41 - Samantha
I can’t even look at Dean. I know if I look at him, my courage might falter and I won’t be able to do what I came here to do. I glance from Dean’s mother to her father to the woman - Victoria. I know her name now. My whole body is trembling but I keep my gaze steady and my lips in a tight, thin line.
“Mr. Shelby, Mrs Shelby, Victoria,” I say slowly. “I was hoping to find at least one of you here.”
“What do you want?” Mrs Shelby barks. “I told you to mind your business. Don’t you know Dean doesn’t want you anymore? He had his fun and now it’s over. Tell her, Dean!”
I force myself not to look at Dean. I keep my eyes steady on Victoria. Dean clears his throat.
“She’s.. She’s right, Sam. It’s over.”
The words pierce my heart and the pain radiates through my chest but I still don’t look at him. It can’t be true. I hang on to Jess’s words and I squeeze my hands into fists. I keep my eyes on Victoria and pull out the envelope of pictures.
“Is this supposed to convince me?”
Dean makes a noise but I ignore him. Mrs. Shelby starts cackling.
“Don’t be so desperate, girl. You heard him. It’s over.”
“It’s only over because you said it was over,” I say, swinging my eyes over to her. She takes a step backwards as if the force of my gaze is too much and I stand up ever so slightly taller. The tension in the air is thick and the room is completely silent except for my long, measured breaths. “Isn’t it?”
Dean’s mother spreads her stance and crosses her arms. She lifts her chin towards me and curls her lip into a snarl.
“So you’re not as stupid as I thought you were,” she barks. She cackles again and shakes her head, taking a step towards me. I stand my ground. “You don’t belong in this world. Dean had his fun but now it’s time for him to do his duty. Leave, and never come back, or else you know the consequences.”
I try not to shiver at her words and take another breath.
“I’ll leave, and I’ll never come back. I’ll never speak to Dean again,” I say, trying to make my voice ring true. “I just want to hear it from you. Tell me he’s with Victoria because you told him to be.”
This time Victoria speaks. She spits her words at me with such venom it takes all my strength not to take a step back.
“That’s right. He’s here because he belongs here. With our two families joined, nothing will be able to stop us. He’s a weak, pathetic man and if his parents weren’t so rich I wouldn’t even let him take my order at a restaurant. But I’ll marry him and my family will carry his father’s political career straight to the top. And I’ll fuck whoever I want to fuck and crush his little heart over and over just because I can. So leave.”
I try not to flinch at her words. I take a deep breath, swinging my eyes back to his mother.
“Thank you,” I say slowly. “It’s nice to hear the truth.”
His mother laughs again. “The truth! The only truth is that our two families will run this city before the end of the year. Now get out.”
My whole body is shaking and I spin on my heels. I hurry out of the office, rushing to the elevators and mashing the buttons to go downstairs. Once they open in the lobby, Jess rushes towards me.
“Did you get it?” she asks, breathlessly. “Are you ok?”
“I knew it,” I say. “I fucking knew it. I knew those pictures had to be fake.”
I pull out my phone and replay the recording I took. Just like we tested earlier, their voices are clear and you can hear every word that was said in that room. We look at each other and grin. My heart is pounding against my chest and I play the recording again.
“There it is,” I breathe. “They admit it all. Threatening me, forcing him to get married, plotting to work together for politics. It’s all there.”
“Come on,” Jess says. “Let’s bury the bastards. Let’s go to the police.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can still see Dean out of the corner of my eye, head in hand as he sits slumped in that chair. He looked completely defeated, and his voice was dead when he told me he didn’t want to see me. They have something over him, he was terrified. What would happen if I went to the police?
I shake my head. “We can’t. What would they charge them with? Harassment? They haven’t done anything wrong, not yet anyways. Nothing that we can prove. They have an army of lawyers and probably the police on their payroll. She got my divorce papers somehow, and she scared Dean into saying he didn’t care about me. I don’t know who they are, but they scare me. No, we can’t go to the police.”
“So what do you want to do? Sam, are you sure this is worth it? Maybe you should just let it go. Don’t tell him about the baby, do it on your own. I’ll help. Don’t put yourself in danger for this guy!”
Jess’s face is full of concern. She puts a hand to her cheek and shakes her head. I know what she’s saying, and I get it. I just don’t agree. I can’t let Dean go, I can’t turn my back on him and forget everything that’s gone on between us. I’ve never met a man so genuine, a man who cares about me so much and who shares the same passions as I do. I’ve never met someone who can be a billionaire and a children’s party clown on the same day. I’ve never met anyone who can make me laugh as easily or make me feel as good about myself.
I’ve never loved anyone like I love him. I can’t let him go. I won’t.
I look at the phone in my hand and take a deep breath. I know what I need to do. I need to beat them at their own game.
“What do you want to do, Sam?” Jess repeats.
I grin and pull out a business card I grabbed on the way out.
“Blackmail.”