"Everything you learned about her father was true, but you can't hold that against Raya."
That's his idea of changing my feelings?
"I can if she condones it. Hell, she was running a scam on me."
He shakes his head, acting as though he pities me. I don't need his damn pity.
"No, Kade, she wasn't. Raya does love her father, she does visit him often, and she speaks to him regularly. But she never condoned his life. And that girl hasn't done anything but shine her nose too much in order to be as very little like her father as possible. Hell, she's more of a saint than you."
Ha. That's laughable. "The last I checked, I didn't screw her over and play games with her head."
The door shuts just as another voice fills the house. "You've never done anything but play games," my father says as he enters the room.
Really need to start locking my door.
Tag sits back and looks at him, seeming confused. "Thought your flight didn't come in until tomorrow."
Dad smirks, like the smug bastard he is. "I thought this was a little more important." Then he turns his attention to me. "You've been looking for an excuse to distance yourself from Raya since she started living here. I could see the fear in your eyes. I know. I was once just like you. Your mother scared the hell out of me because she was right in the way of everything I wanted to accomplish. A distraction. That's what an idiot I was.
"I pushed her away, using the fact that I wasn't good enough for an heiress as an excuse. She got tired of fighting for me. I don't blame her. After I lost her and found exactly what I wanted—wealth—I realized I was as hollow as a person could be. I barely managed to win her back."
He sighs out heavily as he finishes shattering the illusion of their perfect fairytale. "You and Mom didn't have this surrounding you. Raya never loved me, Dad. I was a target."
The words leave my mouth and steal my breath, making me nauseated. And I see a flicker of genuine concern come over my father's face.
"No, you weren't. Raya didn't set up that damn house incident, and I'm dumbfounded as to how you think she did. It wasn't a calculated hit. It was pure luck that she wasn't killed. That side of the house barely hung on long enough for someone to get her out. And, well, you should speak to her mother. Raya has been turning down money from her father since he started sending her checks. I know this because her mother was worried sick about her not being able to afford living on her own."
I shake my head, wishing so badly I could just believe this.
"She took money from him. I was here when she blatantly admitted to it. Her boyfriend delivered it," I tell him, fighting the bile that rises to my throat.
Tag chuckles while sifting through some pictures. I can't believe he thinks this is funny.
"This guy?" he asks, handing me a picture of the bastard himself.
"Yeah."
I turn away as Tag continues, "That's Brody Sparks. He's the FBI agent assigned to her father. They work cases together because Ray Drivel is perfect for tracking down conmen. He brought Raya that money because it wasn't tainted."
"How can you possibly believe this?" I ask, looking at him like he's lost his mind. It's the most ludicrous explanation I've ever heard.
"Because," Dad says as he sits down beside me, "I went and talked to him. I was patted down, walked through security, and then taken to a lower level conference room just to talk to him at the FBI headquarters in L.A. He's not usually there, but I insisted we meet there. He's legit. Raya's father makes a killing designing impenetrable security systems. He's a coveted gem, despite the fact he was once corrupt. Raya only took the money because Brody swore it was clean.
"According to him, Raya has better skills at the card tables than her father. And you already know she could hustle pool if she really wanted to. She never gambles, because she feels like she's stealing. Not even at casinos. That's how her father got started. Anytime someone presses her to play them, she tells them honestly how she won't be beaten. Raya is closer to being a saint than any of us, and you condemned her."
My head spins as I try to soak it all in, and my whole body becomes too heavy.
"But she didn't deny it. She was cold. You didn't see her that day."
Dad cracks his knuckles as he looks down at the ground, and I see a sadness crease his brow.
"Before I made my money, I was taunted, teased, and ridiculed for being poor. Everyone kept laughing and telling me I'd fail, including the rich assholes that kiss my ass today. I didn't succeed overnight, and I failed a couple of times along the way. But I was still a phenomenon because of how quickly I built an empire with few investors."
He looks at me, but I don't know where he's going with this.
"No one believed in me, and no one surprised me with their reactions. No one other than your mother and your grandfather. Had your mother turned on me, I would h
ave expected it. You did exactly what Raya expected you to do. You judged her the same way as everyone else has. And she was prepared for it. No one surprises her when they believe the worst. I can't imagine how much that must have hurt, because Margaret never did anything but surprise me with her belief in me."