Page 81 of Unbidden

“Are you kidding me? You’re taking that peasant’s side?” Ingram roars.

“Bite your tongue, Ingram,” Elijah snaps. “I’m over your behavior. One more wrong move gets back to me and I take it all away.”

“You can’t take anything from me.” She raises her busted nose in the air haughtily.

“I can and I will. It’s my money, now, isn’t it? Now apologize.”

“I’m sorry,” she mutters while looking out the window.

“Because that was believable.” Keaton snickers, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from V.

“We’ll be taking both Victoria and Sage home for the day,” Alice tells Principal Harris.

“Yes, of course.”

“If anything like this happens again to either our daughter or our niece, we’ll be pulling our donations from the school,” Richard tells him coolly.

“That's not necessary,” Harris sputters.

Everyone stands and starts making their way to the door to leave.

“If you don’t mind, Alice, Richard, I would like a moment alone with Sage,” Elijah says.

They look at one another, and Richard replies, “Of course. Make it quick though.”

Everyone clears out, and Tinsley raises her brow silently asking me if I’m okay with being left alone with Mr. Humphries. I give her a slight nod, and she shuts the door silently.

Elijah walks around the table and stares out the window overlooking the school grounds and sighs before turning back to me.

“I’m sorry,” he tells me after turning back to me. He looks as if he’s aged ten years in the last few minutes.

“No apology necessary. It sounds as if you’re not the reason Ingram is the way she is.” I shrug.

“That may be. But once upon a time, our families were close. I don’t want your views on Ingram to be pushed on the rest of my family.”

“I learned a long time ago not to judge a book by its cover. It was one of those life lessons my mother pushed on me.”

“God, I’m sorry about Abi. She was a great person. I can only imagine how she was as a mother.”

“She was the best,” I tell him softly.

“You had a good life?” he asks while looking down at his hands.

“We did. We might not have been rich with money, but we were rich with love.”

“That's good.” He takes a deep breath and stands back to his full height, then reaches inside his suit jacket and pulls out a card. He spins it in his hand for a minute before passing it to me. “My office and cell number are on there. If you need anything, and I mean anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

“I won’t, but thanks,” I tell him honestly.

He smirks at my response.

“Just like Abi,” he murmurs while walking towards the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.All I want is some caramel chocolate and a hot shower.

Chapter Nineteen

Winter vacation has officially started. Tinsley convinced V and me to stay the night before we go out of town with Richard and Alice.

“Let’s play a game,” Tinsley says while wiping her hands off on her napkin.

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