Page 53 of Bitter Heat

She glanced at her childhood home, a castle made of stone with turrets and brick arches, and then back at him. “Live here?”

He clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin. “How long do you think you can stay in that dump in Boston?”

She went cold with shock. “How do you know?”

“I’ve always had someone watching you.”

“Why?”

“You’re my daughter.”

“Oh, I’m your daughter now?” she asked scathingly.

“You always will be.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“You destroyed my friendship with Parker and cost me millions. For what? A man who only wanted to trade off on your name. How could you not see that he was just using you?”

His words set off an avalanche of pain. She closed her eyes and brushed a hand over her face. “How many times are you going to throw that in my face?” she whispered.

“That’s the last time you’ll ever hear it.”

She opened her eyes and glanced around the historic estate. Everything was green and peaceful. She had forgotten how much she loved this place. “You’d let me live here?”

“You need a quiet place to work now that your career is taking off.”

She looked back at him. “Career?” No, he couldn’t know…

He gave her a steady look out of knowing eyes. “You think you can get anything past me?”

“You know?” she choked.

“Know and read, Thalia.”

She felt faint. He read in detail about her affair with Roth. He read the anal scene, her fucking in an alley …? She felt sick with embarrassment. “Y-you had no right!”

“You published it, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but…” She couldn’t wrap her mind around this catastrophe.

“I’m having lunch in ten minutes. You’ll stay, and we’ll discuss the next step.”

“Next step?”

“Your latest book made you a bestseller. I know someone who works at a publishing company—”

“No!”

“No, what?” he snapped.

“I don’t want you involved in my career.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Her hands wind milled as she tried to find a reason why he should stay out of her business. “I need to do this on my own. Iamdoing it on my own. I need to know I’m good enough! I need something that’s just mine.”

“You’re being childish.”

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