Page 64 of Mr. Almost

“Mother is here, and she brought a friend. I found her harassing Olivia.”

I hear the clicking of heels coming down the corridor and know we’re running out of time.

“Is Livvy all right?”

Max shoots me a dirty look.

“Right, stupid question,” I say under my breath.

Mother and Victoria step into the room, making me stand up straight.

“I’ve already told you that you are no longer welcome here.”

Mother does her version of a frown. “We both know that you weren’t serious.”

“Only I was. You need to leave.”

“I thought you would be over your tantrum by now, but clearly I was wrong,” she says, shaking her head.

“My tantrum.” I laugh as Max shuts the office door. “Do you really think that me being fucking furious about the fact you kept it from me that the woman I dated was pregnant and had my child is me throwing a tantrum?” I look over at Max. “Would you be pissed?”

“I don’t think pissed covers how I would feel,” he says honestly as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

“Must you men talk so crass?” Mother scolds before rambling on. “Besides, I already told you, she’s not the one for you.”

“And Victoria here is?” I say, waving a hand at my ex. “I got to give it to you, Mother. This is a new low, even for you.”

“What does that mean?” she asks, sounding put out.

I look at Victoria. “How is your husband, Victor? Which, by the way, congratulations on picking a man with the same name as you. That truly is impressive.”

“He died,” she says with no emotion.

She’s such a cold-hearted bitch. It’s why I broke up with her after a couple months of dating. She might be beautiful, but she’s empty inside. All she cares about is getting money and spending it on thingsshe doesn’t need. The higher the price tag, the better. She wasn’t even into sex. It was a chore for her.

Some men might like that, but not me. I broke up with her long before I even met Olivia, but I knew even then I didn’t want that. Knowing Olivia now? Yeah, Victoria pales in comparison.

Looking at her now, she isn’t even upset. I shake my head at her bluntness. One would think that someone would be upset over the death of their spouse, but when you marry a man old enough to be your grandfather for his bank account, I guess common decency goes out the window.

“And let me guess, he didn’t leave you with a dime, so now your husband hunting again.”

She raises her bony little shoulder in a shrug.

“Un-fucking-believable,” Max mumbles under his breath, and I can’t help but agree with him.

I look back at my mother. “Is this what you really want for me? A woman who wouldn’t even care if I keeled over and died?”

“She fits your image. She would elevate your status. Maybe even pop out a kid or two for you to pass this all onto,” she informs me as if she’s done me a favor.

“Do you really want me to end up in a loveless marriage with someone who only wants to use me for the money in my bank account?” I ask bluntly.

Mother cuts her hand through the air. “Love isn’t real, Mason. Marriage is a business arrangement between two people. You need to let go of the idea of there only being one person out there for you. It’s your duty to settle down and marry a woman from the right family to strengthen our businesses.”

I point to my chest. “My businesses. They are mine, not ours. As for love, I’m sorry you feel that way, but it’s very much a real thing,” I say, thinking about how I feel when I’m around Livvy and Ari.

When I see them, everything else falls away. They light my soul on fire every time they laugh andsmile.

“Who I marry is up to me and me alone,” I tell her after a moment.

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