Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Thankfully, he doesn’t fall for her tricks anymore, or maybe he never did. It was only for me he pretended, but at least he filed for divorce. A divorce that is stretching on forever, and I want to know why.
If my mother has something against my dad, I’ll find something about her she doesn’t want anyone to know. My dad might not be vindictive, but I’ll do it. I guess that’s one thing I have inherited from my mother.
“I know when someone is stalling,” Ari says before taking a bite of a dumpling. I might have made as many jabs as I could when I inspected his house, but he ordered some good takeout.
I might not have my mom’s curves, but that woman is always in the gym and eating nothing. I eat everything and nothing changes, which is both a blessing and a curse. My mother hated that about me, but she was never happy when someone had anything she desired. I’d probably be a cranky bitch too if I never ate.
“I’m not stalling, I'm trying to remember. You have to know after stalking my family that we aren’t the normal kind.”
“Stalking?” He lets out a small chuckle.
“Stalking. Spying. Whatever you want to call it.” I try to take another jab at him, and I have no idea why I enjoy poking at him so much. It doesn’t work, but maybe that’s why. I’m trying to find what might get under his skin.
“Investigation.”
“Tomato, tomahto.” I shove more noodles into my mouth. “Wait, why does it matter how they met?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything more. “Are there deep dark secrets hiding in some old family vault?” I roll my eyes. “If anyone has terrible secrets, it’s my mother.” I know nothing about her side of the family since I never met any of them.
“You’re right,” he agrees. “But it’s not always terrible things that some people try to keep secret. Oftentimes the secret is to protect someone they love.”
I ponder over his words. “You don’t have anything on my dad that’s bad, do you?”
Ari shakes his head. “But I think you knew that.”
“I do.” It’s hard to see my father doing anything bad, although he might for me. “But my mother can be tricky. She planted drugs in his car.”
The memory makes everything inside of me rage, and I hate her for it. Megan was a terrible mother, and she tried to take my dad from me. He could have gone to jail, but she didn’t give a crap how that would affect me. No, everything is always about her.
“That can’t be proven, but it’s known someone planted them, and they didn’t belong to your father.” Ari definitely knows things about my parents.
“Why can’t you prove it? You’re a fancy investigation agency, aren’t you? Couldn’t we get her tossed in the can?”
“The can?” He lets out another laugh, but I’m not sure what’s so funny. It would do her some good to have a long-term timeout. A slap of reality to the face could make all the difference.
“Wait.” It hits me suddenly. “Is this divorce dragging out because my mother knows something my dad wants to keep hidden that could hurt someone else?” That would make so much sense.
“I have a feeling she might be blackmailing him or playing hardball with something.” Ari gives me a crumb of information. He’s doing it to slowly lure me further in, and even though I know he’s doing it, I keep going.
“I thought you said she wasn’t your client.”
“She’s not anymore.”
“Because you got what she needed?”
“My brother found a lot of things, but your mother is kind of—”
“A bitch?” I fill in for him. “Hard to work with? Annoying?” As I list off the things, some hit a little too close to home for me. I’m sure I’m annoying the hell out of Ari, but for some reason he’s allowing it. Why? “I’m sure you know how she is. You’ve made that clear a few times.” I stab my chopstick into one of his dumplings, stealing it for myself.
What is this cat and mouse game Ari is playing with me? I find it hard to believe he might really be attracted to me. I’m a mess and never wear anything on my feet other than sneakers. Ari is very put together. I thought a few times he was checking me out, but most of it has been teasing. What if this is some backwards trap? Is he seducing me?
“Just so you know, I’m not attracted to you,” I blurt out to foil his possible plan. I’m so full of it, but Ari and I are in two different leagues.
My father might have money and be a successful architect, but I never played in the socialite world. If anything, I’ve always been modest, no matter how hard my mom tried to get me to show off when I was younger. She was always trying to get money out of my father and be seen around town, while I tried to ask for as little as possible. I have this need to try and make up for her by offsetting things. If I don’t seek the attention she’s craving, we balance each other out.