I can't believe I bothered to want anything out of this.
I never should have come here. Never should have let him turn this against me.
"You're still nothing, Harley," my father taunts with a smile as he goes to open the door for me like a proper gentleman. "Which is why you have zero friends and too many enemies."
I roll my eyes, ignoring the stab of pain in my chest. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing the disappointment I feel so I keep my tone as cold as his.
"Obviously you don't keep up with my life. I have plenty of friends."
"When Dale is gone, the other Sterlings will be gone as well," he says to my back as I walk out, causing me to stiffen. How does he know about Dale? "Anyone else you call a friend is merely someone you're paying to be in your life. I was never wrong about you, Harley. You're just too stubborn to accept the truth."
He shuts the door behind me, and I look to my right to see Vivica standing there, her fists clenched tightly.
"That bastard," she hisses.
Sadly, he's not wrong. I don't bring that up. Vivica came into my life for a paycheck. But that's not why she stuck around. He can't make me doubt that, but he's right about Dale. If he's gone, then all my new friends are gone as well.
Not that I didn't already know that.
I'd expect no less.
"I'm not your friend because-"
"I know," I say, smiling weakly. "What are you doing here?"
She glares at the door like she's about to bust it in before she finally answers me.
"Came to see if you needed help. I expected him to be furious."
I shrug. "Told you he wouldn't be violent. He knows he's more vicious with his tongue than his fist. He can cut so much deeper that way."
She puts her hand on my shoulder as I take a steadying breath. It was insane to think he'd ever admit to seeing me differently. I just never expected to see the pure conviction behind his words.
He still thinks he was right.
Still views me as nothing.
And he always will.
I'm an idiot.
Vivica's hand finds mine, and she squeezes it as a show of support as we load the elevator. She stabs the button much harder than necessary as she blows out a long, regretful breath.
"I hate to tell you this right now, but I feel like I have to. I don't want you blindsided."
"By what?" I ask absently, my emotions on standby as my brain tries to decipher what I should be feeling.
Too many contradictory emotions are trying to battle for dominance right now for it to pick just one. It's chaos inside me.
"Dale was at your office," she says, wincing. "I ended up in the elevator with him by accident."
I only half hear what she says. "So?"
He knows all my secrets. Almost.
"He looked pissed. Maverick said nothing. He was with him. What'd you tell him you were doing?"
I close my eyes briefly. "Told him I was working late."
"And then you weren't there," she points out.
I shrug again. "I'll tell him about all this later. He's a good, usually mature guy-"
"When he's not making up stories about being a Dom," she says dubiously.
"-and I was afraid he'd talk me out of it. He's possibly the only person who could have. Now I wish I'd let him and just left my father with the silent treatment instead of expecting a different outcome than this."
Her hand squeezes mine again as we walk out, and I lift my phone to text Dale.
ME: I'm on my way home. I guess we need to talk.
Vivica drives me while I lean my head against the window, still a little numb and empty. I'll send George to retrieve my car later.
We pull up to my house, and she gets out with me, following me inside.
"I'll make us some popcorn or something," she says with a forced smile.
I just nod, looking at my phone, seeing that Dale still hasn't messaged back.
Just as I get changed into something comfortable, there's a loud banging at my door.
I go to pull it open, and see Dale staring at me with hard, angry eyes.
Okay, so he doesn't like the fact I lied to him.
"Dale, I'm sorry I lied, but-"
"Britt will be gone Monday. Understand? You'll nicely let her know that your office is not the right fit, you'll give her stellar recommendations to somewhere else, and you'll apologize for wasting her time. Understood?"
My brow furrows as harsh confusion washes over me.
"What?"
His eyes narrow. "I mean it, Harley. I'm not fucking around, and you have no idea at how big of a problem Sterlings can be in Sterling Shore. We never targeted you. Think about that."
He's fucking threatening me?
There's no conundrum about whether it's endearing or not this time.
I search for rage, finding pain instead, and then finally get pissed off when tears prick my eyes. No way in hell will he see me cry.
They can't make me cry anymore. No one can.
I'm not that Harley.
I hear Vivica walking-more like storming-toward us from behind me, but I hold up my hand, telling her I have this. Even as it feels like my heart is being sliced out of my chest.
"You want Britt gone?" I ask, cocking my head, going cold.
"Monday. First thing," he says, narrowing his eyes. "Calling her in on the weekend to fire her would have her too-quick mind asking questions. She doesn't deserve to be your pawn. How fucking dare you."
How fucking dare me.
My father was right.
Even Dale thinks I'm despicable.
Chapter 41
DALE
Even drunk, the briefest moment of doubt flashes through me when I see the tears glisten in her eyes, her lip tremble, and the hurt that practically pours off her. I've spent two hours drinking and wondering if I'm right or wrong.
Two hours getting drunk enough to finally decide I've been a played fool.
Two hours to feel like a stick of dynamite has gone off in my chest.
Two hours to grow numb and hard.
Maverick and I both grew more furious while I slowly realized how stupid I've been.
I was falling for her. Hard. Desperately.
And Britt was in the line of fire because of it.
But now, those two hours are being unraveled as the pain in her eyes makes me regret stewing for so long, growing angrier by the second. In less than five seconds, she has me second-guessing all my iron-clad conclusions.
My doubt is destroyed the second all emotion leaves her face.
"You're right. I was just using Britt to get to you. I told her to never tell you she worked there so you wouldn't be suspicious. She's a pawn. She's expendable. She's nothing. Just like you. I'm that terrible. I'm that horrible of a person. I'm such a bitch that I won't fire her. If you want her out, then you tell her why she can't work there."
She slams the door in my face, and I stumble back, dizzy from drinking too much whiskey.
She really just admitted that. Kept eye contact the entire time. Didn't even try to lie her way out of it.
My chest feels like it's on fire and weighted down at the same time. I slam my fist into her door, feeling the sharp pain that shoots up my arm in response.
A gasp and a curse follows what sounds like a sob, but I know damn well Harley isn't crying. She just stared at me with no emotion and basically told me to fuck off.
I stagger down her steps, trying and failing to dial any of the guys as I walk back to my house in a zig-zag pattern. Something has to be done. Everything. Something.
My jaw almost aches from being so clenched by the time I finally burst back into my house. I finally get Kode and put it on speaker as I head into the motherfucking room from hell.
It was this shit that fucked with my head.
Something new.
Something fun.
Something unlike me.
That's why I fell so hard.
"Dale?" Kode is calling out, reminding me I just called him.
"Get the fuck over here. All of you."
It's all I can slur out before I grab the first thing-the swing-and rip it right off the ceiling before tossing it out the door. It crashes into the hallway wall before dropping to the ground with a thunk.
My eyes set on the rest of the shit, and I start jerking everything off the walls, tossing it out too. I want it all gone. I want her gone. I want everything about her gone.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I refuse to focus on anything I'm feeling besides the anger.
I once thought I was too observant to be duped.
Now I've been duped twice.
And I never saw it coming either time.
Chapter 42
HARLEY
"Dane Sterling is requesting to see you," my assistant says, causing my chest to stutter.
And so it begins. Five Sterlings versus me.
At least it's easier to focus on survival as opposed to the pain of my heart being ripped out of my chest.
Yeah, I knew I fell in love with Dale. No, I wasn't going to be the first one to say it.
Now I know I was waiting on a confession that would never come.
And it really hurts.
I spent all night sobbing on the floor of my bedroom with Vivica promising every form of fiery wrath against them. I finally asked her to do nothing.
"Why the hell wouldn't I do something? That fucker just talked to you like you were-"
"For once, Vivica, I just don't have the energy to care. Let him think whatever he wants. I can't invest any energy right now. I'm drained. And I need to walk in on Monday without crying my eyes out in front of people. Let me cling to my pride."