Chapter 38 - Mara
The guest bedroom in Vincent’s house is bigger than our biggest suite at the hotel back home. I wake up in the plush, comfortable bed and all I can think is that I’d rather be in Dominic’s tiny cabin. I roll over and look out the window, seeing the bright California sunshine already streaming through the windows.
With a groan, I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes. My stomach growls and I take a deep breath, getting up and tiptoeing down the stairs towards the kitchen. Vincent’s office door is ajar, and as I’m walking up to it, I overhear a snippet of his conversation.
“… no, no, that’s fine. Just take him off the list of approved suppliers for the other hotels. We’ll let him finish out this contract. Yep, with an ‘e’. C-L-A-R-K-E. Thanks.”
My blood runs cold and I strain my ears to hear more, taking another step closer to the door. I jump when it swings open.
“Oh! Vincent! Hi! Good morning!” I stutter, taking a step backwards and trying to regain my composure. He’s already dressed in a full suit with his hair slicked back, and he looks me up and down before glancing at his watch. My cheeks start to burn as I think of my dressing gown and unwashed hair. I’m not used to being dressed to the nines all the time.
“There’s coffee in the kitchen,” he says before glancing at me. “You got any plans today?”
I stifle a scoff, and then try to shrug casually. “Might go see the girls,” I answer vaguely. He nods and closes his office door before heading off towards the front of the house.
“I’ll see you tonight. Don’t wait for me for dinner.” He walks away without looking back and I try to ignore the sting in my chest. I hear the front door open and close, and I duck into the front room to see him driving away. Once he’s out of view, I walk back towards the office and glance up and down the hallway. I put my hand on the doorknob as my heart starts thumping against my ribcage. My mouth has gone dry and I close my eyes for an instant before turning the knob.
Locked.
“Shit,” I say under my breath.
“Looking for something?” I jump at the sound of Will’s voice and turn to see him in the hallway. My hand flies to my chest and I laugh nervously.
“Will! You scared me,” I say as the flush creeps into my cheeks. I pat my hair and tuck it behind my ears before glancing at the door again. “I was just, uh… Vincent asked me to sign some papers for the engagement. He said they were in his office, so I assumed it would be unlocked.”
I’m so bad at lying, I’m sure Will is going to call me out right away. Instead, he nods his head and pulls out a set of keys.
“The boss has started locking it lately, I’m not sure why. I think he’s forgotten I still have the key,” he says, sliding the key into the lock and turning it smoothly. “Just let me know when you’re done. I’ll lock it back up.”
I nod and slip into the office, closing the door behind me. I take a moment to lean against the door with my eyes closed, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.
That was close.
What happens if Will tells Vincent? What will I say? I shake my head and focus on the huge oak desk that looms in front of me. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I walk behind the desk and flip open the laptop. It’s password protected, obviously. I hover my hands over the keyboard and sigh. I’d have no idea what his password is. Instead, I flip open a manila folder that’s laying to the side of the computer. I frown when I see the papers inside.
“This is my application,” I whisper to myself. I flip through the pages and see my application to the Parks, and the signed page that recognizes my parent’s hotel as official accommodation. I frown, staring at the approval. I didn’t know this had come through!
I look at the date and my eyebrows shoot up. It’s dated a week before Vincent appeared in Lang Creek. He moves fast.
I flip through the papers and see a duplicate of my application. My heart starts thumping when I look at the proposal. Vincent wants to build half a dozen more hotels, and he wants to use my family’s name. I turn the pages over until one pages catches my eye. It’s got a red pen mark through one line.
The top of it reads “Approved Suppliers List”, and the name that’s crossed off is near the bottom of the list: Dominic Clarke, Furniture Maker.
“You motherfucker,” I breathe. The anger starts coiling inside me and my heart starts to beat faster. My hands are trembling as I close the folder back up and shut the laptop screen down. I slip out of the room to see Will waiting outside.
“Found what you were looking for?” He asks cheerily.
I force a smile. “Yep!” I head off towards the kitchen as my head fills with questions.
Even though I’m here, and I’ve done everything they asked – even giving up my relationship with Dominic – they’re still going to fuck him over! They’re still going to remove his name from the approved supplier list which means he won’t have an uptick in business. The whole reason he agreed to do this was to grow his business, and now that reason is gone.
They lied to me. Vincent, my mother – they both lied through their teeth. They told me his business would be safe, and now they’re doing everything they can to cut it down.
I’m furious now. My cheeks are burning and my hands are shaking so hard I can’t even pour myself a cup of coffee. I take a deep breath and try again, but all I can think of is Dominic.
I can deal with betrayal when I’m the victim. As painful as it is, I can deal with my mother using me. I can deal with having a loveless marriage to a man I despise, if it means that Dominic gets to live a good life. But now? He doesn’t even get that. He gets nothing.
It’s not even anger anymore – it’s fury. I’ve never felt like this before. My whole body feels like it’s vibrating and all I can see is Vincent’s snarling face. I forget about the coffee and stalk back down the hallway.
“Will!” I call out. “Will!”
His head appears around the corner.
“Give me your keys,” I say before he can speak. “The car keys.”
“Miss McCoy, I’m not supposed to –”
“Give. Me. The. Keys.” I say. I stare him straight in the eye and he takes a step back before nodding his head once. He pulls out his car keys and drops them in my hand. I head off towards the front door when he clears his throat.
“Are you…” he pauses. “Should you get dressed?”
“Who the fuck am I trying to impress?” I ask. His eyes widen for a moment and a wave of understanding washes over him. He nods his head and I turn towards the black sedan parked in front of the house.
This has gone far enough.