Chapter 26: Justified anger

He nods and follows him out of the room, leaving me alone with Eliot. I can't even look at him.

"Did he hurt you?"

I shake my head. I refuse to talk to him after what I just learned.

"So, we're back to nonverbal responses then."

I remain silent.

"You know what happens when you act like a petulant teenager." Eliot's voice is stern, but there's also some mischief in it.

No more games.

I'm not doing this for money.

Even if I'm not the one who wins it.

"I'm done playing your games, Eliot Snow . Enough. No more." As I speak, I jab him in the chest with my middle finger. "You should have been honest with me from the beginning. I told you how I felt. You made a mockery of everything I stand for. You're a sick, sadistic, fucking asshole just like your father. Do you even care that your mother is dead, or is this just about the money for you?"

I know I've gone too far when Eliot's eyes widen at the mention of his mother. His nostrils flare, but I don't wait for his anger to erupt.

"You know what, Eliot ? Go ahead, fuck me." I take control for the first time and, grabbing the belt of his pants, begin to unbuckle it. "Let's get this over with already. You can fuck me, marry me and get me pregnant. Then you can have all the money your heart desires, which I'm sure will make you and your father the happiest people in Las Vegas, if not the planet. After all, that's what this has been about from the beginning. It was never about revenge. That was just a bunch of bullshit. You want the same two things all men want. Money and power. That's what it's always been about."

I finish unbuckling the belt of Eliot's pants and reach for the zipper. His cock is hard under my hand. A moment of terror comes over me, but I temper it. This will end here and now.

"Come on, Eliot . Let's use that erection and make a baby. How much is a baby worth? A million? Two? Three? Fuck me so I can go back to Pharr and live the life I was meant for and not your sick fantasy. I can end up like my mother."

Eliot stops my hand just as I'm about to slip it through the open zipper to feel his cock for the first time.

"Ten billion." He wraps his fingers around my hand and pulls it away from his body.

"What?" I stutter, not knowing what he's talking about.

"Ten billion. That's what having a child with you is worth to me."

I pull out of his embrace and move as far away from him as I can within the confines of the room. My breathing is rapid and agitated. I can barely regulate them as I fight off a panic attack.

"No, no. I shake my head and tears well up in my eyes.

I can't comprehend that much. Then I remember what Eliot's father said about the money my father set aside for me in his will. I've been living in a ramshackle trailer all my life, fighting for food, education, clothes that fit, warmth in the winter and cool air in the summer. I've fought for everything, and all the while I've had ten billion to my name, but under the control of the Snows .

"Revean ."

"No." I hold up my hand to Eliot as he approaches me. "Don't come near me. How can you be so cruel? You and your father . You can't play with my life. I didn't ask for any of this."

I still find it hard to breathe. My whole body is shaking as I walk up and down, trying to comprehend everything I've been told. This is worse than hearing that my father killed Eliot's mother . The emotions are overwhelming. I can't take it anymore. I want to go back to the world I know: the comfort of the caravan and Luna . At least that life never left me feeling this way. I wipe my eyes, calm my breathing and face Eliot .

"I'm serious, Eliot . Get a priest, marry me now and fuck me . I don't want this anymore. I don't want this anymore. All I ever wanted was to be a veterinarian so I could treat sick animals, but my father and your family took that dream away from me . Let me go, Eliot, please. I'll give you the money. I'll sign anything you want. I just want to be me again. Please."

Eliot approaches me. I no longer have the strength to fight him. I let him pull me into his muscular arms. As much as I hate him, I need comfort.

"I'm sorry, Revean . Please believe me. I never meant for you to hear it from him. I should have told you."

He cradles me against his chest. His breathing is calm. It's warm and cozy, even though I don't want it to be. I hate this. I hate what it does to me.

"I was twelve when I was first told about you," Eliot continues . "My father showed me a picture of you as a newborn, and although I didn't understand what he meant, my father told me you were mine. From then on, every year I would get a picture of you and a report on your progress. It's creepy when I think about it now, but it allowed me to get to know you from afar. I hated witnessing the harsh reality of your life. When I was old enough to visit you, I used to leave you treats by the trailer, hoping your mother wouldn't find them. Nothing special: candy, pencils, a sweater when you needed it. Then, when you started working at the restaurant, I went to your boss and left money for him to give you as a tip for the extra food. It was my way of helping. I hated to see you suffer when I knew you would eventually give me so much."

I think back to my time as a child. I remember the candy and even a thick sweater I found outside the trailer one particularly bad winter. I could never explain it. I thought it was pure luck or some magical fairy trying to help me. Knowing it was Eliot makes a lot more sense. He was with me all my life. I just didn't know it. I guess we were close from the beginning, but that doesn't change the fact that he only did it for money.

I steel myself inside and push him.