Page 103 of Game Changer

“I can.” Her voice is firm. “You’re one of the best men I know, William.”

I level my gaze back on her face. “He didn’t want her because he was in love with her from afar. He wanted her because of some fucked up vendetta.”

“What?”

I shake my head. “Apparently, he felt his grandfather was entitled to a piece of the Turquoise Crown pie. Opal owns the rights to that, so he thought marriage was a direct route to cash in on that.”

“You didn’t know that,” she points out. “I distinctly remember reading in his file that he noticed her at a restaurant and got her name from one of the employees. I was going to double check that, but he couldn’t remember the restaurant’s name, and Dash Milligan was the one who directed him to you.”

Dash was a former client with a stellar reputation. I had no reason to doubt anything he said when he called me to ask if I’d take Percy on. I dropped the ball on vetting him thoroughly, and that’s on me.

Sheila straightens to standing. “Tell me what I can do. We can fix this.”

I don’t see how. I’ll replay the final words Opal said to me over and over again until the day I die.

“You’re both just as bad as TJ,” I repeat quietly.

“What was that?”

I shake my head. “Opal told me that Percy and I are just as bad as TJ. I have no fucking idea who that is, but if it’s a man and he hurt her, I just piled more pain on top of that.”

“TJ is Thaddeus Lincoln Junior.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

A small smile slides over her lips. “You pay me to dig deep into our clients’ backgrounds and even deeper into the lives of the women they’re destined to be with. TJ was engaged to Opal until he fucked that up by screwing her best friend.”

I push the chair back and bolt to my feet, frustrated that I’m just hearing about this now. I know all about the Lincolns and their social hold on this city. I’ve ignored the gossip chatter about them because they are the epitome of wealthy people who do nothing for anyone but their family members.

“The best friend got pregnant.” She goes on, “Apparently, TJ claimed it wasn’t his until she announced his impending fatherhood to everyone at his and Opal’s rehearsal dinner. That’s when he finally admitted the affair.”

“Jesus,” I whisper, a stab of pain shooting through me at everything she’s been through. It’s no wonder she insisted on a casual relationship after being put through an emotional wringer like that.

“It was all over social media,” Sheila explains. “I didn’t put two and two together until I stumbled on some old posts that Opal was tagged in.”

“You didn’t tell me any of this.”

“I found it out the day you ripped up the contract with Percy,” she says. “The file on them closed then, so I didn’t mention it. I thought it was moot.”

“She sees me as just another lying bastard.”

Her hand lands on my shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. “So prove her wrong. Make her understand that you’re nothing like Percy or TJ. You’re William Knight. You’re one of the good ones.”

62

Opal

My left footnervously twitches as I sit in a café I’ve never been in. I would have gone to the coffee shop around the corner from Turquoise Crown, but that came with the risk of seeing Chelsie. It’s also a place William frequents, and seeing him this morning is not something I want to do.

After what he told me yesterday, I’m not convinced I’ll ever want to see him again, even though Aunt Hildy spent most of last night reciting every reason he deserves another chance.

Since she helped me facilitate this meeting that’s about to take place, I didn’t argue with her about William, and I didn’t refuse when she invited me to stay the night in one of her guest rooms.

A comfortable bed to cry myself to sleep in was exactly what I needed.

I also needed the change of clothes I’m wearing now. Aunt Hildy is an angel on earth. I dropped my tote on her couch before retreating to the bedroom she directed me to. She took the opportunity to borrow my apartment keys from it. A quick trip to my apartment early this morning meant I’d have new clothes to wear after my shower.

Her signature fashion flair is now a part of my outfit since she chose white jeans, a pink and yellow top, and a pair of red boots I haven’t worn in years. I never would have thrown this all together, but when I spun in a circle after getting ready, she clapped and told me I looked like sunshine.

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