Page 19 of Cruel Charming Psychos (Necessary Evils 2)

It's amazing how far I’ve come. I used to believe the very same things he did. I wanted Addison dead but then I learned the truth. My parents can never know though, it would break them and while they are certainly worthy of being broken, it’s Carter’s memory that I don’t want to irrevocably destroy. There had to be a good part of him beneath all the fucked-up things he did.

“How do you know Addison killed him?”

“My intuition has never been wrong. How the hell do you think I built this fortune of ours? It wasn’t good luck and smart business moves for the sake of being smart. My intuition guided me to make the decisions that lead us to where we are today.”

“All of this money, all of this wealth, even this house…” I gesture with my hands, “You got it all on the backs of shady business deals that took advantage of those beneath you. Don’t pretend to be a saint.”

“Look, this conversation isn’t going anywhere. You’re too damn stubborn to listen to your father, so that’s why I brought proof.” He passes me a phone. “Like I said, that girl you’re parading around town is a whore.”

I consider not pressing play on the video, knowing that this could be one of his tricks. The mistrust that I still have, and probably always will have, doesn’t let me though. I click the button and watch. Addison and Asher are standing against the exterior of a hotel. They’re engaged in conversation and then she leans in and kisses him on the lips. It’s a quick kiss, but it’s damning evidence that something is going on between the two of them. I pass the phone back to my father and straighten myself out, not wanting to let him see that he’s won.

“That girl isn’t who you think she is,” he says sternly.

“That’s for me to decide,” I say as I push past him and rejoin the party outside.

As soon as I exit the office, my mother spots me from across the room and begins to approach. The last thing I need is another conversation with a family member loaded with accusations and mistrust. I’ve had enough of that for the day, so I run up the stairs to my right, completely avoiding her. I know she won’t follow because she’s not the type to make a scene in public. Behind closed doors though? All bets are off.

As for Addison, the video is more than enough to verify the doubts I’ve had in my mind. Whatever game she is playing, I can play it better. My mother might not like making a scene, but I surely do. When it comes to that boy and her, I don’t know what’s true and what’s not, but I’m going to make sure she’s publicly hitched to my wagon for good.

Once I reach the top of the landing, I find the center of the railing and look down at the partygoers. Addison looks up to me and meets my gaze, and I can just tell she knows that I’m up to something.

“Attention please,” I yell loudly, stealing the attention of everyone below. “Firstly, I want to thank you all for showing up for my lovely sister’s birthday today. It really does mean a lot. As you know, this family has been through a lot recently and I’m just happy that Emily has finally come home.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Emily exiting her room from down the hall. She stares me down and it almost makes me consider changing my mind, but when I look back to Addison, I know that this is something I have to do.

“I would also like to think my girlfriend, Addison, for sticking by my side this summer. It’s been rough for a lot of us but there’s a silver lining in every cloud.” I take a deep breath before continuing, “I wanted to wait to make this announcement but I’m honestly tired of keeping it to myself. Addison and I are expecting our first child.”

The crowd begins to stir with speculation while the other half remains coldly silent, perhaps with indifference. My father though, stepping out of his office, looks pale and ill. As for my mother, she turns on her feet and pushes her way through the crowd, trying to get as far away from me as possible.

I continue, “My mother will be handling the baby shower and the invites are expected to go out soon.”

ChapterNine

ADDISON

As Nick makes his way down the stairs, his father approaches. The tension between them is palpable, even from all the way across the room. I can only guess what they’re arguing about, note the sarcasm. Any smart girl would have had enough wisdom to not show up here after being accused of stealing something from here. But I’m not a smart woman. I’m a woman on a mission. If the Callaways are responsible for attacking me in the hotel, then what better way to show up to their own home with a smile.

Although that smile is increasingly hard to fake since everyone in the room is now looking at me with suspicion. Everyone knows the rumors. Everyone sees me as the girl that killed Carter, whether or not they know the actual truth. Nick has just spilled the beans which means eventually, I won’t have the chance to come clean that I’m faking the pregnancy. I’ll have to leave town in the middle of the night once my work here is finished. It’s probably for the best that way, anyway.

Nick’s father breaks away from him and heads into the crowd. Nick gestures with one finger, telling me he’ll be a minute. He has a lot of nerve dropping that bomb on everyone, myself included, and then just leaving me to hold it while he does whatever he’s doing. He rushes up the stairs and I notice that he’s heading for Emily, who is hiding behind the corner of the wall.

“You have a lot of nerve showing up in this house,” a man accosts me from behind. When I turn around, I notice that it’s Nick’s father. “I know that you took those disks.”

“You have a bad habit of making assumptions, Mr. Callaway.”

“It’s on video camera,” he points out.

And fair enough. “You seem to have all the evidence in the world to ruin my life for good and yet, something always stops you from pulling the trigger. I wonder what that could be.”

“You will never win this war, Addison. Whatever you’re planning, just know that I will be ahead of you every step of the way. And I promise you that when my son sees the light, you won’t get a penny from this family for you or that bastard you’re carrying inside of you.”

I’m not the type of girl to be intimidated, but the Callaways aren’t any ordinary people. They have the power to destroy everyone around them and often use that power at its full potential. He’s threatening me without so much as saying he’s threatening me, but the point is clear.

“As for the disks, I’m no longer worried about them if you catch my drift.”

I peel my gaze upwards but say nothing more. He admits without so much as an ounce of hesitation that he is the one that ordered the attack on me. He does this without properly saying as such because he’s a master of manipulation.

“Enjoy the party, Addison.”

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