Page 38 of Don't Hate Me
Eventually, Trevor poured me into a cab, and, somehow, I managed to give the driver my apartment address in Brooklyn. A walk-up I shared with two other guys. I fell on the couch, watched the ceiling above me spin and spin.
And knew, knew this had been all my fault.
* * *
The week before
Ashleigh
“I would be very honored if you would be my wife,” Evan said smoothly.
He didn’t get down on one knee. He wouldn’t do anything so obvious and undignified. Instead, we were sitting in my father’s living room, alone since my father had just retired for the evening.
Evan hadn’t wasted any time. He’d pulled a box from the pocket of the navy blazer he’d been wearing and opened it in time with his words.
I smiled. The ring was beautiful, tasteful. Not too big, but I was sure it was of the finest quality.
“Can we be blunt?” I asked him. “I mean, if we’re going to be married, there’s no point in not being honest with each other.”
Evan smiled. “So, you’re agreeing to marriage?”
“Do I have a choice?”
He tilted his head. “No.”
I smiled. “See? We can be blunt.”
Evan stood then, and walked over to the fireplace even though there was no fire. He played with the Tiffany ring box in his hand as he considered me.
“Your father said you were docile. Compliant. That it was yournature. I’ve been coming around now for years, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s true.”
“I won’t be difficult,” I said, knowing how this all had to play out. I’d realized when it came to Arthur, I’d been acting for years. This was merely another part I had to play. “I just have a few questions.”
“All right. Ask your questions.”
“I told you once I wasn’t interested, and you said you felt the same. Has that changed?”
“No. Don’t get me wrong, Ashleigh, you’re quite lovely. You’re just not my type. You are, however, exactly what an aspiring young politician needs by his side. I wanted us to be friends. It would have made all this so much easier, but you were always resistant.”
Because I’d known what the end game was going to be all along.
“How do you plan to force me to agree to marriage?”
He shrugged. “Your father would be in a significant amount of trouble if you didn’t.”
I shook my head. “Not enough of an incentive.”
He started counting on his fingers. “You have no money, no access to money, no resources at all. If you ran, I would pursue you. Not to brag, but you understand I’m a billionaire. When you have access to that kind of money, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished. No place you can go where I can’t find you. Your other option is to live a comfortable life as a very wealthy woman.”
“As your wife.”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
“Your father says you’re a very intelligent girl. You have to realize you’ve been my intended choice for some time now. Naturally, I needed to wait until you were a certain age. I’d actually planned to wait until after college, but your father says you’re not interested in attending.”
“That’s a lie,” I told him. “And that’s not an accusation. Just a fact. If we did marry, would you consider allowing me to attend?”
