Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“I will do whatever it takes,” Owen said unrepentantly.
My eyes shot to Chase’s as fury coursed through me. He tipped his head at me, letting me know without words that he was here for me. That nothing was going to change whatever Owen said, that I could get through this conversation. I took a breath of relief at the fortification in that look.
“You will never change.”
He shrugged. “If you want me to be the villain, then fine, Harley. But we are going to talk about this Harvard situation.”
“What situation?” I demanded. “Because as far as I’m concerned, it’s settled.”
“I called Harvard yesterday to make a payment and was informed that you withdrew.”
“That’s right,” I said, holding my head up.
“You’ve worked your entire life for this. You took that LSAT course. You got top marks on the exam and maintained a 4.0, and for what?”
I straightened my spine and told him what I should have told him a long time ago. “I don’t want to be a lawyer.”
“Since when?” he demanded.
“For a long time,” I finally admitted on a sigh. “For so very long. But I just kept going because it felt like it was the right thing to do. It was what I’d said I wanted, right? I worked so hard. So, I had to do it.”
“Yes, you do. You can’t throw it all away.”
“I’m not throwing anything away,” I argued. “I’m just taking a different path.”
“For him,” Owen snarled.
Chase held his hands up. “I had no part in this. I encouraged her to go.”
“He did.”
“Sure. And you’re now together, and somehow, you’re staying in Lubbock.”
“We weren’t together when I made that decision. And while, yes, it’s a perk that Chase is here”—I shot him a reassuring smile—“it changes nothing.”
“It changes everything.” He shook his head. “You’re lucky that I know someone on the board of admissions.”
“You what?” I asked in confusion.
Owen nodded. “I called my friend to see if there was anything that could be done. Since you’re such an exceptional candidate, they agreed that they would remove your withdrawal from their records and you could start in the fall.”
I blinked at him. Was he serious? He hadn’t heard a word that I just said.
“I don’t want that.”
“It’s the right thing to do.” Then, he turned to Chase, giving him the stern look that said he was about to try a new level of manipulation. “Tell her. You went to law school. How many doors would Harvard Law open?”
“I’m not here to get between you and your daughter,” he said, stepping to my side. “I’m only on her side.”
“You’re not an idiot, Sinclair. You went to Yale. You know what that did for you. Do you really want to hinder her here?”
“I understand that Harvard Law opens doors, but I’m not going to make her do anything she doesn’t want to. Going to law school because you’re supposed to and not because you want to be a lawyer is a recipe for disaster. I watched people burn out. There was a suicide case my 1L year, in fact. It’s not uncommon. I’m not risking her in any way.”
My stomach twisted at those words. I’d never heard him talk about law school like that. He’d esteemed its pros to me, and I’d thought long and hard about its cons, but I hadn’t thought that it was so tough that people killed themselves. I couldn’t imagine that being my reality, but it was still terrifying.
Owen clenched his jaw, as if irritated that his new line of questioning wasn’t working out. “That would never happen to Harley.”
“It wouldn’t,” I agreed. “Because I’m not going.”
Owen huffed. “What are you going to do instead? You have nothing lined up other than this. You have never taken my money, so you have no savings. Are you living off of Sinclair now?” he sneered.
“I got a job,” I said with a shrug. “At the company of my namesake.”
He startled at that. “You’re going to work at Wright Construction? Doing what?”
“I’m going to work in diversity and inclusion.”
He waved his hand, making a psh sound. “That’s bullshit, Harley. You know it is. You’re better than that. Get the law degree, start in upper management, and take over as CEO from Morgan in a few years.”
My body shuddered with anger at those words. “First, you dismissed what I want. Then, you dismissed my job. And then, the cherry on top, Dad”—I said the word like a slur—“you make your intentions clear.”
“Which are?”
“Your petty fucking revenge.”
His nostrils flared. “None of this has anything to do with me.”
I laughed. “Sure. You were the son who was sent away to work in Vancouver. Even after your brother died, you didn’t get the CEO position. It went to Jensen, his son, who you thought was too young. Then, he stepped down. It all looked like a clear path to your ascension, and what happened? Morgan took over. And you couldn’t stand for that, so you tried to sabotage her taking the reins. Which inevitably landed you in deep shit. Now, you’re trying to use me to get the position you always wanted.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What, Jordan and Whitt wouldn’t do your little mastermind takeover plan, so you found another path?”