She interrupted his sputtering. “But what, Henry? You want me to miss my father’s funeral to blow your whistle? Have you no respect?” His mouth clamped shut and she wheeled around to march out of his office.
Abby stepped outside and inhaled deeply, pulling her coat tighter to ward off the cold. “I cannot believe, I just used my body like that,” she said to herself, making her way to a yellow Porsche. Sliding into the passenger’s seat, she turned to her sister. “You could have driven something a little less conspicuous.”
Elaina raised a perfectly-arched blonde brow. “Don’t lecture me about my choice of car after you just screwed that greasy bastard to get proof of something I already told you.”
Abby gritted her teeth and faced forward. The Porsche hummed to life and took off. “Excuse me for not simply taking your word, Elaina. You’re not exactly a paragon of honesty. Neither is Mom. There’s no way was I going to go along with your ludicrous plot without confirmation.” She paused and then let out a breath. “There was no screwing, by the way.” Thank God she’d learned all she needed to before things went that far. Abby squirmed. Would she have really have had sex with a character like Henry Sullivan? The thought of going to those lengths made her shudder. “I haven’t stooped to your level,” she said with a smug expression—just to piss off her sister.
Elaina gave her a seething glare. “Yet. You’re about to stoop way lower than I ever have, baby sister.”
Her words hit Abby hard. So hard, in fact, that her breath hitched in her throat. She faced forward again and fell silent. Her sister wasn’t wrong.
***
The atmosphere was grim. The group of family, friends, mourners and well-wishers were all dressed in black. Heads were bowed as the metal coffin was lowered into the ground. It was then that it really hit her—that her father was gone. Pain ripped through her and brought fresh tears to her eyes. She choked on her sobs, barely managing to hold them back.
After days of crying, she was surprised that she’d had any tears left. She hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to her beloved father, and that was what hurt the most. A single tear trailed a hot path down her cheek, and she quickly dashed it away. Later…she decided, she would bawl her eyes out in private. She stole a glance to her right. Celeste, her mother, was stone-faced, and Abby nearly rolled her eyes. God forbid the woman should exhibit any human emotion. Elaina was beside Celeste, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Abby’s brows shot up. Elaina actually had feelings. A revelation indeed.
Abby looked to her left at her younger brother, Wyatt. He was her favorite person in the world—next to their father. Wyatt scowled at the hole their father’s coffin was being lowered into, and she wondered what was going through his mind. He and their father hadn’t always gotten along. Was he as overcome with grief as she was…or was he worried about what would become of Aldridge Enterprises?
Abby wished she could tell Wyatt not to worry, because she was about to fix everything. Soon, the company would be back in their hands, and Wyatt would eventually take his rightful place as their father’s successor…when he was ready. But she couldn’t tell him what she was planning. What would he think of her if he knew? Abby wouldn’t be able to stand Wyatt looking at her the same way he looked at their mother and sister. According to him, they were the two most manipulative and vindictive people ever to walk the earth. And there Abby was, about to become one of them. She would finally gain her mother’s love and approval—maybe—and, she would—probably—gain Elaina’s respect, but Wyatt would look at her with nothing but disappointment.
Most of all, she would lose her sense of self. She let out a breath. Damn you, Damian Coldwell. Her fingernails dug into her palms as his name echoed in her mind like a taunting whisper. She watched—with mounting resentment for the man she didn’t know—as the dirt was shoveled to fill her father’s grave. At that moment, her resolve strengthened. It was a final and decisive moment. She would have her revenge. She was going to do it. Abby was going to avenge her father and protect what remained of her family.