She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, and when she finally pulled away, I wiped a stray tear from my eye and looked at her. “Did you already buy a new place? And if so, can I come stay with you a while? I’m scared to go back to the apartment again until this all blows over some more.”
Mom didn’t reply immediately, and she began to pick at a perfectly-manicured nail. It was something she’d always done when she was nervous, and I immediately knew she was hiding something.
“Mom,” I said sharply. “What is it?”
“I really did want to tell you all of this properly over a meal. This is just such an awkward time, but I suppose I may as well rip the Band-Aid off now,” she said. Her words filled me with dread, and I waited for her to continue with bated breath. “I have found somewhere to live, Chloe. And of course you’re welcome to come. In fact, I’d be overjoyed if you came.”
That wasn’t so bad.
“And?” I asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Well, as you mentioned earlier, I filed for divorce from your father just after he was arrested for…for what he did. Seeing as the trial took so long, it’s already over. It’s been officially processed. We’re no longer married.”
I felt like I’d just swallowed a stone. “Oh.”
“And I, uh….” She paused, and I knew this was the part where yet another atomic bomb would be dropped on me. Two seconds later, and there it was. “I’ve met someone. We’re engaged, and I’m moving in with him.”
My mouth dropped open, and I simply stared at Mom in shock for a full minute before replying. “You met someone? You’re getting remarried?”
“Yes.”
I leapt to my feet, glaring at her. “Wow, way to rub it in for Dad. He gets sentenced to life, and you get engaged to another man at the exact same time.”
“This isn’t about your father, Chloe. I actually met Rob many years ago. We were just friends back then, of course. We reconnected a few months ago, and there was a spark. So we’ve been planning on getting married for some time now. We decided to keep it from you until the divorce was finalized, for obvious reasons.”
“Rob, huh?” I practically spat. “Well, at least I know his name now! Any other shocking news you want to tell me? Are you also pregnant? Joining a cult, perhaps? Might as well get it all out in the open, seeing as that’s what we’re doing here, apparently.”
Mom’s eyes hardened. “Don’t be sarcastic, Chloe. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Like I care!”
I sat down again, my face flaming with anger and confusion, and Mom reached across and tentatively patted my hand. I jerked away, and she sighed. “Chloe….”
“Are you even going to tell me anything else about him, other than his name?” I finally asked after taking several deep, calming breaths.
“I’d rather introduce you to him first,” she replied. “Things are….complicated. I want you to at least meet him before passing judgment on him and our relationship.”
My forehead creased into a frown. “Why? Is Rob actually Roberto the pool boy or something? Because I honestly wouldn’t mind that. He’s kinda cute.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not like that.”
“Then what’s so scandalous about it that you can’t tell me right now?” I asked, my frown deepening.
This whole situation was ridiculous. As if I hadn’t already been through enough in the last year (and especially within the last twenty-four hours), now my own mother was keeping me on tenterhooks for no apparent reason.
“I never said it was scandalous,” Mom replied. “I said it was complicated. But the sooner you pack up your things, the sooner we can go and meet him.”
My nose wrinkled. “Wait, so you actually want me to move in with this random guy?”
“He’s not a random guy, and I thought you said you didn’t want to go back to your apartment.”
“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want to move in with you and your new fiancé when I have no idea who he is.”
She sighed deeply. “Chloe, please stop making things so difficult. I need this right now. Please just come and stay with us at his estate for the summer, at least. It’s out of the city, so you’ll be able to relax well away from all this media attention, and you won’t have to worry about anyone breaking in and trashing your stuff.”
I stared at the unused fireplace across from us, my fingers laced tightly together as I considered her words. I did want to get away from the media frenzy, and if this Rob guy lived on a property way out of town, then going to stay out there with Mom might be the best way to obtain some peace and quiet. I still wasn’t pleased about this shocking engagement announcement, but I suppose I’d just have to come to terms with it.
“Fine,” I replied, not looking at my mother. “I’ll come. When do we leave?”
“A week from now.”
“Fine,” I repeated. I stood up again, still refusing to meet her eyes. “I’ll start getting my things together.”
“No, this is total bullshit. You can’t go.”
Mercedes flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder and frowned down at me as I stooped to pick up a shoe that had somehow fallen under my bed. She was helping me pack the last of my favorite things before Mom and I headed off to her fiancé’s place this morning, and she was even unhappier than I was about the whole thing.
“I mean, she just sprang it on you like that, and the day after your Dad’s sentencing, too! What the fuck?” she continued.
I shrugged glumly. “I know, I was pissed at first too, but I guess she deserves to be happy.”
“Yeah, at your expense. Great parenting.”
“It’s not that bad,” I said, stashing the shoe in my suitcase. “I’m sure this fiancé of hers is nice, and she does need support after everything that’s happened.”
“So do you!” Mercedes insisted. “Where even is this place?”
“His estate is out on Ellesmere Road,” I said. “About fifteen minutes out of the city.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “Hmph. I guess that’s not that bad. So we can still hang out all the time.”
“Of course.”
“And you really still don’t know who it is?”
“Nope.”
“This is all so weird. Like, why the hell is she hiding it from you? We should totally snoop through her phone and find out.”
I smiled patiently. “Or we could just wait another hour.”
She pouted. “You better text me and tell me who he is as soon as you meet him. I’m really invested in this mystery now.”
“I will.”
She frowned again and folded her arms, assessing me as I zipped up my last case and yawned. Even when I raised my arms and stretched to my full height, the top of my head didn’t even reach Mercedes’ chin. I wasn’t short by any means, but she had the tall, lithe body of a volleyball player, and her insistence on wearing high heels absolutely everywhere made her stand a head taller than almost every other girl no matter where she was.
“You know what you need?” she said, still staring at me.
“What?”
“A makeover.”
I raised my brows. “A makeover? What is this, Clueless?”
“Come on, I’m serious! You hardly ever dress up or wear makeup, and it’s our summer break! Don’t you want to look hot and enjoy it before college starts?”
“Are you saying I’m not hot now?” I said in a teasing tone.
Mercedes rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up, you know what I mean. Come on, let me put some makeup on you,” she said in a wheedling tone. “I’ll show you how awesome you can look with highlighter and a matte lip. Maybe when you see how great you look, I’ll even be able to convince you to go on the prowl and finally meet a guy…”
She winked, and I chewed on my lower lip as I mulled over her words.
Considering how things turned out with the last guy I met—Asher, the absolute prick—I wasn’t too concerned with meeting any
other romantic interests anytime soon, but my best friend still seemed hell-bent on schooling me in the art of makeup, and hell, maybe a change would be nice. After all, my usual routine of clear lip gloss and a smudge of taupe eyeshadow was as drab and lifeless as my entire existence had been for the last twelve months with everything that had gone on, so maybe learning some contouring skills could cheer me up somewhat.
I’d once read a study which showed that women who were fully made-up tended to perform better on college exams because they felt more confident, and that sense of confidence translated over into their performance during testing. So based on that little factoid alone, perhaps Mercedes’ makeover skills would help to get me out of this slump. As much as possible, anyway, given the circumstances.
“Fine,” I said, relenting with a smile. “But not too much.”
“I promise,” she said with a grin. “I have a kit in my car. Be back in a sec.”
She returned two minutes later with a massive case filled with makeup and perfume, and I gave her an incredulous look. “You had all that in your car?”
“It’s all free samples from my parents, duh.”
“Oh, right.”
Mercedes’ family, the Belmonts, owned a makeup company called Beau Monde. Their most famous products were a line of heavenly French perfumes that had taken the world of the upper class by storm twenty-odd years ago, and in recent times they’d also expanded into nail polishes, lip products and eye makeup, along with a small skincare line as well.
Mercedes applied a light dusting of bronze eyeshadow on my lids before teaching me how to contour my cheekbones, and then she drew on a thin line of black eyeliner. She finished the look with a coat of mascara and a swipe of deep pink matte lipstick, and I assessed myself in the mirror afterwards with a satisfied smile. “Wow. You were right. This looks really nice.”
“Told you so,” she said with a smug smile. “Hold on, let’s finish it off with a spritz of this.”
She grabbed a sample bottle of Beau Monde’s most famous scent, and I waved my hand at her. “Not that one, please.”
Her nose wrinkled with confusion, and then she nodded. “Oh, right, sorry. I always forget you’re allergic to this one.”
“Yeah. Remember prom in our junior year?”
“Yeah, and you got that rash all over your chest from that perfume you got for Christmas,” she said with a shudder. “It’s all the perfumes with hexyl-cinna-whatever in it that you can’t wear, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I can’t remember the exact name of the chemical thingy without seeing it, but it gives me the worst dermatitis.”
“Oh well, at least you know which products to avoid now. Anyway, I guess you have to leave soon, right?”
Before I could answer, her question was confirmed by my mother, who’d just arrived at my bedroom door. “Ready to go, Chloe? Oh, hello, Mercedes. I didn’t know you were here.”
“Hi, Victoria,” Mercedes said. “I hear you’re getting married again. Congratulations.”
Her simpering voice was tinged with sarcasm, and I shot her a warning look. I knew she wasn’t happy about my mother’s news, but she could go too far sometimes and be quite rude. Luckily, Mom didn’t seem to notice, or at least she didn’t care, and she smiled. “Yes, I am. Chloe and I are about to drive out to my partner’s estate now, as I’m sure she’s told you.”
“She did. I guess I’ll get out of your hair,” Mercedes replied, gathering up all her makeup. “Text me later, Chloe?”
I nodded, and twenty minutes later, Mom and I were packing the last of our essentials into her Lexus. The bulk of our things from the house (and my apartment) were going to be sent via truck later in the week, provided everything went well today and I was okay with staying at Rob’s estate for the summer.
“So where exactly are we going?” I asked as Mom steered the car onto the flat main road that took us out of Claremont Bay. “Surely you can at least tell me that now.”
She hesitated for a few seconds before replying. “His place is called Briarwood Manor.”
The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it before. I guess it didn’t matter, though—in just fifteen minutes, I’d be well acquainted with the place.
We drove in silence, save for the soft classical music playing on the car radio, and I stared out the window at the verdant landscape as the roads turned windy and hilly. We were well out of the city now, and Rob’s estate couldn’t be too far off.
“We’re almost there,” Mom said, echoing my thoughts. “That’s the estate just up ahead.”
Creeping ivy and ferns grew through the crevices on the old stone wall surrounding the estate, and I stared at everything with wide eyes as we turned into the driveway moments later. Briarwood Manor loomed proudly behind a large set of wrought iron gates, and my heart began to thud with nervous energy as we drew closer to the colossal sandstone-colored Elizabethan-style building.
The driveway beyond the gate was lined with poplar trees, all planted a specific distance apart, and a perfectly-manicured hedge awaited us at the end, where the driveway curved into a circle that ringed the aforementioned hedge. In the center of that stood a large marble fountain, and I could hear the soft gurgling water streaming from it as we pulled up and parked.
This place belonged in a storybook.
“God…” I breathed as I got out, staring around us at the large expanse of land before turning my gaze back to the huge and imposing manor.
Mom filled me in on some details of the place as we got out, and it didn’t take long before I was even more nervous about meeting Rob. Apparently Briarwood was just one of twenty houses belonging to him. I knew our family was wealthy, but it seemed like this man took the concept of wealth to a whole new extreme. With twenty houses around the country, and a few overseas as well, he had to be a billionaire at least. Probably a multi-billionaire. It wasn’t often that someone could make me feel like a poor uncultured hick, but a man that rich and an estate like this could sure do it.
My Mom sure knew how to pick ‘em.
With trembling hands, I clutched my purse close to my body and followed my mother up the path which led to the front door of Briarwood. Now that I was closer to the building, I could see some deep crimson roses climbing up a trellis around a corner. I usually liked roses, but these flowers were so dark red that they were almost black, and the mere sight of them made my skin prickle with goosebumps.
I already deeply disliked Briarwood, and I hadn’t even gone inside yet. Call it immaturity, call it intuition, call it whatever you want...but I was right in not liking the place, as I discovered when the door swung open and Mom’s new fiancé greeted us.
“There you are,” he said in a deep voice, and my heart almost ceased pumping blood around my body as I looked him over.
It was none other than Robert St Clair—ex-husband of the woman my father was in prison for murdering, owner of the law firm which employed the lawyers who prosecuted Dad’s case, and father of Asher.
A real triple whammy.
“Oh my fucking god,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Chloe,” Mom hissed, grabbing hold of my hand. “Be nice. I know it’s hard for you to process, but this is happening. Don’t be childish.”
“Hello, Chloe,” Robert said with a tentative grin, offering me his hand. “Call me Rob, please. Robert makes me feel elderly. Anyway, I’m very pleased to meet you.”
I accepted his hand gingerly, feeling sicker with each second that passed. How the hell could Mom do this? It was bad enough that she was remarrying this quickly, and to find out that the man she was marrying was the owner of the law firm that put away my father made it sting twice as much.
A hundred times as much.
The aching in my chest was amplified when another familiar face loomed before me just a moment later. Asher.
“Hey, Chloe,” he said, his eyes unwavering as he stared me down. “Nice to see you again.”
&n
bsp; My Mom raised her eyebrows. “You two know each other?”
“I’d say we’re quite close, yes,” Asher said, his lips twisting into a smirk.
My face turned hot and my throat constricted. I had to get away, had to get out of here. Now.
“Excuse me,” I squeaked out. “I left something in the car. Be back in a sec.”
“Chloe!” Mom called out as I turned and dashed back down the path. I didn’t stop, though. I couldn’t.
“Just let her go,” I heard Robert say in a soothing tone. “This is a bad time for her. Maybe this was too soon.”
He actually sounded like a nice, reasonable guy, but that didn’t make me despise him any less. What kind of man hooked up with the ex-wife of the man who murdered his own ex-wife? It was sick. Twisted. Totally fucked up.
And then there was Asher. The lecherous way he’d looked at me, the way he’d come so close to revealing what happened between us with just a few choice words…how did I ever find a guy like him attractive?
With one flashing memory of that night a week ago, I remembered how. It didn’t matter that he was an asshole—I couldn’t deny that he was a stunning specimen of a man, and the thought of him between my legs made my core ache in the most delicious way.
This was exactly how bad boys got good girls to go crazy for them. They were always so physically appealing that women were willing to overlook their psychopathic tendencies, hoping they’d be the one to change them into a good guy. I’d often wondered why people could be so foolish as to fall for someone like that on the off chance they might be secretly good deep down, and now I found myself wondering if I was a fool too. Could I do that? Could I fall for someone like Asher despite the fact he was a total and utter reptile at heart?
No, I decided as I wiped hot tears from my cheeks. Never.
As I reached the end of the path, I decided against going back to the car. Mom would come looking for me there, trying to convince me to hear her out, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for that at the moment. Honestly, I was starting to think I never would be.
Scandal (A Dirty Money Novel) Page 4
