And if what he’d said back then was true, he had feelings for me as well.

I was the one who ruined it all. I made it all about the money and the contract instead of listening.

To be fair, I had run away. From him. From the vulnerability of what it would mean to lean on his shoulder and just let go of everything. To find comfort in someone else again and open myself up for heartbreak and pain.

I had seen him as a means to an end, but… When had I stopped seeking revenge? Was it that day in the office where they finally spilled everything?

It was earlier than that.

And now all I felt was defeated… and guilty.

The door opened, and my mother came out, her eyes meeting mine. She grimaced, noticing the look on my face.

“What’s the damage?” she asked, her voice hesitant, like she was afraid to ask.

We hadn’t talked much since the last time. At least not about anything substantial, so I didn’t know how to broach the subject with her. I almost wanted to keep this from her for fear that she’d somehow take advantage of the money again, but I thought better of it.

She was human too. She deserved a chance. No matter how unfair she had been to me, I wasn’t the only one who was hurting from what my father had done.

“I think Warren paid for it.”

Her eyes widened. “Did he now?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think anyone else would,” I said and looked down the now empty hallway.

“You should go thank him.”

Her words had my skin flushing.

“We aren't working together anymore,” I whispered and sent her a glare when I caught sight of her sly smile.

So she knows more than she let on.

“Uh-huh.”

She started walking down the hallway without another word. My face heated. She must have caught on as soon as she saw us together. I should have known there was no fooling her.

“Mother!”

“Lunch is on you! I’m feeling Italian!”

With a sigh, I followed her.

* * *

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Vivian Blake, the reporter from the Rogue Enquirer, asked.

I nodded and sat straighter in my seat. A girl came over and started to fix my hair. Another came to apply powder to my nose.

“I’m sure,” I said with an unwavering voice.

I had slept on it for more than a week. Talked to my friends about it. It was time, and when it was done, it would air just before the auction.

“You know, the last time a reporter trusted you, they got sued up the ass,” she said, her eyes narrowing as if she meant to make sure I wouldn’t be doing that to her.