ROUGH RIDER (58 page)

“You can’t be serious,” she whispered. I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to hide my own tears.

“You’re so stupid,” I said, turning my sob of despair into a rueful laugh. “You’re so fucking stupid, Maddy. Don’t you get it? This whole thing has been one big laugh at your expense! I mean really, how pathetic does a girl have to be to fuck her stepbrother?”

When I lowered my hands, Maddy was still looking at me. I wished she wouldn’t. It only made things that much harder.

“Why are you saying this?” she demanded, her voice cracking. “Why are you being so cruel to me?!”

“Because you deserve it!” I roared. I tried to imagine Jane’s face instead of hers and felt my neck and face turn red with anger. “Because you’re fucked up and desperate and everybody knows it but you! My father and your mother—they bet me a sad, pitiful girl like you would do
anything
to resolve her daddy issues. I didn’t believe them, but look at you. I did it. I won!”

Maddy launched herself up from the bed and crossed the room to me. Tears streamed down her face and she shook like a flower in a storm as she cupped my face in her delicate hands.

“Stop it, Preston. I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t do this to me. Not after everything…”

I seized her wrists and she gasped. I knew I was hurting her, but I had to or she’d never believe me.

“You stupid girl,” I whispered. I managed a sneer, though the disgust I spat was aimed at me and not at her. “You filthy slut. You’d do anything to have a man tell you you’re not worthless, wouldn’t you? You’re just like your mother—”

Finally, something inside Maddy snapped. She slapped me so hard across my face I tasted blood in my mouth. Stars burst in front of my eyes and I held my breath, staring at the wall as she panted in front of me. At least now I had an excuse not to look at her.

“You’re a monster,” she said hoarsely. My soul fractured. In every word, I could feel her beautiful, perfect heart was breaking. “You’re a fucking monster. I hope you rot in hell.”

As she grabbed her clothes and hurried from my room, I realized she’d never know that I already was.

I
t
had been
two weeks since I’d last seen him.

The agony had faded into a comfortable numbness that, at the very least, prevented me from crying all night. In fact, sleep came now more than ever. I found myself spending a lot of time unconscious, and for that I was never more grateful.

Every moment I spent in slumber was a moment I didn’t have to think about Preston Harvey and how he’d ruined my life. And when the dreams came—the ones where we were still together, where his lips crashed against mine so fiercely they stole my breath away—a bit of wine was all that was needed to chase them away again.

He’d tried to call me more than a few times since that morning in his room when he’d finally admitted he was the same soulless beast his father was. He’d texted, too, but I never read them. After the first three days I changed my number, and after that, he only made one other effort to contact me. He sent me an envelope in the mail with a check inside of me for one hundred thousand dollars.

I didn’t want to cash it. I wanted to pretend like I’d never need anything from Preston, or my family in general, ever again. But now that I was out of a job, the sad truth was that I’d have to find a new one, and in the meantime I needed a buffer to keep a roof over my head.

When I handed the check over to the teller, I secretly wondered how much of his winnings from my family’s sick little betting pool this constituted. I’d become so filled with rage that I’d nearly snapped the pen in half when she’d asked me to sign the back of it. I didn’t think that particular thought again.

What good would it do, anyway? It was over and done with. I couldn’t go back in time and fix it now. And in a way, Preston had freed me. I’d never trust my family again, and because of his confession, I had finally cut ties with my toxic mother. It was a step forward of some kind, anyway.

I spent my days distracting myself by updating my resume, my LinkedIn profile, and a number of other job-related things, anything that would take my mind off of my past and point my thoughts toward the future, one that didn’t involve getting used and discarded ever again.

I would even date, as soon as I could get around to it. I wouldn’t let Preston Harvey put me off men. I wouldn’t let what he’d done to me turn me angry and bitter. I wasn’t about to become my mother, although now I could understand just a little bit better what had led to her downfall as a human being.

It didn’t make it right, but at least she wasn’t such a mystery to me anymore.

Just as I was beginning to run out of things to do, I got the call that would change my life forever. It was a call I hadn’t been expecting, one from a very prestigious law firm looking for a new legal secretary to manage their office.

“Can you come downtown for an interview around three?” the appointment-setter asked.

I glanced at the clock. It was nearly noon. Fuck it—I’d make it. “Yes,” I said. “I’ll see you then.”

The first thing I did, after getting dressed, was ride the bus for the very last time. It took me to a Volvo dealership where I bought my first brand new car. It was a splurge, but it was a well-deserved splurge, and one that would ensure I was self-sufficient from now on. No more relying on public transport to get me to my new job in a swanky office building downtown. I was a new woman. This Madison Hearst didn’t depend on anyone but herself.

Once I had my new car, my resume, and my interview clothes in order, I drove downtown and sat through the mid-day traffic while waiting for the turn lane into the parking garage to open up. I had no idea what the problem was. At first I thought there might have been an accident, but as I got closer to the source of the jam, I saw that a parade of news vehicles were blocking the intersection as they tried to find parking spaces directly in front of the Harvey Tower. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. It figured that they’d throw one more wrench into the gears of my life before they were done with me.

Briefly, I wondered what the hell the fuss was about. But it was probably just some stupid PR move Preston or his father had coordinated. Maybe they hadn’t kicked any puppies this week. That seemed newsworthy, all things considered.

Maybe it was something about the wedding. That was only days out now. I couldn’t think of why Mr. Harvey would do something like that at the tower, though. Maybe my mother had put him up to it.

I finally made it to the garage and parked, stuffing my printed-out garage pass between the dashboard and windshield as I stepped out in the warm summer air. I felt good today. I felt capable and vibrant. Preston obviously had done me the courtesy of not blacklisting me, which meant that I now had a rather impressive resume at my disposal. Thank God for small favors, I supposed.

By the time I made it to the sixteenth floor office, I was still ten minutes early. I handed my resume to a very sweet, bubbly receptionist and took a few moments to look around the lobby and get a little better acquainted with what the law firm was expecting.

They took up the whole floor, and they were clearly very expensive. From what I’d read on their website they dealt in criminal law, which seemed awfully exciting. I would’ve been excited for the job regardless, but knowing that I might spend my days involved with the kind of cases I saw on
Law & Order
sweetened the deal. It was better than resigning myself to something like worker’s comp and business law, anyway.

When Mr. Princeton emerged from his office, my jaw nearly hit the floor. He looked like he’d just stepped out of the pages of a men’s magazine. He wore an impeccably tailored suit and shoes that probably cost more than my new car had, and he had one of those million-dollar smiles that lit up the room brighter than any fancy chandelier could. Not that he didn’t have those, too, but that smile was absolutely radiant.

His smile nearly touched his ears as he walked toward me, and I stood up, accepting his outstretched hand. “Madison Hearst, I presume?”

“You can call me Maddy,” I said, and for a moment, I was reminded of Preston Harvey and how he’d always called me that whenever we were together. No one else ever had. It had only ever been him.

Stop that,
I told myself, pushing thoughts of my asshole of a stepbrother from my mind as I followed Mr. Princeton down the hall.
You’ve moved on. He’s in your past. Mr. Princeton is your future, and you should count your lucky stars that he is.

I sat down in his office and watched as he closed the door and stepped around the opposite side of his desk. “I have to say,” he began, adjusting his perfectly form-fitting blazer, “I’m impressed. This is one hell of a resume, Madison—sorry. Maddy,” he corrected himself.

I beamed. Then Preston really
hadn’t
added insult to injury. I was relieved. “Thank you, Mr. Princeton,” I said. “This is one hell of a law firm, from what I hear.”

He laughed. It was a sweet, honeyed sound. “Let’s cut to the chase. Your qualifications are top-notch. And from just the few minutes I’ve spent with you, you seem like the kind of employee who would fit right in here at Princeton & Kline. All that coupled with the personal recommendation we received from Preston Harvey himself, I’m ready to offer you the job right here.”

I couldn’t help it. I had to ask. “Mr. Harvey contacted you directly?”

Mr. Princeton nodded. “Oh, yeah. He called this morning. Said he saw our ad on a jobs site and knew the perfect woman for the job.”

My heart skipped a beat. Preston had been trawling the job boards for me? Why? What the hell did he care?

A recommendation was one thing. The fact that my stepbrother had been actively interested in my employment was another. I knew for a fact that Preston had way better things to do than scour Craigslist ads on my behalf. Had he grown a conscience since I’d been away? Was he actually feeling guilty?

I tried not to think too hard on it, though it flustered me all the same. “Working for Preston Harvey was… a wonderful experience,” I said. And it had been—right up until the point that it wasn’t anymore. I didn’t count it as a lie. “I’m so thrilled that he was satisfied with my service enough to call you and get my foot in the door.”

Mr. Princeton grinned. “He spoke so highly of you that I was afraid someone else had snatched you up already. You seem to have it all, Maddy. Which brings us to your salary…”

I was on the edge of my seat now. I was sure a place like this paid handsomely. Visions of renting an actual house danced through my head, and Mr. Princeton was about to speak again when his receptionist burst through the door.

“Mr. Princeton,” she said breathlessly, “I’m so sorry to interrupt. But you have to see this.”

He frowned at her. “Can’t it wait, Amy?”

She shook her head so hard I was sure her earrings were going to fly right out of her ears. “No, sir. Come quick. It’s all over the news.”

Mr. Princeton raised his eyebrows at me. “I guess that means you should come too,” he said.

I stood up, my stomach flipping as I followed Amy and Mr. Princeton down another hall toward the break room. What the hell was going on?

As soon as I walked in, I saw it plain as day on the TV. Just outside Harvey Tower, several news crews had gathered around my stepbrother, each one of them shoving their microphones in his face, yet all standing so deathly still as he spoke. Someone turned it up and I gripped my clutch tightly as I listened to what he said.

“…in cooperating with state and Federal authorities, Harvey Enterprises has exposed Harold Verger’s intent to collude with government officials in order to shut down the 39
^th
Street homeless shelter on fabricated charges of code violations. Mr. Verger then intended to demolish the shelter to make way for a person investment project: a luxury condo development that would cater to the wealthiest citizens of this fine city. Meanwhile, hundreds of homeless would be displaced, including battered women and children for whom there was no other place to turn.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Preston was actually admitting to God and country what Harvey Enterprises had intended to do just to retain a client—one with senatorial aspirations, no less. He was selling himself, Mr. Verger, his father, and his own company out to do it. But there he was, admitting everything on live television.

“Holy shit,” I murmured.

Mr. Princeton folded his arms. “You’re tellin’ me.”

Preston continued, “In light of this and other incidents which have come to light over the past few weeks, Harvey Enterprises will be restructuring. Mr. Harvey—my father—will step down from his position as the head of our company, and with the board of directors’ unanimous approval, I will take his place.”

My knees almost gave out from under me. This was huge. The only way it could have been more shocking was if a nuclear bomb had detonated in the heart of the city. But then Preston delivered one more surprise for me.

He looked into the camera and said, “There have been a lot of people who were hurt along the way, people who didn’t deserve it and who never should have been in the line of fire to begin with. As a company, we have often asked others to sacrifice for us instead of being willing to sacrifice anything ourselves. The future of Harvey Enterprises is simple: more ethics, more honesty. If that means less money, so be it.” He paused. I felt like he was staring right into my eyes. “If that means those that we’ve hurt can finally see some justice now, so be it.”

“I have to go,” I said, turning to Mr. Princeton. “I’m sorry. I really am. And thank you so much for everything. But I have to go.”

“Maddy—” he began.

I was already gone. How could I possibly stay here?

I
raced
through the parking garage. I didn’t even bother to get into my car. I kicked my heels off, tucked them under my arm, and made a beeline for the crowded sidewalk where people were lining up to gawk at Preston Harvey and the monumental decision he’d just made.

The reporters were all over him. They were screaming his name along with their questions, all of which was lost to the thrumming of my ears and the cacophony of the crowd. I didn’t care about any of it. All I wanted was to get to him.