Chapter 42

Makenna's POV.

“Where is that coming—” I asked, confused by his question.

“Answer the damn question, Makenna!” Dad yelled again, interrupting me.

“Dad, easy. We talked about this.” Kenzie interjected, trying to calm him down. And of course, it worked.

“How could she think of doing something disgraceful?” he asked Kenzie, acting like I wasn't there. “If this gets out, how can I even face my colleagues and partners?”

“Is that all you care about, Dad?” I whispered, still trying to wrap my head around his question. This dinner had gone bad really fast.

“Why can't she be more like you, Kenzie?” he continued, still ignoring me.

“I am sitting right here, Dad!” I yelled, angry that he was ignoring me. “What do you mean by your question?”

“Dad, let me handle this, okay?” Kenzie said as she turned to me. “I overheard your conversation with Wolfe in his office. You guys were talking about an arrangement.”

“It was none of your business, Kenzie.” I gasped, angry at the fact that she told our parents about it. “How could you tell them about it?”

“She did the right thing coming to us about it, Makenna,” my mother said looking at me like she just heard I killed someone. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Ashamed of myself? If I was ashamed of anything, it would be the fact that we were all discussing my sex life during dinner. My fucking sex life. My blood was boiling with anger, and I could feel my face heating up.

“Look, Maki, Dad is willing to give you a position in his company. It's open, just for you,” Kenzie started, her tone maddeningly calm. “You just need to accept the job and show up at work.”

“I’m not interested, Kenzie,” I told her icily. “I’m doing just fine with my job. I don’t need your help or his. Besides, I don't recall asking for it.”

“But you’re interested in sleeping around with men for money?” Kenzie snapped back, her voice dripping with anger.

“Why do you care so much about that now?” I retorted, my control slipping. “Do you see me meddling in your business when you go around hooking up with every Dick, Tom, and Harry that smells like money and catches your fancy?”

“Makenna!” Dad roared, slamming his hand on the table, the sound echoing through the dining room. The sudden noise startled everyone, but I was too furious to care. “Don’t talk about your sister like that!”

“And she gets to talk as she likes about me?” I shot back, my eyes blazing with fury.

“Is this your way of getting my attention, Makenna?” he said icily, finally turning to me. The look he just gave me was usually reserved for his clients or employees. It usually scared me, but I was done cowering under his glare.

“I'd like to know what I did so wrong by being born into my own family,” I returned his glare, my heart pounding. “That you think I'd have to sleep around to get your attention.”

“Makenna!” my mom reprimanded me. “Don't talk to your father like that.”

“Look what her work is turning her into?” my dad said, going back to ignoring me. “Now she's brazen enough to sleep around for money.”

“Even if I was sleeping with anyone, it isn't any of your business.” I shot back angrily.

I knew something was off. I just didn't expect it to be one hell of an insulting setup.

“How dare you raise your voice at me?” he replied icily.

“Why don't you listen to me for once?” I snapped, my voice shaking with frustration. “You have no idea what my life is like because you never bother to ask. All you care about is how things look to your precious name and colleagues.”

His face turned a deeper shade of red, and he looked like he might explode. “You ungrateful—”

“Ungrateful?” I laughed bitterly. “Do you even hear yourself? You think everything I do is to spite you. You never see me. You only see the reflection of your own damn pride and ego.”

“Makenna, enough!” my mom tried to interject, but I was beyond caring.

“No, Mom. It’s not enough. It's never enough for him. I could win a Nobel Prize and he'd still find something to criticize.” I felt tears stinging my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

“I wouldn't be talking about this if I didn't care about you, Kenna,” Kenzie continued, unfazed by my outburst. “Just so you know, Wolfe and I almost kissed at his club. I really don't want you to get hurt with this arrangement you've got with him”

What?

They almost kissed. My heart sank at the thought, a cold wave of despair washing over me.

I barely heard what Kenzie said after that. My mind was spinning, trying to process the image of Wolfe and Kenzie together. My heart clenched painfully. I needed to get out of here before I lost my mind.

Why did she have to come between everything I wanted? I didn’t ask for much. Why couldn’t I just come to my family's dinner and eat in peace like every other loving family?

“Why do you have to make everything about you, Kenzie?” I whispered quietly, tired of her argument. “Now that you've found out that he's interested in me, you care about how much of a bad person he is? Really?”

“Makenna, this has nothing to do with me. Unlike Wolfe, I care about you,” she replied, looking at me like I was a confused teenager. “He doesn’t have your best interests at heart. And I know you, Kenna. He'll break your heart, and I’d really hate to see that.”

“You didn't have to tell everyone about it, if you cared so much.” I glanced at her coldly. “So much for a nice dinner.”

“Your attitude is disgraceful,” Dad spat, turning his attention back to Kenzie. “How do you tolerate her?”

“Let’s all calm down, please.” Kenzie looked torn, her eyes flicking between us. “Dad, let's let her explain herself. Just listen to her”

Explain myself? I'm not explaining anything to anybody. If I wanted to sleep with men for money—even if I didn't—that was my fucking business.

“Listen to what?” he scoffed. “Her excuses?”

“They’re not excuses, Dad!” I yelled, fed up with everything. “They're my life! My choices! Just because they don't align with your narrow vision doesn’t make them wrong.”

I breathed hard. I've been meaning to say that for so long. I just didn't have the courage to and I wasn't even sure he'd hear me.

The room fell silent. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Kenzie just looked defeated. My father, however, looked more furious than ever.

“Get out,” he finally said, his voice low and dangerous.

“Gladly,” I muttered, pushing my chair back with a scrape that echoed through the tense silence. “But don’t expect me to come running back when you decide you want to actually know your daughter.”

I needed air. I needed to escape this suffocating room and the judgmental stares of my family.

“Makenna, come back! We’re not done talking!” Mom called after me, but I ignored her. I couldn’t handle this right now.

I hurried out of the dining room, my footsteps echoing in the hallway. I burst through the front door, the cool evening air hitting my face like a slap. Tears spilled down my face as I walked quickly down the driveway, not caring where I was going. I just needed to get away.

It finally happened. Kenzie got what she wanted.

And Wolfe had kissed me like nothing had happened between him and Kenzie.

I broke into a sob trying to lessen the pain I felt in my heart. If anything, it grew stronger. And I realized that no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, I wasn't just angry or hurt. I was in love with Wolfe.

And that realization made everything so much harder.