Page 49 of Crazy in Love

“Oh, I bet if that little-”

“Mother, I love you, but don’t speak bad about a woman you know nothing about,” I snap at her. My mum sits up a little because it’s the first time I’ve ever used this tone with her. “If there is nothing else, I have work to do,” I tell her, not looking over at Cathy, because I feel bad for her, and if I turn to face her, I will see nothing but embarrassment.

“I will let you get to work,” my mum says with a note of annoyance.

I wait for them both to leave, because I know David will have something to say about my tone. I’ve never spoken out of terms with my parents. Even with everything with Cathy, I’ve kept my mouth shut.

“You know she is never going to forgive you for that tone.” David walks around to the front of the desk, tapping his knuckles. “About time you do it. Aiden, go to her house, she will slam the door in your face, but-”

“I’m going,” I tell him before he keeps talking about how I’m in love with her. I know I’m in love with Saylor. I don't need someone telling me over and over.

* * *

I hear shouting coming from inside the house, and I gently knock on the door. Jason swings the door open and shakes his head at me.

“You got some balls showing up here,” he snaps, and I go to talk but stop when I hear shouting.

“This is all your fault, while my husband-”

“You need to leave,” he tells me over the shouting.

“I just want-”

“Now is not a good time.” He goes to close the door, but I stop him.

“Please.” The plea in my tone is desperate. “I just want to see her.”

Jason opens the door wider, and I feel like I’ve just passed some kind of test. I have no idea what Jason heard in my tone, but it worked.

I follow Jason to the kitchen and look over at the shouting in the living room.

“I wouldn’t go in there yet,” Jason tells me, and I stand next to him, listening to the girl shouting at Saylor and a man in between them.

I heard the word husband, but I don’t see anyone older than Saylor in the room.

“You’re blaming me? You can be a fucking bitch, you know that!” Saylor shouts at the girl, then looks over at the man.

“How dare you call me that, remember I’m still your mother,” the girl shouts, and now I’m confused. Like her stepmom? Because she is way too young to be her birth mum.

“My mother? You’ve got to be joking. You lost the right to call yourself that when you walked out on us and Dad. You know what, I’ve got a fucking headache, so take your meds and go to bed.” Saylor goes to walk away, but the girl grabs her arm, and the man is trying to reason with them both.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask, because this argument is confusing me more and more as the words get exchanged.

“The reason she doesn’t have time to fuck up your company,” Jason bites back, and I deserved that, so keep my mouth shut. Fuck everything they have to say to me, I have nothing to say back to them.

“That, Mr. Kane, is her mother, her eighteen-year-old sister, her six-year-old sister, famous pop star, and the girl who was abducted by aliens.” Anika walks over to us, looking over at Saylor in the living room. “You think you’ve got problems, that woman in there is trying to hold it together for the sake of her little sister. She has always been there for her, lost business, lost boyfriends, lost money, because of her sister. And now she’s alone.”

I stare at them both. Did I just hear them right? Her sister has a split personality. Five different people are stuck in one body, and Saylor is the one who is looking after her.

“The doors over there-”

“Anika, I’m not leaving. I fucked up and I will beg for forgiveness. I love Saylor, and-”

“You will leave, they all d-”

“No, I won’t. So her sister has split personality, I love her enough to-”

“Mr. Kane, you’ve not seen this side of Saylor yet, you’ve not been here with Hayley-”

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