Page 48 of Faking It with my Bestie's Billionaire Brother

"Well, you could've fooled me," I bit out, and then, I heard a sound that made me stop cold.

There was a soft knock, and then, a voice that I typically loved to hear, but I was horrified to hear at that moment, asked. "Spencer? Can I come in?"

I looked up to see Ava's beautiful head popping through my doorway. She had her work clothes on: the telltale bandana wrapped around her curls and clay-splattered overalls, and even though I was horrified at what she might've overheard, I resisted the urge to rush across that office and pull her into my arms. I wanted her comfort so badly at that moment.

Ralph looked between us awkwardly, and Ava gave him a small smile. "Hi, Ralph," she said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"

"Is everything okay, Ava? I know you wouldn't come all the way out here during a workday unless something was up," I said, starting to rise from my desk.

"Oh, nobody's on fire or anything like that," she said, laughing awkwardly, "but I do need to talk to you. It's kind of important."

"Well, then, I will excuse myself," Ralph said, offering a smile to Ava. "Good to see you, Ava, and please, if there's ever anything you need from me, don't hesitate to ask." After slightly bowing in her direction, he then hurried out of the room, shutting the door closed behind him.

Ava moved closer to me, her hands twisting around one another, looking nervous.

"What's wrong, Ava?" I asked, moving toward her.

But I stopped short of actually touching her when she asked, "Is it true? About Penny's mom? Has she been alive this whole time?"

I ran my hands through my hair. It was bad enough that I'd been having to fend off Connie for all these years, but now, she was affecting other aspects of my life, aspects that she shouldn't have any access to.

I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, Ava, but that just doesn't concern you," I finally said, hating the words even as they came out of my mouth, but I needed her to know that this conversation was officially over and that I would not be answering any questions.

She laughed drily. "It doesn't concern me? The hell it doesn't concern me. For God's sake, I'm living with you now, so it's a little late to tell me this shit doesn't concern me. Not to mention that it's my best friend we're talking about."

She might have been right, but I couldn't let her get any closer on the subject. I needed her to drop it, so the words came out before I could stop them, "Look," I bit out, "just because I let you into my bed doesn't mean that you get access to everything else. I think you would do well to remember what the goal is here and what your place is."

She blanched as if I'd slapped her. My palm stung as if I had actually done the deed. Her face hardened, even though I could still see the hurt in those big, beautiful, brown eyes.

She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, let it out slowly, and I steeled myself for the tongue lashing of a lifetime, but instead, her words were painfully clear. "Silly me, and here I was, thinking that you didn't want to be your father. But I get it now, and I will remember my place, Mr. Ashbury."

She hurried to the door, turning back with a flash of anger on her face and spitting out angrily, "You just remember one thing, Spencer Ashbury. If you hurt my friend, you have me to answer to."

She slammed the door behind her before I could say anything else, and I slumped back into my chair with a frustrated growl.

Her words had hit all the right places, and I found myself beating against the nearest surface, which just happened to be desk, the very same one that my father used to sit behind when he still ran the company.

I hated his desk, hated this building, hated the whole damn place. Most of all, I hated the position I was now in, having to cow to a blackmailer’s demands or risk my relationship with my sister and the woman who I could no longer deny that I had fallen in love with.

Chapter nineteen

Ava

Tears blurred my vision as I hurried back down to the parking lot, but I couldn't decide if they were tears of hurt or anger.

More than anything, I just wanted to kick something and resisted the urge to kick the tire of my car, throwing myself into the driver's seat and slamming the door closed behind me for good measure. It wasn’t like it would accomplish anything, but it made me feel better.

I didn't start the car right away. I needed to take a breath and calm down because all I could see was red.

How dare he speak to me that way, like I was a little more than a prostitute.

I knew he was full of shit. I knew it deep down, but that didn't change the coldness in his voice or his eyes when he told me to "remember my place."

Agitatedly, I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel, trying to gather my wits around me. The last thing I need to do was get into the middle of LA traffic while this pissed off.

But the idea that Penny's mother was actually alive this whole time? Yeah, that was a doozy.

If that were the case, why the hell would she give up her little girl? And why was Spencer so hell-bent on hiding her existence?

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