23
STELLA
“MR. LAWSON,” THEO SAID, RELEASING Richard’s hand. “How are you?”
“Good,” Richard said, shooting a sideways glance at my dad. “This one’s been filling my inbox with work, and I’m half-tempted to give my two weeks’ notice and flee to a Tuscan vineyard of my own.”
Mom grimaced. “And turn into one of those insufferable people who does nothing but talk about grapes?”
Richard rubbed a hand over the back of his head like he’d been caught.
“So what if I did?”
Mom’s look was chiding. “You’d be out of your mind with boredom within a month and beg us to come back, but by then we’d have hired someone far more qualified than you to fill the position, and it would all become unbearably awkward.”
Richard looked to Theo. “Thirty years, I’ve been putting up with this kind of workplace harassment.”
Theo chuckled, and to anyone who didn’t know him, it probably sounded fine, but my ears caught a forced note. Was he still thinking about Maddie? Had he spotted her through the crowd? I searched for her, adrenaline-laced blood pumping through my veins as my fight-or-flight kicked in. Where was she? In my head, I saw her lurking behind every group of people, waiting to pounce the second my guard was down.
“Oh, Jerry!” Richard said, raising his glass to someone across the room.
He sent us an apologetic smile as he stepped away. “I know we’re not supposed to talk about work at these things, but I want to thank him for getting a report to me ahead of schedule.”
My parents left us a few minutes later to make the rounds, and I noticed Theo’s gaze still tracking Richard.
“Does he always attend these parties alone?” he asked.
“Yeah, he’s been single as long as I’ve known him. I mean, he’s dated, but I can’t remember him ever being in a long-term relationship.”
Theo snorted. “Typical.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He eyed me. “Just another wealthy playboy.”
“Richard isn’t like that.”
His answering laugh was condescending.
“He isn’t,” I insisted. “There was some big drama when I was younger, and he and his wife had a very long, very ugly divorce. I think he met someone else during it? But then she just up and vanished, and he’s been alone ever since.” There was more to the tale, including Richard’s desperate search for the woman who’d vanished, and a child he’d been trying to find for over two decades, but I wasn’t about to spill his secrets.
“Quite a story,” Theo said, sounding like he wasn’t buying it, which made me feel defensive. Richard was a good man, and I didn’t appreciate the insinuation that he wasn’t.
“You know, just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he’s a liar.”
Theo opened his mouth, a cruel look on his face, but then he seemed to think better of it and slugged back the rest of his champagne. “I need something stiffer than this to get through tonight. Where’s the bar?”
“I think it’s in the Cretaceous period.”
He gave me a blank look.
“This way.”
I kept my eyes peeled for Maddie as we walked, my shoulders inching upward, muscles clenched with tension. Where the fuck was she? From the way Theo tracked the crowd, I could tell he was wondering the same thing, and by the time we reached the bar, we were both silent and tense.
After ordering (a water for me, an old-fashioned for Theo), we meandered our way into the Hall of Human History, trying to act casual when we both knew what we were really doing: hunting down Maddie.
“Oh, look,” I said as we approached a particularly ugly caveman. “Now we found your twin.”
Theo had no reaction whatsoever. No choked laugh, no eyeroll. Just silence. Like he hadn’t even heard me. It was oddly deflating, and yes, I did have the sudden realization that I’d been hoping for a response. That I wasn’t just being mean to him for my own satisfaction, or because he
deserved it (which he did), but for some other (probably tragically sad) reason I should probably speak to my therapist about.
Another thing to ask her? If I had Stockholm syndrome. I couldn’t think of any other reason why the thought of not seeing Theo anymore made my stomach drop.
On second thought, screw my therapist. This was above her pay grade.
What I really needed was Runa. She’d be able to unpack this with me.
Maybe I could stop by her place tomorrow, use my problems as an excuse to see how she was doing now that she was out of the hospital. I could call first, see if she needed me to pick up groceries or anything on the way over because despite how ADA-compliant her apartment was, there were still areas that were a pain in the— “Stella?” a tentative, feminine voice said.
I wrenched around, horrified that Maddie had managed to sneak up on us.
She stood a few feet away, her blond hair perfectly coiffed, makeup equally flawless. In her white ball gown, she looked like the picture of innocence, which was probably her intention.
“Maddie,” Theo drawled.
“No.” I put my hand on his arm to forestall whatever he was about to say. Because I had things I needed to get off my chest first. “What do you want, Maddie?”
“To talk. Please.” Her eyes glistened, and I wondered how anyone could possibly fall for her crocodile tears.
“Fine, we can talk,” I said, forcing my tone to remain calm, refusing to give her whatever she was after.
She’d always been a drama queen, loved causing scenes, loved the eyes of a crowd on her. Maddie thrived off the attention, especially if she found some way to make herself look like the victim, and I’d always wondered why. Did she crave the attention of others because her parents had been so absent throughout her childhood? Was it narcissism? A personality disorder? I’d tried asking my therapist, but she said she’d need to speak to Maddie in order to properly diagnose her.
Maddie’s bottom lip quivered. “I tried to talk to you at the last party, but you were so mean.”
I didn’t answer, refused to show any outward reaction, and it was probably the hardest thing I’d ever done. This woman had framed me for a crime I didn’t commit, had almost gotten away with it, and yet here she was, for the second time, publicly acting like she was the victim.
“I think …” Her lower lip trembled, and she steeled herself like she was gathering courage. “I think you owe me an apology.”
Theo’s hand pressed against my lower back in a silent show of support, and it buoyed me, knowing he was ready to fuck up Maddie’s life if I faltered. For the first time since we’d met, his presence gave me courage.
He’d practically dragged me in here when all I’d wanted to do was flee, but I was grateful for that now, because it made me realize two things: Maddie wasn’t invincible, and I needed closure with her, as ugly as it might get.
And while it was nice to have this big, ruthless bastard by my side, I didn’t need him to fight my battles for me. I was going to do this myself.
“Why should I apologize?” I asked. “I wasn’t the one driving the car. I wasn’t the one who fled the scene sobbing on the phone to my parents. I stayed there and did the right thing, and you’ve been punishing me for it
ever since.”
“Why do you keep lying?” she cried.
“Why do you?” I waved toward the people around us, watching this scene unfold. It was a mixed group, some were company employees, others my parents’ friends and acquaintances. I spotted Mrs. Heidi Ashley and pointed to her. “When we were eight, you broke her Bronze Age amphora
because she said you couldn’t have it.”
“That was an accident,” Maddie argued.
I pointed to Angela Renner next. “When we were twelve, you were desperate to get a pony for your birthday, but Angela got one first, and you were so mad that you knocked her cake over while we were all singing
‘Happy Birthday.’”
“That was another accident,” she cried.
“You tried to drag the pony away, screaming that it was supposed to be
yours.”
“I didn’t.”
Angela harrumphed. “You absolutely did, and there are fifty other witnesses to confirm it.”
I shot her a grateful look before refocusing on Maddie. “One day, all your horrible behavior is going to catch up with you. People will start reflecting on all your ‘accidents’ and wonder if your innocent act is just that. They’ll start to see who you are. Who you’ve always been. A selfish, spoiled, entitled bitch.”
Her answering laugh was ugly, the real her peeking out. “Like you’re any better.”
“I am,” I said, fully believing the words. “Maybe I wasn’t always, but I’m trying to make up for my past, while you’re acting like a thirty-five- year-old child lashing out because Mommy and Daddy don’t love you enough.” I shook my head, doing my best to mimic Theo’s most obnoxious grin because I knew firsthand how infuriating it was to have it directed your way. “I actually pity you, Maddie. Your life must be so sad if you have to resort to rage-baiting for attention.”
A crack split the air, and suddenly I was looking at the wall.
My cheek was hot and painful. My ears rang.
She’d slapped me.
I rolled my neck, shrugging it off, my tongue coated with the taste of copper because her rings had split the inside of my lip.
Theo made a low, angry sound in the back of his throat and tried to move
forward, but I grabbed him.
“That’s assault,” I told Maddie.
She retreated a step, eyes wide as she searched the crowd for support.
“She pushed me into it. You heard what she said.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Angela Renner spoke up. “But I did see you hit Stella unprovoked, and I’ll be happy to tell the police that when they
arrive.”
“So will I,” Mrs. Ashley added.
I leaned forward and smiled, knowing it must look deranged because of the blood coating my teeth, “Run, Maddie. It’s the only thing you’re good
at.”
She fled.
Someone started clapping, but others shushed them. Once she was out of sight, the crowd’s focus shifted to me, and my panic rose. I needed to get out of here.
Theo noticed and dragged me in the opposite direction, through a door labeled “Employees Only” and into an empty hallway.
“Fuck, that was incredible,” he said, drinking me in like it was his first time seeing me.
I spun away from him and paced down the hall, my arms wrapped around my burning stomach, my entire body trembling with unspent rage. I didn’t feel incredible. Instead, I felt like I could scream. Like I might puke. I was so fucking angry at Maddie for showing up at this party and so fucking angry at Theo for practically forcing me back in here, but also so fucking proud of myself for how I’d handled that. For not letting my feelings get the better of me in the moment. For finding a way to goad Maddie into slipping up and revealing the real her.
There were too many emotions in my body right now, and since I wasn’t giving them any other outlet, they manifested as tears. I did my best to fight them, but a sob slipped through my lips.
Theo snagged my elbow and yanked me into a hug, his arms banding around me, his warmth seeping into my skin. I immediately relaxed into his hold, burying my face in his jacket and breathing in the smell of him.
“Are you okay?”
“Why do you even care?” I muttered into his shirt. “You hate me.
Remember?”
He sighed, holding me tighter. “I don’t hate you. I hated who I thought you were.”
I had no idea what to say to that, so I kept quiet, fighting back the continued threat of tears because I didn’t do this. I didn’t lose it in public. I held everything together until I was back in the safety of my own apartment, where I could cry in the shower until the water ran cold.
“How’d you get here?” Theo asked. “I can have one of the valets bring your car around so I can drive you home.”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a car. I don’t even have a license. I haven’t driven since that night.”
He was quiet for a second, and when he spoke, his voice was softer.
“Then I’ll take you home in mine. There’s a bathroom behind you if want to check your makeup first.”
I pulled free from his arms without a backward glance.
For a moment there, I’d forgotten myself, forgotten that he was the last person I should look to for comfort. I wouldn’t even be in this position if it weren’t for him. He wasn’t a safe harbor in the storm; he was the lightning about to strike. And no, he might not hate me anymore, but I still didn’t think that would stop him from setting fire to my entire life if I didn’t uphold my side of our bargain.
I checked to make sure I was alone in the bathroom and then locked the door behind me before approaching the mirror. Thankfully, I’d gone light on tonight’s makeup, and it wasn’t smeared that badly. I grabbed a couple paper towels from the dispenser and tried to blot away a few smudges of mascara, but my hands shook so much that I nearly jabbed myself in the eye.
I set the paper towel down and turned to inspect my face. My cheek was already red and swelling. Maddie had hit me pretty good. Leaning in, I carefully pulled my lip up to see that yup, the inside was cut, and I knew that until it healed, it would serve as a reminder of that awful interaction.
God, I should have walked away. The second I caught sight of Maddie, I should have turned and left the building, with or without Theo. I’d been wrong. Standing my ground hadn’t made me feel any better. It hadn’t brought me closure. In fact, I felt worse, because at the end of all my maladaptive daydreams about confronting Maddie, she did the right thing.
She turned herself into the police, promised to confess, and attempted to make everything right.
Now I felt like a fool. Because some small part of me had obviously been holding out false hope that would all come true. Had thought there was at least a minuscule chance she might be capable of change, because I had changed.
But I should have known better. Sure, I’d been a stupid, self-centered asshole for most of my life, but I’d never done anything malicious; only reckless. Maddie was different, and people like her didn’t suddenly wake up one morning and decide to right all their wrongs. She’d gotten away with something terrible, and she was going to hide inside her crystal palace where she was safe, probably dying old and happy, surrounded by her loving family because there was no justice in this world.
Theo was right to be so full of hate and vitriol. To wish ill upon everyone in my parents’ socioeconomic class. To assume that people were guilty until
proven innocent. So far, I’d given him the worst of the names. Those I thought were on par with Maddie. But there were others I’d withheld.
People who might not be inherently evil, but had still done bad things. Well, I would spare them no more. I’d hand each and every one over to Theo and let him be their judge, jury, and executioner.
Because fuck them.
Five minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom a changed woman, makeup flawless, spine rigid.
Theo was waiting where I left him, looking like a Bond villain in his tuxedo. His gaze landed on me. “Are you ready?”
“No. I want to stay. I have more names to add to your list.”
