me each step of the way, picking apart my every move.

“You know I’m going to help you, Nix. You and me, forever. I’m going to make sure you get the firm you deserve.” Kate places her hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. I know she’s right. She’s the best fucking lawyer I know, other than myself of course. We’ve been watching each other’s backs since the beginning. I trust her.

When my breathing eventually starts to calm, I look around her office, seeing the broken glass and pens scattered around everywhere. “Shit. I’ll clean this up.”

“Yes, you will.” She pats my shoulder one last time before leaving the room.

Picking up my father’s will once again, I read the rest. Relief crashes over me when I see that he left my mom enough money to live on, without any conditions attached. I know it’s probably just for the sake of his reputation, but I’m glad she’s going to be okay. Right before he died, he wasn’t really speaking to either of us.

For as long as I can remember, he treated me like shit, but it wasn’t always like that with her. There was a time when he showed her kindness, respect, and love, none of which he ever really gave to anyone else. Over the last couple years though, something shifted between them, and he became just as cold to her as he was to me. My mom refuses to say what happened, but I plan to find out.

I’ve been fighting for years to own this firm. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but it will be mine.

* * *

The front doorslams behind me, echoing my current mood. I furiously throw my briefcase and coat across the room. A hum comes from the kitchen, but anger rings too loud in my ears to really listen. I assume it’s Mariana, the lady who can do everything and saves my ass every single day. A true angel sent from above.

I hired her the day I graduated law school, the same day I bought this house that’s more like a mansion. I don’t really need a house this big, but my father would’ve had a coronary if I bought anything smaller.

“No son of mine will look or act like he’s fucking poor. You have money, and it’s imperative you remind everyone what kind of power that holds.You won’t get anywhere in life if you don’t look the part. If you’re seen fraternizing with the fucking trash, you will be treated like trash.”

His grip on my arm is so tight, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t break it. He’s pulling me behind him into the office, but I barely can keep up. He’s on a warpath to teach me a lesson; I’m sure it’ll be one I won’t forget.

He slams the office door open, pushing me into the room so hard that I stumble, trying to catch my balance. Before I can regain my composure, a kick lands on my back, making me fall to the ground. My father approaches behind me, pulling me up by my hair into a kneeling position.

“If you want to act poor, I’ll start treating you that way. Is that what you want? You want me to treat you like the scum of the Earth?”

He already does, so I don’t see how it could get much worse.

“Well, are you going to answer me, boy? Or should I push you down in the dirt now and treat you like nothing more than an insignificant rodent beneath my feet?” He releases my hair to come around in front of me. Grabbing the collar of my shirt with both fists, he yanks me to my feet, getting in my face. He’s so close that I can feel his hot, whiskey-filled breath on my skin. His face is beet red with anger, and I’m surprised the vein in his forehead hasn’t popped yet.

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