I’m still reeling from yesterday. Lacey is fussy this morning for whatever reason, and Griffin had to go into work early, so he didn’t have time to hang around. I don’t know what to think about everything, but I’ve finally decided just to go with the flow.

I’m trying to understand why my father would put part of his company in my name, but I just can’t figure it out. Part of me wants to call him and ask, but I can’t stoop to that. I don’t want to talk to him if I didn’t have to, I’ve decided.

I know there’s nothing back there for me, even if he says there is. I know he won’t give me what I want even if I do everything perfectly, purely because he’s that kind of man. He’s the kind of person that would withhold everything from me just because he can, and I don’t need that in my life. He’s been controlling and pushing me my whole life, and finally I’ve gotten away from it.

I’m happy I made up with Griffin. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t decided to come back to his place. I was flirting with finding a hotel room on the cheap, but I couldn’t leave things the way they were. Besides, the more I thought about it, the more I could see his point of view. It came out of nowhere and looked really suspicious, and although I don’t think he should have been skeptical of me, I can understand why he might have been.

I just want this to be over, and I think it will be soon. Griffin was excited last night when we got to talking in bed, and he seemed to know what he’s going to do with this information. I honestly don’t care, as long as it’s nothing illegal. Whatever he thinks is best will work for me. I want to see my father go down, and I know Griffin is the man to make that happen.

As I’m playing with Lacey in the living room, my phone starts to buzz. I answer it without thinking, assuming it’s Griffin calling to see how I’m doing.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Erin. We need to talk.”

I pause, surprised. It’s my brother Ward’s voice, but I don’t know why he’d be calling.

“Uh, okay,” I say. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

“I’m outside.”

I stare at the ground. “Outside where?”

“Griffin McGrath’s house. You’re in there, right?”

I have to put the phone on mute for a second as I take some deep breaths. My brother Ward is here, at this house right now, and he wants to talk. Ward is practically my father’s right-hand man, and talking to Ward is basically like talking to my father.

Except it’s not. Ward isn’t my father, although they share some similarities. Back when we were kids, Ward and I were actually pretty close. My father was never a nice man, and he used to be particularly hard on Ward. We’d bond over our mutual shared dislike of our father, although that changed once I was sent away to school. Ward, on the other hand, was kept around, and I realize now that’s because my father wanted to groom him personally to take over the business one day.

I pick the phone back up to my ear. “I can come outside,” I say.

“Okay. I’ll be here.” He hangs up.

I look at Lacey and shake my head. “This is a mistake,” I say.

She just makes some noises and I smile. I pick her up and carry her down the hall with me and out the front door.

Ward is standing by the tree. I put Lacey down on the stoop was he comes over to us.

“Is this his daughter?” Ward asks.

I nod. “Her name’s Lacey.”

“Cute kid.” Ward smiles at her and crouches down. “Hi, Lacey.”

Lacey just looks at him, a little suspicious.

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask him.

“You know what.” Ward straightens up.

Lacey plays with the bushes as I look at him. “Did you know?” I ask.

He frowns. “Know what?”

“That father left me thirty percent of the Consortium. Or at least he put it in my name.”

Ward nods his head. “I knew.”

“Why?”

He glances down. “I’m not supposed to say.” He quickly looks back up at me and steps closer. “But please, Erin, stop this. McGrath isn’t a good man.”

“Griffin has been better to me than you assholes ever were.” I’m surprised at the harshness of my voice but it’s the truth.

Ward doesn’t seem fazed. “Father regrets the way he spoke to you. He regrets a lot of things.”

“Did he say that, or are you just trying to get me to come back?”

Ward frowns and puts his hands up. “I’m here on a peaceful mission, Erin.”

“I can see that. Suddenly I have something that can hurt you and father, and now I’m worth talking to.”

“I always talked to you.”

“No, you spoke down to me.” I face him with my arms crossed while Lacey laughs and pulls at the leaves. “Maybe when we were kids, we were close, but we haven’t been kids for a long time. You changed, Ward, and I never liked it.”

“I’m still your older brother,” he says softly.

“That doesn’t matter much anymore.”

He frowns at me and for a second, I think he might actually be upset. But the moment passes and he’s back to the same old Ward with a flat affect and no emotions.

“What do you want?” he asks.

“Talk to Griffin about that.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want to talk to that… that asshole. What do you want, Erin?”

“Talk to Griffin,” I repeat.

He watches me for a second, and I realize that he’s not at all my brother anymore. He’s just a man that happens to be related to me. He’s not the sweet and kind older brother that I remember from our childhood. That older brother is gone.

“We’ll sign the papers,” Ward says. “We’ll sign the current version of the contract today.”

“Today?” I ask, a little surprised. “You must be desperate.”

“The contract is good enough. We’ll benefit and so will you.”

“Is this coming from father again?”

“Yes,” Ward confirms.

So that’s it, then. My older brother is fully in my father’s pocket, and I don’t have to worry about that anymore.

“Tell him to talk with Griffin.”

Ward’s jaw tightens. “This is a good offer, Erin. Tell your husband about it.” He says the word “husband” like it’s poisonous.

“Okay,” I say. “But you’ll still have to talk to him yourself.” I pause for a second then sigh. “Why is the company in my name, anyway?”

“Do you rally want to know?”

I nod slowly. “Tell me.”

“When father was setting up the business, him and mother weren’t doing too well. He was afraid she would divorce him and take his assets, so he put some things in our names to hide it from her. This thirty percent share is a remnant from that time.”

I can’t help but laugh. It’s so freaking hilarious to finally hear the truth and to have everything I always assumed confirmed. My father doesn’t care about me and never did. He only gave me something good in order to keep it away from someone else. He’s a spiteful, mean bastard, and I hope he gets what he deserves.

“Talk to Griffin,” I say, still laughing, though inwardly I’m screaming. I bend down and pick up Lacey.

“Just make this deal happen so we can all move on.”

“Goodbye, Ward.” I turn and go back inside, and part of me thinks I may never see him again.

The thought isn’t so bad. I’m not sure I’d care. There’s nothing there between us anymore. Whatever relationship I once had with my brother is long dead and gone, and I don’t need to worry about it anymore.

Part of me thought they’d force me to divorce Griffin as part of whatever deal they eventually strike, but I don’t know why I’d kid myself about that. They don’t care who I marry or what I do. They don’t care about me, and so I’m finished caring about them.

I lock the front door and carry Lacey back up into the living room. I put her down, play with her until I’ve calmed down, and finally call Griffin to tell him the news.