Dirty Sexy Alphas (Twenty Book Box Set) - Hannah Ford Page 0,294

seemingly oblivious to the looks they were getting. “He always takes such good care of us. I tell everyone that this is the best place in the city to eat.”

As if anyone really listened to her family anymore.

Her phone buzzed with a text and Harper gladly let it take her attention away from having to watch her parents act as if nothing was wrong.

Ethan: We need to talk.

Anger, and yes a little sadness welled up inside her. No they really didn’t need to talk. Not anymore. She ignored his words and set her phone down.

Harper, please.

You have to talk to me.

Damn it, call me. We really need to talk.

God, she should just text him that she wasn’t pregnant so he could stop feeling like he had to see her. Once it was clear that he had no reason to be near her, he could just stop.

That hurt her more than it should.

“Harper, your mother asked you a question.” Her father’s disapproving voice broke through her thoughts. He glared at her over the rim of his wine glass. What was that? Three or four glasses now?

Her ability to play nice was slowly unraveling. Maybe if her father didn’t act so smug, so superior, to everyone sitting in the restaurant she might have been able to pretend, but not when he was acting like some kind of fucking saint.

“What?” she snapped loudly.

“Harper Lauren Matheson, you will not speak in that tone,” he hissed. His glance slid around the room checking to see if anyone had seen the little slip of the perfect family. “Especially not in public.”

“Or what, dad? You’re going to ground me?” Another text made her phone buzz. She lifted it up and smirked at him. “Take my phone away?”

“I’m warning you,” he said. His face had gone red and he gripped the wineglass so hard she hoped it would shatter. Maybe then the public would get a glance at the real man behind his mask. Not that they didn’t already know. The press made sure that every sordid detail of his actions was known to all.

“Harper,” her mother said softly, obviously trying to ease the growing tension between her and her father. “I was asking how things between you and Stan were. I miss him coming around. He was such a nice young man from such a good family. You were so perfect together.”

If her mother thought that, then she was a little more delusional that Harper thought.

They really weren’t, and even if Stan hadn’t bolted the minute her father’s scandal hit the papers, their relationship wouldn’t have lasted much longer. He was very good looking no doubt, but he knew it and the arrogance that came along with his good family name got old really fast. Everywhere they’d gone together, he acted as though he was better than everyone else. A lot like her father did. It was that same egotism that made him tell her that he couldn’t be associated with her father, and by default, Harper.

I’m not going to stop texting until you answer me.

Ethan was relentless. She wanted to throw her phone across the room. How many more times would he text before her non response made it clear she didn’t want to talk to him?

No we really don’t. She texted back.

I’m calling you now. Answer the phone.

It started to buzz and she immediately hit Decline.

Suddenly, her father’s voice broke through her rising frustration.

“...Thankfully, Brian served the papers to Wentworth earlier today.”

Harper’s gaze shot up to her father, who had sat back in his chair, the smuggest look on his face that she had ever seen.

“What did you just say?” Her voice cracked and her hands shook.

“Wentworth. That son of a bitch wants to play hardball, he’s going to see what it feels like when the shoe’s on the other foot. If he thinks he can drag my name through the mud and get away with it, he’s got another thing coming. I’ll bleed that bastard dry and enjoy every minute of it.”

Harper’s mouth fell open. Did he hear himself? Did he ever stop and just listen to the shit that came out of his mouth? He was going to enjoy taking all of Ethan’s father’s money after he’d already stolen millions from the man?

“Does Brian think we have a chance?” her mother asked, scooping a small spoonful of risotto into her mouth like they discussing the weather and not ruining someone’s life.

“Of course,” he said arrogantly. “When I’m through they won’t have a cent