“There, there,” Alexa said. She stroked my hair and held me close. “It’s gonna be okay, Belle. I promise.”
“It’s not,” I said tearfully. “Mitchell left everything to Jackson, my asshole stepbrother. My mom didn’t get a cent, and now she wants me to go beg money out of Jackson!”
Alexa hugged me tighter. “It’ll be okay,” she said in a soothing voice. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
I pulled away from her in shock. “Are you kidding?” My jaw dropped. “He’s…he’s spent his entire life trying to ruin mine!”
“Belle, come on,” Alexa said softly. “He just lost his father. He’s going through a lot of grief right now.”
I stared at her. “I tried to give him my best at the funeral, and he told me to fuck off. Literally,” I added in a dry voice. “He doesn’t give a shit about me, or my mom. Why the hell would he help us out? He probably thinks Mom is nothing but a gold-digger!”
Alexa sighed softly. “Belle, I know this is hard. But can’t you accept that maybe he’s just been fronting this whole time?”
“He’s always been nothing less than a complete jerk to me,” I said softly. “The first time I met him, he was charming for about ten seconds. Since then, I’ve never seen that side of him. He’s just an arrogant prick!”
Alexa patted my shoulder. “I know,” she said. “But you’ve gotta help your mom, right?”
I nodded grimly. “I do,” I agreed. “I know I do.”
--
The next morning, I hopped on a bus to New York City. It felt weird to be going back so soon after leaving, but I hoped that I wouldn’t be staying for long. I was absolutely dreading meeting with Jackson, but I didn’t know what else to do. After all – he hated my guts. There was no way he’d want to drag this process out any longer than it already had to be.
I checked into a cheap bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Brooklyn and immediately tried to call Jackson at work. He had his own consulting firm – it was called First Perfect – and he’d been working there since his early twenties. Mom always talked about how rich Jackson was, but I didn’t even need to hear it to know. All I had to do was look at him. In addition to the rack of expensive suits, he always had a fresh haircut, perfect skin, and immaculate shoes.
“First Perfect Consulting, the first time you work with us, it’s always perfect!” A receptionist chirped into the phone.
I stifled the urge to groan. “I need to speak with Jackson Rhodes,” I said. “Immediately.”
The woman on the other end of the phone snickered and I felt annoyance wash over me.
“May I ask who’s calling? Mr. Rhodes is typically not available,” she said snidely. I imagined her rolling her eyes at the idiot calling and asking to speak to the CEO.
I blushed. “He’s…he’s my stepbrother,” I said after a pause. “And I think he’d like to speak with me, if he knew that I was waiting.”
“Dear, he’s the CEO,” the woman said in a snippy voice. “He can’t just take random calls from strangers.”
Under my skin, my blood began to boil. “I’m not a stranger,” I growled. “I told you. I’m his stepsister! I’m family!”
“Hold please.” The woman set the phone down with a click before I could respond. I balled my hands into fists and clenched my fingers so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.
After what felt like an eternity, she picked the phone back up.
“Miss? Are you still there?”
“Yes,” I said impatiently. “Can I speak to Jackson now?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Rhodes isn’t available. Please try calling back later.”
“The fuck he’s not,” I growled. “I know you’re lying!”
Click.
I stared at the grubby receiver in my hand. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I wailed out loud, my voice echoing off the hotel room walls. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
I flopped down on the bed and buried my face in my hands. Now what the hell was I going to do, turn around and go back to Alfred and tell Mom that I’d failed?
Just thinking about it was enough to make me sick. I knew I couldn’t do that – I couldn’t admit my shortcomings to her. I had to try harder. I was her only daughter, her only hope. If I didn’t fight for her, no one would.