Never Got Over You -Whitney G. Page 0,31

out a breath. “You know, Kate, at your age, I don’t really care who you date. But what I do care about is how you’re going to make this family look during high profile events, so you’ll need to stay in this evening and rehearse. Tell this James of ‘no estate’ that you’ll need to reschedule your little meet-up for some other time.”

“I’ll be more than fine,” I said. “I’ve already rehearsed today.”

“I know, I heard most of it.” She tilted her head to the side. “It wasn’t moving or awe inspiring in the slightest. For a moment, I thought it was Sarah Kay playing and not you.”

I gritted my teeth.

“I want to hear Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major by Bach, The Swan by Camille Saint-Saens, and The Cello Concerto in B Minor by Dvorak, reverberating through my hallways all night, and I want to feel moved by each and every string you play. Are we clear?”

I stared at her, half tempted to say, “Screw you” and walk past her anyway. “I’ve been rehearsing all day,” I said, keeping my voice firm. “If what you heard wasn’t good enough for you, I’ll try it again tomorrow. After I take a break for the rest of the night.”

“I’m sorry, did you not hear a word of what I just said?”

“I heard you loud and clear.” I wasn’t backing down. “He’s on his way to meet me now, so I’m going to head down to the tower and call him.”

“Fair enough. Can I borrow your phone for a second?” she asked.

I handed it to her without thinking, and the moment it was in her grasp she tossed it over the balcony and into our estate fountain.

What The. Fuck? My jaw dropped. Any words I wanted to say instantly locked in my throat, and I watched my iPhone slowly sink under the lily pads.

“There,” she said. “Now you don’t need to call him, and you can focus on what really matters for the rest of the night. Whenever he shows up, I’ll have Bernie tell him that you underestimated how busy you are. I’ll also make sure to send him away with a nice piece of dessert for his ride away from this estate.”

I felt my blood boiling, felt my fists clenching at my sides.

“You’re not angry with me are you, Kate?” She grabbed one of my fists and slowly uncurled it, finger by finger. “Only one of us is depending on a thirteen-million-dollar inheritance when she turns twenty-one. The other one of us is holding all the cards and gets to determine whether or not it’ll be awarded by then.”

I said nothing.

“I’ll have one of the housekeepers fetch you a new phone tomorrow.” She smiled. “I’m looking forward to hearing some beautiful notes floating through my hallways within the next twenty minutes.” She walked away without another word, and it took everything in me not to rush behind her and tackle her to the ground. To not throttle her and scream about how much of a bitch she was.

To hell with this...

I rushed into the house, returning to our home auditorium and slammed all the doors shut. I opened a laptop and connected it to a speaker. Then I scrolled through YouTube videos in search of other cellists who were playing the songs she’d requested.

If she wanted to hear some classical shit, I was going to make sure she got it. I turned the first video all the way up and locked the doors—forcing her to knock in case she got suspicious. I walked over to a panel where I hid my favorite novels, and slumped against the wall for a reread.

Several chapters later, I heard a knock at the door.

“One second!” I called out.

I walked over to the laptop and waited until the cellist reached a half rest before hitting pause and stuffing it into a drawer. I scooted my chair across the wooden floor, made it screech for a few seconds, and then I opened the door.

No one was there.

I stepped out and looked down the hallway. Nothing.

Confused, I shut the door, and then the knocking sound came once more. I turned around and realized it was coming from the outside. I walked over to the drapes and drew them open, seeing James standing on the balcony, white gift box in hand.

Unlocking the glass doors, I pushed them open and stared at him—unsure of what to say.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been stood up and ignored before.” He