Page 3 of Royal Havoc

He studies me for a long moment, and I can tell he’s trying to choose his words wisely. So, I wait patiently, sipping my coffee.

Finally, clearing his throat. “No, she didn’t.Yougot lots of money.”

“What?”

“All of it went to you,” he answers simply.

“Right, because of her —”

Cutting me off. “No.” Quickly shaking his head. “When she signed those papers, she agreed —”

Now, it’s my turn to shake my head. “I don’t understand,” I tell him, so confused that I interrupt before he can finish.

Did I mention, nothing about my life makes sense?

He scrubs a hand over his face. “The stipulation says you must be in the care of one of your parents or a legal guardian until you graduate.”

“Which makes no sense because I’m an adult. I shouldn’t have to be in anyone's care,” I interrupt, needing to voice my annoyance.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t the easiest kid to raise. Throw out all my anxiety issues, and you’re still left with atroublemaker,as she liked to call me.

Trouble and I have an agreement. It leads, I follow.

However, Mom and I also had a silent understanding; I stayed out of her way, and she left me alone. Meaning - I’ve basically been an adult for years. Plain and simple, we agreed years ago to disagree.

“What happens if I say no?” I ask.

“Tomorrow, all the accounts, your trust, and the assets will be frozen. If you agree, you’ll be able to claim them in three months when you graduate. If you disagree, everything will be sold, liquidated, and donated,” he explains slowly, making sure I understand what he’s telling me.

“If I agree, it means —”

“You have to live with your da —”

“Don’t you fucking say it,” I hiss angrily, fire racing through my veins. “Never call that worthless sperm sack that word,” I spit, hating even the thought of what he’s insinuating.

The donor bag woke up on my fifth birthday and decided it’d be a good day to ghost. Leaving me to learn how to live withcrazyon my own. I haven’t seen him since.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s always the people who claim to care about you the most, who end up fracturing your soul. Which is why I’ve locked away old memories and swore to myself for years I’d never go back to that place.

He sighs loudly, “You have to go back to River’s Edge and stay withHendrix,” he corrects.

Just hearing his name makes me want to vomit.

“Why would she sign that?”

Lacing his fingers on the table. “I can’t answer that. All I can tell you is she signed when you were five. Agreeing to Rowland’s stipulation and to sign over everything to you. All of it’s been yours since Rowland died.”

“Seriously? Why?”

He shrugs. “No idea, but now I know why she never let me handle any of her finances,” he tells me thoughtfully.

My mind’s blown, leaving my head feeling like a rattle.

Shit’s for sure not adding up. The text she sent the night of my birthday still lingers in my mind like a bitter aftertaste. Don’t get me wrong, my life’s always revolved around hers. She was the Earth, and I was the Moon. Everything was about her because that’s how selfish people survive. They suck out the souls of those around them, turning them into a weak, useless shell.

But, hearingthis… kind of sounds like she trusted me, which can’t be right. However, I know for a fact the lady never did anything without carefully studying all the details first. Not to mention, she was an outstanding negotiator. I’ve heard her talk Nolan in circles, and he’s a damn lawyer.

Trust is another word missing from my vocabulary. So why? What didshegain?

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