Page 248 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set

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“That’s Avery Marsh. Yes, she’s the one I’m dating.”

“Break it off.” The three words snap at me like a whip.

I shove my hands farther into the pockets. “No.”

Fuck no.

“That wasn’t a request, Chance.” His voice is deeper and more imposing.

When I was younger, I was afraid. No longer.

“I know. It was an order. A fucking order.”

He nods. “Damned right it was, and you will end things with her.”

Avery and I have been going out for a while. I’ve never brought her home to meet my father because I don’t want to subject her to him. He’s a dick, and I can’t stand him. I love her, so why would I put her through that? Especially now that I know exactly how he feels about us being together.

“I will not.”

“She’s trailer trash, Chance.”

Anger boils through me. How dare he? “She lives in a mobile home park. That doesn’t make her trash.”

He slices his hand through the air. “This discussion is over. You end things with her.”

“No. I won’t, Dad. I love her.”

But my father has gone back to whatever document he was reading before he summoned me. His gaze is fixed. We’re clearly done here.

Fine.

We’re done. I walk out. Turn my back on him.

I’ll never let Avery go. My father can go fuck himself.

Damn. For almost a year, I thought I’d won that argument. He never bothered me about Avery again.

We—Avery and I—spent as much time together as we could. We held hands in the hallways at school. We attended all the dances and other functions. We made out desperately in my truck, and we talked about going all the way. Avery decided to go on the pill…and then the day came.

That day at the spring.

And the next day, she was gone.

My old man.

My fucking old man. He just waited. He waited until I’d fallen so deeply that I could never return.

And then he took her away from me.

I hope he’s rotting in hell.

He must have written the letter. Who else could have? It certainly wasn’t me.

I’m still holding the document about Linda Marsh.

And I begin to read.

I scan through the date and the legalese to find the parties to the agreement.

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