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She shakes her head during a faint mumbling, “That’s not…that um…”
“It’s why verifying that you were actually the one who sent that photo from Bryn’s account wasn’t nearly as difficult as it could’ve been. You left every opportunity on the board for me to put your general in check.”
“I-”
“You had sex with J.T. the night Bryn and Wilcox slept off the premises not because you were lonely and ‘finally seeing him outside of Wes’s shadow’ but because you wanted to know everything you could about their outing. Where they were. Where they were going to be. What they were doing.”
“I-”
“And that’s how you knew there was photograph with Wilcox’s face in her online drive.”
“I-”
“And you knew Bryn left herself logged into the computer in the library across the hall because it was the only one, she ever used. When she looked for jobs. An apartment. A car. When her and Wes fixed her résumé.”
“I practically gave her that computer!” I furiously shout. “It was meant for only her!”
Park slyly slides his hands into his pockets while keeping Penny’s glare. “You knew how to access that photo. You knew how and when to craft and send an email and cover your tracks. You knew the chances of Bryn even noticing something like that were slim to none because she could never find her phone anyway, so hiding it while setting everything in motion was probably the easiest part of the whole thing.”
“What?!” reverberates around the room from me and J.T. both.
“You are the only one who has dusted that library since Wilcox gave her access to it.” Her mouth twitches to deny the accusation yet is cut off by Park’s continuing. “Don’t. I can timestamp and timeline match. And I know that I can because I have.”
Another wide-eyed expression appears.
“Your access to her email and phone is how you found the app to have them send the money to when you realized her bank account is the only thing not lazily linked.”
Penny’s head tilts in an irritated fashion to one side.
“But what you didn’t know is that she used that app so rarely she never reverified her account or actually linked it to her bank, meaning you basically gave the tabloids the photo.”
“None of that’s true,” J.T. rushes to insist, body following suit. “Tell him that’s not true, Penny. Tell Park he’s wrong about…something.” His eyes plead louder than his voice. “Anything!”
“God, could you stop whining and grow a pair?” the redheaded woman surprisingly snips in obvious exasperation. “I swear you could not be more fucking desperate if you were wearing a glowing neon yellow arrow saying ‘pick me’ instead of your too old for prep school uniform you call a suit.”
I’m not sure whose mouth falls faster, mine or his.
“Yes,” Penny hisses and meets my stare, attempting to mask her recently exposed virulent nature. “I am in love with you.”
“You’re not in love,” Park bites on my behalf. “You’re obsessed. There’s a difference.”
“I’m not obsessed!” She shrieks directly at him in additional annoyance. “I’m protective!” The aggression she’s displaying has me eyeballing the custom letter opener that was once my father’s. “That’s all I’ve ever been! That’s all I’ve ever done is protect you! Getting Bronwen demoted – although I really wanted her fired – by chipping that teacup and blaming her for it only happened because I knew she was looking for the secret place you have stored emergency cash. Pretending Clyde cornered and tried to assault me, so that he’d get fired because I knew he was planning to start growing weed in our greenhouse and selling it.” A flash of hysteria presents itself. “And that pretending to be a defenseless hooker was no different! She had ‘no money’ but magically always had fancy dresses and shoes and fucking makeup?! She was a liar! And she didn’t give a damn about you! Just what you could do for her and her overpaid, underworking, whore of a mother!”
Shock keeps my vocal cords momentarily constricted.
“Bryn didn’t give a fuck about you or what you wanted! That’s why she wasn’t trying to hide with you or keep you hidden from the world like you wanted!”
The accusation has me briefly glancing away.
Is that what I wanted?
Yes.
Is that what I needed?
Afterall this time…I can honestly say no.
I needed to do more than exist.
