“I am.” He finally faces me, his blue eyes sharp. “But I don’t think you are. I don’t think you ever stopped to think about it, because if you had, you would have known there was more to you and me. You would have done better in upholding your end of our deal.”

“Our deal was to get to know each other and move forward at the end of my school year.”

“And you didn’t think falling for someone else along the way would jeopardize everything?” He angles his head. “Your mother assured me you weren’t the type, but mothers are often unaware, especially busy ones like her, so I had to be extra cautious.”

“So, you did have me followed.”

“I kept my eyes open, was all. I’m a lawyer, a great one. It’s my job to see all the signs and, sweetheart, you had many.”

“I guess neither of us are who the other thought.”

He nods. “What did your mother tell you of our arrangement, Jameson?”

I lick my lips and shrug. What point is there to lie now?

“She said she believed in you, that with you as senior partner, the firm would have a new kind of power, and power is everything to her. She wanted someone to take over who was as cutthroat as her, and she needed my help to secure it.” Or her life’s work would die with her, and that would be incredibly selfish of me to be the very cause of such a misfortune. I force myself not to swallow. “I’d say she met her match.”

Anthony buttons up his suit jacket. “All true, yes, but what she didn’t tell you is I’m the one who went to her.”

“Does that matter?”

“Since that one meeting led to you standing in front of me now, yes.” He pauses, for effect, I’m sure. “See, the DA, I found, had threatened your mother with who knows what, but she was able to pay him off in the end, which told me the man didn’t have what he needed to back her into a corner.”

“And you did.”

He nods.

I’m hit with a wave of nausea.

I knew it.

I take a deep breath, shaking my head. “How did you know about any of this?”

“I’m young, hungry, and ambitious. I knew I needed to find a way to catapult myself and it just so happened the queen of my world had spawned not one, but two princesses.”

“You stalked my family.”

“Again, all I did was pay attention. Very close attention, until what I needed fell into my lap.” He sits on the edge of the dresser, watching me closely.