“Damian, wait!”
“Why? There’s nothing left for me here.”
“Yes, there is. The will—”
“Is complete trash. I should’ve known better than to uproot my life and move to this fucking state all because of a random letter from a man who didn’t give a damn about me. I’m leaving.”
“No, you can’t,” I said, inserting myself between him and the door.
“Christ, not this again, lady,” he muttered.
“Stella.”
“I—”
“Don’t care. Yes, I know, but we should at least talk about this. Kevin wouldn’t just do this without a reason. There has to be a deeper meaning to his actions.”
“What does ‘I don’t care’ mean to you? Because I truly don’t give a shit about a deeper meaning.”
“Well, I do.”
“I know, and I get it. You’re some modern-day Cinderella who is trying to go from rags to riches, but I don’t really give a damn about any of that.”
“What? No. I don’t care about the money. I’m no Cinderella.”
“Aren’t you currently on the property of a man you viewed as a father figure with a collection of seemingly evil-wannabe stepmothers?”
“I, well, yes, but—”
“Cinderstella.”
A mixture of Cinderella and Stella.
Welp, I hated this guy. I also hated how clever the name had been.
“That’s not clever,” I lied.
“I don’t care, Cinderstella. Just move.”
I crossed my arms. “No. Not until we talk.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Move, or I’ll relocate you.”
“I’m two hundred and twenty-some pounds. I doubt you could move me.”
“I bench press double your weight in my sleep. Trust me, you don’t want to test your theory. Now, move before I really get pissed, Cinderstella.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Stop being that, then.”
“Well, you’re just, you’re, you’re the freaking Beast from Beauty and the Beast! Before he transformed into a hot guy! You’re just a hairy, ugly, grumpy Beast!”
He took a step toward me and arched a cocky eyebrow. “You think I’m ugly, Cinderstella?”
“Yes,” I confidently stated. On the inside at least. Which made his outside appearance that much more hideous. Oh, Stella, the lies we tell ourselves. Damian Blackstone was easily one of the most attractive men I’d ever crossed paths with. Which made it that much more annoying.
“Good. I’d rather not have your eyes on me.”
I tilted my head up to the ceiling to avoid staring his way. “Trust me, that’s freaking easy!”
“Good.”
“Extra good!” I combated, feeling a pool of nerves and rage intermixing within my gut.
“Damian, please, a moment,” Joe said, breaking up Damian’s and my interaction.
With a sigh, he walked over to Joe. The two exchanged words with one another in low voices. I wished I was a few inches closer so I could hear what they were saying, but alas.
When they finished talking, Damian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
Within a few seconds, he was standing back in front of me. He reached into the pocket of his suit blazer and pulled out a laminated piece of paper. A business card. He placed it in the palm of my hand. “Here’s my card. Call me if you agree to do this fucked-up arrangement.”
“But seconds ago, you said—”
“I know what I said,” he yipped, sending a wave of chills down my spine. “I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“Because I did.”
I didn’t say a word, but my hand grasped the card. I stepped to the side of the door, allowing Damian the freedom to exit if he’d wished to do so. He took the opportunity and walked outside.
“Stop staring at my ugly ass,” he shot out without looking over his shoulder.
“I’m not!” I hollered back, feeling my cheeks flush.
Okay, maybe I was staring a little bit, but it wasn’t my fault. He shouldn’t have worn a custom-tailored suit that showed off his ugly Beast butt.
It was almost comical that I called him ugly because not an ounce of hideousness lived across Damian’s body. He was attractive in an old Hollywood kind of way. He had his grumpy smolder look locked in, ridiculously addictive blue eyes that reminded me of the stormiest of oceans, and he easily lifted semi-trucks during his free time based on his physique.
Sure, his exterior design was what dreams were made of. Yet what did that matter when his interior was so dark and cold?
Oftentimes, men lost their attractiveness once they opened their mouths and spoke, and Damian was the hottest ugly man I’d ever crossed paths with.
I felt as if my world was spinning round and round at a speed I couldn’t comprehend. That was when Grams showed up and lay a hand against my shoulder.
“Slow it down,” she said in her gentle voice. “You’re disconnecting from yourself, from your inner self. Time to ground.”
“I can’t right now, Grams. Did you hear what just happened? His will? His final wishes? Kevin couldn’t possibly want me to marry a man like Damian! There’s so much that just doesn’t add up. And if that was what he wanted, then why? And how long had he known he had a son? And oh my goodness, can you imagine how hard it would be for Damian to find out Kevin raised another? I can’t even imagine. Plus, the angle with the ex-wives and—”