“No. I’m not.”
His jaw ticked, and my mother let out an exasperated sigh.
“Honestly, Simone. Must you be so ornery? We love you. We’re trying to protect you. You don’t seem to be taking this seriously.”
“Really, Mother? You think I’m not taking someone who has pictures of me in my underwear and drinking cucumber water at the spa last spring, which we suspected was poisoned, seriously? He, she, they were at Will’s estate watching me today. Let me assure you,Mother,I am well aware of the severity of the situation.”
“Then stop acting like a bratty child and do as I say,” Dad snapped in a reprimanding tone.
Dammit, I wished Will and Miranda were here for moral support. They would intercede for me, but they had gone upstairs to nap. Poor Miranda had been pretty worked up after her party fell apart. Will had been right by her side, taking care of her.
But what about me? Who was taking care of me? Certainly not my parents, who wanted to control me as usual. I wanted to be held and comforted inmyhome. Not steamrolled. I wanted to be distracted so I would forget what I saw on my phone. And assured some whacked-out maniac wouldn’t get me. But my parents were the last people on the planet to give me what I needed.
“William,” Mom said in a hushed voice.
Dad’s phone rang and not a moment too soon. He swiftly left the room to answer it. I’d get a moment of reprieve, but he’d resume the discussion and try to force me to stay at the mansion.
When I turned twenty-one, I received my inheritance and promptly moved out against my parents’ wishes. It was my chance to experience the world without my parents’ constant interference. I’d considered getting a job after I graduated from college, like other people my age. But I didn’t need to, nor did I really want to. I was the daughter of a billionaire—a socialite, like Paris Hilton. Except in my family, Will was the sole heir to “the throne,” so to speak, inheriting St. James Investments in its entirety. My cousin Henry and I didn’t get any cut of it, which was ridiculous, unfair, and infuriating.
Grandfather had called our familyAmerican royalty. I didn’t want to be any kind of royalty. I just wanted to be free to live my life any way I chose without my parents breathing down my neck and their critical gazes burning holes in me.
But still keeping my inheritance, of course.
Why couldn’t they just keep their perfect noses out of my goddamn business? If I wanted to go home, I should be able to freaking go home. If I was harmed in the process because I made a stupid choice, so be it. We all lived with the consequences of our choices. So should Simone St. James, heiress tonothing.
Yes, I probably sounded unruly and spoiled… bratty as my dad called me. I was on some level. Hell, I earned the right to be spoiled and even bitchy at times. My life wasn’t easy, as some might think. Sure it was privileged, and I received the best ofeverything, but it came at a cost: my freedom.
My life wasn’t all mimosas in the morning and champagne in the evenings. I was groomed like Will but not for business. For high society. I went to finishing school and had a French nanny who monitored my every move until I graduated high school. Sylvie had quickly corrected any “unbecoming behaviors.” I rarely had a moment to myself or friends over to play with. My birthday parties were more for my parents’ friends than my own. I grew up lonely, while Will was busy being trained to take over SJI. I was sure he’d agree that it sucked to be a St. James kid.
“Are you attracted to Mr. Pérez?” Mother asked.
I blinked my eyes, pulling myself out of my head. “Who?”
“Axel. Pérez is his last name.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. And no, I’m not.”
She studied me a long second. “You’re from very different worlds, Simone. You would never work with him. He wouldn’t want to be involved in the things we are expected to participate in because we’re St. James. It’s best to forget about him.”
Why was she talking to me like she knew more about how I felt than I did?
“I’m not interested in Axel. He’s familiar. Will trusts him with Miranda’s life. Why shouldn’t I trust him with mine?”
“That’s it? You only view him as a bodyguard? Someone who will protect you?” She swung her leg leisurely. My mother wasn’t buying the shit I was spewing.
“Yes.” I held still, waiting for lightning to strike me down for lying.
“I think not. This is why I disagree with York’s recommendation. If you two are thrust together, I worry the feelings you’re denying will deepen, and God knows what will happen.” She looked at her nails, probably checking to make sure they were still flawless.
“Because being with someone like Axel is beneath me.”
“Yes…” The word flew out of her mouth before she could stop it. “I mean, you’re different.”
“Right, Mother. You hide it well most times, but I know how high your standards are. It was a miracle you welcomed Miranda intoourworld. She was just a commoner too, you know.”
Mom shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Miranda is nothing like Axel. She was a successful business owner. She has style and class. She’s wonderful.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know how terrific Miranda is. I love her too. But maybe I don’t want a stuffy suit like Dad.” Did I really admit to wanting Axel? Judging by the appalled look on my mother’s face, I guessed yes.