“And yet, that’s exactly what you were going to let happen to Hayleigh.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Not only were you prepared to implicate her in your mess, your intention was to ruin her relationship with Connor. That goes far and beyond just a naughty prank, Julia. You were messing with people’s hearts. Their lives.”
“I know. It was awful and I wish I could go back and stop myself from doing it.”
Oh, how he understood that wish. Didn’t everyone have something in their life, some moment they desperately wished they could go back and correct? “I know, baby. But the best you can do now is own up to what happened and do your best to make amends. When you apologize to Hayleigh, I expect you to explicitly mention the bullying and the incident at Halloween. Understood?”
Twin tracks of wetness trailed down her cheeks as she nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
“And are you ever going to do anything like that again?”
“No, Daddy. Never.” Her tone was almost viscous in its sincerity, which made his heart swell with pride. Whatever else came of this weekend, he felt confident she was making real changes in her attitude and her behavior.
“Good. You also owe Angel an apology. You can either make it face to face when you return to the Ranch to speak with Derek and Connor, or you can write him a letter, which I will need to approve. But either way, you will apologize.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“All right.” Leaning back in his chair, he picked up a pen and tapped it against the top of the desk. “Now, for your final punishment. I am honestly not sure there is anything I can do to you that truly covers the enormity of what you did when you threatened Connor and the Ranch. So, before we begin, you need to convince me that you not only accept the punishment I’m about to deliver, but that you truly believe you deserve it. Not because you want your recommendation letter, but because you are honestly repentant, and you feel true remorse for your actions.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“That, babygirl, is for you to figure out.”