Fraud

Clearly not impressed, he lifts a stack of papers to tap the edges on the desk, the leather of his chair squeaking. Most would think my father is just tidying up, but I know he’s occupying his hands while formulating his next question.

“Who’s the roommate?”

“You wouldn’t know her.”

“Who?” he demands, his hands stilling.

“Luca Hughes.”

Setting the papers down a little too carefully, he sits back in his seat. I take that to mean he does know her. But why wouldn’t he? His hand was involved in sinking her father’s business.

“Senator Hughes’s daughter-in-law?”

Smiling again, I meet his stare. “Former. She divorced her husband. In fact, I believe she reverted back to her maiden name, Luca Bailey.”

Emphasizing her last name, I study my dad’s face for any small twitch that indicates distress. I’m not surprised to find nothing. He is a politician after all, and before that he was a shady attorney. If anybody can hide his thoughts, it’s him.

In a way, he reminds me of Gabriel. That damn mask always on full display.

Dad folds his fingers together, his thumbs tapping together. “You need to go back to your own house, Ivy. I’ll arrange for you to have a driver again, and I’ll reinstate your finances.”

Damn it. Something about Luca’s father must be bad because my father is not the type to fold so easily.

I might think my dad is a complete hard-nosed ass. And we may have gone head to head more times than I can count for the stupid shit I did when I was younger. And it might also be true that he’s attempted to keep me under control and subdued. But he always protected me. Loved me. Looked out for me.

That made him a hero in my eyes.

My heart is shattering to think he might be a hero to me, but when the mask is pulled away, he’s somebody else’s villain.

I refuse to show what I feel. The lie must go on, and that includes the refusal to bow before him.

“Actually, I’m really happy where I am. I think this is good for me, Dad. It’s about time I learn to stand on my own two feet. It’s been really nice. I’m getting back out there, and-

I snap my fingers like I just remembered something.

“Guess who I ran into the other day?”

Lips pulling into a thin line, dad relaxes back into his seat. “Who?”

“Brinley.”

There’s the slightest jump in the muscle above his eye, but other than that, no obvious reaction.

“You remember her, right? She used to come over here before I left for college.”

If my father wasn’t such a good actor, he’d be sweating bullets right now. “I remember. I didn’t know she was in town.”

“Yeah, I didn’t either. Who were her parents again? We didn’t have a lot of time to talk, but after thinking about it, I couldn’t quite place exactly how our families know each other.”

He doesn’t answer. Instead his jaw tightens, his eyes narrowing just enough that I would be shitting my pants if I were younger. That’s the look he gets just before he tears my world down as punishment.

Pushing to his feet, my dad places his palms on the desk and leans toward me. “You need to return to your house, Ivy. I won’t tell you again.”

Interesting...

My father wants me to squirm, and maybe a month ago, I would have. But now? There’s no way I’ll sit back and behave for any man. Not even my dad.

I rise to my feet and slam my palms on the opposite side of the desk and mimic his posture. “Why?”

His eyes narrow more, but then slip down to my hand where a large diamond stares up at him. That dark gaze snaps back to my face, anger thi

“What’s going on with you? First you tell me the article claiming you’re engaged is fake. Then I read you broke up. And now you have one hell of a rock on your hand.”

My lips quirk at the corners. “It turns out I really like Gabriel Dane.”

His expression changes to match mine. “Like doesn’t equal marriage. There’s another word for that. I find it interesting you failed to use it.”

Love.

That’s what he wants me to say.

Sadly, he didn’t give much of a shit about that when I was nine.

“Sorry, Dad. I didn’t think it was that big a deal to you considering you practically signed me over to him when I was a child. What happened to marrying me off? What changed your mind?”

He flinches at that and stands to his full height. Unfortunately, when I stand to mine, he’s still towering over me. If not for the desk between us, I’d be craning my neck to look up at him.

“I’ll assume Gabriel’s father told you that.”

“Is it true?”

He shoves away from the desk and crosses the room to pull a painting away from the wall, a secret safe hidden behind it.

My eyes stay locked to the keypad as he types in the code, the numbers dedicated to memory when he pulls the door open and fishes around inside.

Turning back to me, he answers, “Yes, it’s true. But when I discovered the depth of criminal behavior in that family, I retracted the offer. I won’t have my daughter caught up in it.”

He steps toward me, his long-legged stride eating the distance between us. Slapping a black credit card down on the desk near my hand, he locks his eyes to mine.

“You may not marry Gabriel Dane. And after returning that ring to him, you’ll have no further contact. You will return to your house and I’ll assign you a new driver. This card will help you with whatever you need until such time as I can get you new ones. I’m not arguing with you about this.”

“Tell me why.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” he barks, red staining his cheeks from anger. “If anything, you owe me for all the times I pulled your ass out of the fire because of Gabriel. Have you lost your mind?”

Wincing at the snap to his voice, I stand my ground. This is all part of the act, though, the tears leaking from my eyes as fake as my quivering lip.

“But I love him.”

He slides the card closer to my hand. “I want you to do as I say immediately. That family is not our friends. They said as much when they burned down the pavilion after it was built.”

Surprise rolls through me. He thinks Gabriel did it? Or Gabriel’s family, at least.

“How did you get here?”

The tears leak down my cheeks, but he couldn’t give a damn about it. If I weren’t playing it off, his lack of concern would hurt.

“I drove Gabriel’s car.”

“Take it back to him, and then call me. I’ll have a new driver assigned to you that will pick you up.”

Which reminds me...

“Why was Scott here?”

He blinks at that. “To pick up his things.”

“What things?”

Dad steps away from me, leaving the card by my hand. “It doesn’t matter. He won’t be your driver if that’s what you think.”

Dropping his weight back onto his seat, my father dismisses me. “Be sure to call when you’ve given Gabriel the ring and car.” His eyes cut my direction. “It doesn’t surprise me that, once again, I need to help clean up the mess you’ve made.”

“What mess it that, exactly?”

He looks away from me, his stare locked to his computer as he clicks on an email. “Just do as I said as soon as possible.”

I know this is the end of the discussion. Had this not been an act, I would have picked up the card and tossed it in his face. Would have demanded answers. But Gabriel warned me against that.

We need my dad thinking he still has the power to control me.

“Yes, sir,” I whisper as I slip the card from the desk and turn to leave the room. He doesn’t call out to stop me before I shut the door.