Chapter 6
Chapter 6
“What? Why didn’t you call him directly?”
Jaxon stared at Bella in disbelief, but her reaction was weird-she avoided eye contact.
“Why are you being such a dick about it? He’s not my actual dad. The guy’s busy as hell-why would he care
about small stuff like this?”
She pouted and turned it back on Jaxon:
Besides, YOU dated her for years and never figured out she was Chairman Sterling’s daughter. Talk about
utting me in an impossible position!”
I didn’t know because she never TOLD me, but you’re supposed to be family and you didn’t know either?” axon’s voice kept rising.
Don’t yell at me! This cousin of mine grew up overseas and kept a super low profile. I only saw her once at ome family dinner when I was little-I barely remembered what she looked like.”
My dad died young, and her dad was never close to our side of the family. How was I supposed to know
what she looks like now?”
Plus she goes by Blackwell, not Sterling!”
listened to them throwing each other under the bus and couldn’t help laughing.
took my mom’s last name, and Dad kept a low profile-never even released photos or my real name. When started working, I had my family background, so most people would never connect me to the chairman’s laughter.
My laugh immediately caught their attention.
“Victoria Blackwell” Jason looked over at me through gritted teeth.
“No wonder you were so quick to dump me. You were planning to watch me crash and burn from day one, weren’t your
“How’s it feel to almuse your power? Must be nice getting to destroy people whenever you want.”
“I really had you all wrong
Looking at his disappointed, accusatory expression, I got curious
Chapter 6
Just how thick-skinned did someone have to be to twist reality like this?
“Abuse my power? Jaxon, you’ve got some nerve using those words with me,” I laughed coldly.
“Isn’t that exactly what YOU love doing?”
“Don’t blame me just because six months of whispering sweet nothings to Bella didn’t get you the connections you wanted.”
Jaxon’s face went through about fifty different colors. He couldn’t get a word out.
He knew damn well he wasn’t qualified for that promotion yet.
But when Bella showed up, he got his hopes up again.
A young “girl” with connections-if he could win her heart, he’d win her backing.
With her behind him, he figured he was the lucky guy who’d caught the golden ring.
He just never imagined the real power player would be me.
axon’s mouth twitched as he suddenly dropped Bella’s hand and walked toward me:
Victoria, let’s talk.”
Bella’s face went white.
Jaxon, what the hell?”
Watching their little drama, I found it kind of entertaining.
I’d never bothered figuring out whether Jaxon cheated purely for career advancement or if he actually had leelings for Bella.
But from his reaction now, it was crystal clear-for someone as ambitious as Jaxon, the person he loved most would always he himself.
“We’ve got nothing to talk about “I waved dismissively
“Didn’t we break up over a month ago?”
“YOU bruke up with me-1 never wanted us to actually sad
The second Jaxon said that. I heard bella gasp
I stared at him coolly. “Oh right. Let me rephrase: I DUMPED your ass over a month ago.”
Chapter 6
“So please stop sticking to me like a piece of gum, okay?”
I had a feeling if I stuck around, Jaxon was going to say something as nauseating as that text message he’d
sent.
So I turned to leave.
“Wait!” Jaxon rushed forward, blocking my path.
‘Victoria.” He stared at my face, finally getting the words out shakily:
‘I’m sorry.”
‘I screwed up. I let you down.”
His eyes flickered as he continued:
‘But you’ve been lying to me for six years too, haven’t you?”
‘All these years, you had countless chances to come clean, to help me get into headquarters.”
‘But you never said anything. You just watched me bust my ass, fighting my way up step by step.”
What am I to you? Some kind of test? A toy?” He hung his head, looking genuinely hurt:
I probably never meant that much to you anyway, did I?”
was about ready to laugh at his shamelessness.
ix years together, and I’d never realized what a performer he was.
Before I could respond, a middle-aged man’s voice came from behind me:
So what if you were a test?”
Being my daughter’s test subject is the best thing that ever happened to your pathetic life.”
13:57
