Page 56 of Recruited By the Billionaire

Everly and RJ both smiled at that one. Then Everly looked at Frankie. “I’ll bet you think we’re some rotten kids, don’t you?”

“To the core,” Frankie responded honestly.

RJ and Robert laughed, but Everly was shocked by her honesty. She didn’t like it at all. “Daddy, that’s not funny,” she said to her father.

“Why are you so shocked?” Robert asked her. “She’s being honest. You’re rotten to the core, both of you, just as she said.”

“You wouldn’t put up with people like us,” said RJ to Frankie. “Would you?”

Robert waited for Frankie’s response. He needed to know if she would stick to her guns, or a little manipulation by his very manipulative kids would break her. That she wouldn’t try to appease them because appeasement was their middle name. They’d run all over her.

“I wouldn’t put up with the nonsense, no,” Frankie replied to RJ.

“So if I grab you by the hair and drag you around this room,” said Everly, “you wouldn’t put up with that?”

“Put up with it?” asked Frankie. “Oh I’ll kick your ass you try dragging me,” she added. “Don’t get it twisted now!” Frankie added.

Robert was pleased. RJ was a little put off. But Everly smiled. “You’re different,” she said.

“I agree!” said RJ. “We aren’t used to a woman that speaks up for herself. All of Dad’s other ladies are like robots. They do whatever he tells them to do. I remember one at this party on Dad’s yacht. Dad said jump, she jumped. I’m surprised he lets you get away with it.”

Frankie didn’t know how to even unpack those comments. RJ was talking as if Robert still had all of these other women even though he’d been exclusive with Frankie for over two months now. Or was he exclusive? She wasn’t around him all that much with all of his businesses he had to manage. And because their relationship, up until now, had been purposely private, she was never around him in public. She had no clue if RJ was talking about seeing him with these “other ladies” at a party the other day, or months and months ago. And she wasn’t about to bring it up around them.

“Anyway,” Robert said, standing to his feet and then helping Frankie to stand too. “We’ve got to go.”

Everly remained seated, with her head leaned back as if she was nodding. RJ stood up, but he was staring at his sister. “Dad’s right,” he said. “You’re high as a kite.”

“Quit saying that, RJ! I am not high.”

“Yeah you are,” RJ responded.

“Don’t let her drive,” Robert said. “I don’t care what she says.”

“I won’t. But what she really needs is inpatient treatment. Again.”

“I told you I’m not high!”

“She’ll go if you make her,” RJ said to Robert.

“She’ll go ifyoumake her!” Robert shot back. “I’ve made her go five times already. She never stays.”

“Because it’s not a prison, Dad,” RJ reminded him. “They can’t make her stay unless it’s court-ordered, and they still can’t force her to stay even then when she’s determined to get out.”

“Why are we talking about that,” asked Everly, “when we should be talking about the other thing?”

Everybody looked at her. “What other thing?” Robert asked her.

“Do you plan on marrying her?”

Frankie was surprised she went there. It was a question she would love the answer to as well. But Robert frowned. “What does that have to do with you?” he asked her.

“I want to know how that will affect our inheritance,” said Everly.

Frankie looked at Robert. It had to hurt that everybody seemed to love his money more than they loved him.

And for the first time in their relationship, it was Frankie who took Robert’s hand and held it tightly in support of him.

Robert noticed the support and gripped her hand too. “Leave that shit alone,” he said to his daughter again, and then he and Frankie left.

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