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“You whine most,” Davies shot back.
“Do not,” Max argued.
“Yeah, you do. Bitch this, bitch that, your woman troubles are legendary in this office,” Arturo said.
That was true. Poor Max always picked the wrong woman. They either turned stalkers or went psycho on his ass. Max had no luck whatsoever.
“Shut up. You came crawling to Dana when that twin you were dating was playing mind games,” Max accused Arturo.
Davies grinned. “That was a shit storm. Who the fuck gets their identical twin to date the man you are with because you wanted to get your hair and nails done? They were totally whacked in the head,” Davies said.
I couldn’t disagree. The idiot would send her twin out because she wished to watch TV or get her legs waxed or whatever. Arturo only found out when he mentioned something to the twin, and she had no idea of what he was talking about. It had been a real storm in a teacup. The bitch even sent the sister here to try to talk Arturo round, which didn’t happen because I refused to allow her past reception. Vile woman.
“Okay, back off. I’m going to put everything on automated, including the phone line. Let me go and meet with Dylan,” I said, interrupting the war on women the guys were having.
???
An hour later, I sat at Dylan’s desk, horrified and shamed. My family was far worse than I’d thought, and the shame of their actions hit hard. Dylan had only skimmed the surface when he’d confronted Mom and Shania. How the hell could I be related to such vicious and nasty scumbags? What they’d done to me had been low, but they’d gone a lot lower over the years. Especially mother dearest. The file on each person was thick. I believed there’d be one file for everyone, but no, they were that evil; they each owned their own folder.
I gazed at Dylan, trying to find words.
“They ain’t you, Dana. We know that,” Dylan said soothingly.
“I’d never do any of that!”
My blood was racing through my body, making me lightheaded. There was no doubt in my mind that Mom, Dad, and Shania needed to be stopped. Tears were clogging my throat as I tried to stay in control. But what I’d read clearly showed I came from a family of criminals and people with a highly developed sense of self-entitlement.
“You don’t have to tell me that, Dana. I’m well aware of who you are, and that’s not them.”
“They’re awful.” The words burst from my lips as two fat tears fell down my cheeks.
I was totally devastated by what I had read. My family had always treated me terribly, but I managed to grow strong without any support. What Patrick and Shania had done was the lowest of the low, or so I’d thought. Those two getting married had done me a huge favour.
I could just about wrap my head around what a lucky escape I’d had. My hands were shaking so badly that I tucked them under my thighs and sat on them. Desperation hit me out of nowhere, and I stared at Dylan.
“You have to stop them. Their evil must be ended. Make sure they face consequences for this.”
“If you are okay with Leila and Davies proceeding, they’ll expose all of this. However, you may attract unwanted attention. But the good thing is, you’re under Hawthorne’s protection. The Tyne’s taint might reach out to touch you, but we’ll be here to clean it away,” Dylan said, looking sad.
That rankled a little, and Dylan, being Dylan, picked up on it.
“Not pitying you. You’ll get swept up in this mess once your parents hit the news. Hawthorne’s can protect you and will, but it’s a fact your name shall be linked with theirs. I can have Phoe’s publicity person come up with some shit to help. The media will chase you for a while,” Dylan warned.
“I don’t care. Do whatever you need to. Make that evil stop!” I insisted.
“Okay. Leila will make a start. But, once this hits, you don’t go anywhere alone. And that includes going home. You won’t pop down to The Reading Nook for lunches or anything else by yourself. One of us will be with you constantly.”
I wasn’t in the correct frame of mind to argue. Dylan meant what he said. He’d take down my family while protecting me at the same time.
“Could you ring Ezra?” I asked.
“Sure, wanna wait for Ezra here?” Dylan inquired.
“No, I’ll go sit in reception, but thank you, Dylan, for everything,” I replied, getting up.
Dylan waved me off, and I exited the office, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.
I sat heavily down in my chair and left the phone on divert to the messages as I thought about what I’d read. Events kept swirling around my head. There was literally no escaping them. Max and Davies both popped by, but I offered a fake smile and informed them I was okay but overwhelmed.
