Page 583 of Filthy Elites

I shoot him a glare. "Not all of us have a money tree in the backyard."

"We live on the same property, Erica. Same backyard."

"I'm not the one who owns it." I don't know if he's being pointedly obtuse, too spoiled to realize money is a huge issue for me, or if he's just being cruel and dismissing my very real struggle.

Probably all three.

"You can have half."

I frown. "Sorry, half what?"

"Everything, I suppose. Half of the money tree. Half of the Cambridge flat. It's a short walk away from Harvard, so it's conveniently close to MIT, too."

I grunt. I'm so done with him fucking with me. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not falling for the sudden interest, Chase? I get it. You want to make me think you like me, try to make me fall for you, and then humiliate me, like in some cheap teen movie. It's not happening. The only thing you can get from me is pussy."

"Shame. The ring looks so good on you."

"What are you—"Talking about. That's what I'm supposed to say, except I catch a glimpse of a shiny band on my left hand.

I stare in complete puzzlement. The ring's silver or white gold, with a bloodred stone at its center and a halo of diamonds around it.It’s stunning. Somehow, I never so much as felt him put it on me. The manipulative ass was distracting me.

"What the hell?"

"You're the one who didn't want the girlfriend label," he reminds me.

"Oh, you fucking…" I don't even have a word for him.I try to remove the band, but it doesn't budge, stuck on my knuckle.

"Looks like I estimated the size right."

"Stop fucking messing with me, Chase!" I cry. Why isn't this stupid ring budging?

"I'm not messing with you, I'm proposing to you. You won’t believe I intend to keep you without conclusive proof, so here you have it."

I huff. "I don't trust a word you say."

He nods happily. "I know. You're likely to keep your head firmly planted in the sand for a while. Don't worry, I'll get Mom to sort out the wedding planning, so you'll just have to turn up and say 'I do'. I figure you'll come to terms with the fact that I'm keeping you after I'm legally bound to do so."

"Argh!" I could strangle him, but he's behind the wheel so it'll have to wait. "Why can't I get this thing off!"

He glances at my hand. "Maybe because you don't really want to, fiancée."

He's either insane or evil.

"Even if you were sincere, I'm not marrying you."

"Mm-hmm."

"Tell me the stones are fake," I plead. If they aren't, I've never so much as touched anything worth as much as the small object stuck on my left hand.

He sends me an affronted look."Please."

Of course it's real.

I'm hyperventilating. "I touchalgae,I weld, solder, and fall on my ass on the ice on a daily basis. I can't have thousands of dollars attached to me."

"And yet you do. Deal with it."

We drive into the courtyard and, spotting lights in his ridiculously large home, I suddenly panic. "Don't you dare tell anyone about your lunacy.Especiallynot my mother."

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