AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sneak a glance her way.
She lounges on the couch that hugs the plane's right side, her heels discarded on the floor. Twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, she stares out the window, lost in thought. I sigh, returning to my own window, sinking into a plush recliner on the opposite side of the plane.
And that's how it goes, for a while. I steal a glance, hoping to catch her eye, but don't, then return to my window to contemplate the last three hours of my life. Rinse and repeat. Until she gets up, moves to the side of the couch nearest me, and breaks that silence.
"It's because I'm different, isn't it?"
I inhale sharply, but she holds up a hand, halting my protest.
"That's why you couldn't give me a straight answer—instead said I deserved better, to soften the blow. I'm not a billionaire or a millionaire or some celebrity, like everyone else in our section..." Her shoulders slouch, spiking urgency in me to counter her harsh self-assessment. "I didn't belong."
"That's not true."
She gives me a yeah right look, to which I raise an eyebrow.
"Even Clara knew it."
"Fuck Clara," I say—and mean it. "You were the most beautiful woman there."
Fuck subtlety, too, apparently.
She looks away. Even though I catch the blush staining her cheeks, it does little to lift her frown. I make my way over, sitting right beside her, speaking to the backside of her head. "You think I belonged?"
She snaps back around. "What kind of question is that?"
"A serious one."
"You're stupidly rich, Hayden," she huffs. "One of the wealthiest men in New York. Of course, you did."
"Are you so sure?" Now I'm the one who can't meet her gaze. "I was given everything I have."
A pang of sadness strikes me as the jet's hum fills the space between us. I wouldn't know how to respond, either.
"And your brother wasn't? You're just describing generational wealth."
He was given more, actually, I don't say. Rather, "He's got something to show for it. He used that privilege to better himself, while I've never worked a real day in my life."
Her forehead creases. "Huh?"
There it is.
The true reason she deserves someone better. I swallow, contemplating the best way to deliver the blow, but it turns out I don't need to as I watch those wrinkles fade, realization dawning on her features.
"You're not under your father's wing, are you...?"
I laugh bitterly. "What do you think?"
"But why were you taking notes that day? During my presentation? It looked like you worked at Kingston Entertainment."
"I do. Beneath my brother, as an assistant. I was taking notes for him. It's supposed to be an internship, but really, it's just a means to humiliate me. I sit right outside Elias's door, where everyone can see. All I'm assigned is scut work, no opportunities to actually grow or learn anything. And you know what? I don't blame them. I don't want to work, knowing I'd just screw it up. I'm not like Elias. I'm just a waste of—"
I fight back a sting of tears, but fuck, they come, anyway. Whipping my attention elsewhere, I suck in a jagged breath, feeling their warmth slide down my cheeks.
Pathetic... Elias's words ring true.
"Don't say that—Hayden."
Tender hands cup my jaw, reeling me back into focus. I'm met with the hugest, most concerned green eyes. As I blink away another warm stream of tears, shame shudders through me, but she's holding me hostage, coupled with the soft thumb pads sweeping along my jaw, catching those tears.
