The Arrangement (unenhanced Edition) by AnnaRCase (books to read now .txt) 📖

Amberleigh was still seething as she grabbed her suitcase and began to shove her shit inside it. She would deal with the wrinkles later. Right now, she tore through her room throwing open drawers and throwing out her clothes and personal effects like an angry tornado. Hell hath no fury like a woman fucked over.

                She could feel her anger like a living thing crawling through her veins, rising by the minute and threatening to explode. Everywhere she looked held a memory in this fucking room, most of the fresh ones were too much to handle.  Riding Grayson on that couch, him laughing against her pussy on that bed, their bodies gliding together in the bathtub.

                 She picked up the vase of white roses the maids changed out every few days and shattered it against the wall. Watched the pieced scatter and felt satisfaction. Shattered just like the life she’d carved out for herself amidst the pristine marble of this fucking place. This place was nothing but a whitewashed lie in a pretty package, along with the men who called it home.

                She imagined the lies the billionaire had to juggle and it must have been fucking exhausting. Would it really be such a disaster if word got out about he and his father’s condition? They would probably get sympathy and shit. And surely there was someone else in the Godwin family who could take over the family business if worse came to worse. Just how much time did they have left?

                No, she wasn’t going to think about that shit. Wasn’t going to allow her mind to go there as she raged into her bathroom and crammed products into her cosmetic bag. Wasn’t going to look at those stone steps where Grayson had gotten on his knees, touched her for the first time willingly, and told her the words she’d longed to hear so badly.

                 It had all been a lie anyway. Leo was just trying to defend his friend and why wouldn’t he? The threat of premature death was like a get out of fucking jail free card in this game. Paired with being billionaire who the city worshiped and depended on, Grayson Godwin had no limits and bounds on what he could do and get away with. But fuck that, she was no longer a player in his game. She was taking herself off the fucking board, tired of being nothing more than a manipulated piece.

                Amberleigh lasted about ten more minutes of packing, before she stormed out of her room and went to find the men who’d lied to her one to many times. She had some more questions she needed answered before she left this place once and for all. She was going to make them both held accountable. Where she came from things had consequences, which was no doubt a concept boys born with silver spoons in their mouths, didn’t know fuck about.

                She found the pair of them in the kitchen raiding the liquor stash. Or more aptly Grayson was pouring himself some scotch while Leo was scolding him. Apparently, it wasn’t the billionaire’s first drink of the evening.  It was comical the way  their conversation stopped abruptly when she came in the room. Commanding their attention.

                Grayson eyed her warily as he took a drink of that nasty brown liquor men like him were probably given in their bottles by their nannies. They needed to start young to help develop a taste for it and to get them to shut their spoiled asses up. Her own mother Krystal had given Amberleigh cheap whiskey to get the job done or crushed Benadryl in her baby food to put her out while she went out to score some drugs. Or so she’d read in her own file one day while her social worker went to the bathroom. Just one of the numerous complaints against her mommy dearest.

                “Amber? If you’re all ready to go, I’ll drive you. No need to take a car,” Offered Leo.

                She walked over to the pair and grabbed the remaining scotch from the billionaire’s hand. He let her take it without a fight. She took a drink. Nope, still just as fuckin awful as ever, but she took another swig just to be sure. Then she poured  the rest down the drain.

                “You shouldn’t be fuckin drinking and you know it. What’s the odds of you passing your disease on to your child?”

                He exhaled sharply, most doubt feeling he didn’t have enough liquor in him to go another round with her. But he made the wise choice to answer her question and not give her the fucking run around.

                “Fifty percent.”

                “Son of a bitch. Okay, so you got it and Adam didn’t. I’m guessing your father didn’t know he had it before he had kids?”

                He shook his head, “Yes. He was reasonably healthy until he turned fifty.  He started having twitches in his hands he couldn’t control. Then balance problems and forgetting shit. After he was diagnosed, Adam and I were tested. That was a decade ago.”

                Leo poured himself a drink. But he skipped the scotch and brandy and went for the Grey Goose. She digested his info then turned to the chef.

                “I’ll take one of those Leo thanks. And when did you start having symptoms of your own?”

                “A year ago. Tremors which used to only be in my left hand. I started on the plethora of meds you are clearly aware of. Now I get them in both hands sometimes.”

                Leo handed her a drink and she toasted him before throwing in back. Enjoying the burn. She motioned for him to fill her glass again. He did so without argument. Smart boy.

                “Anymore symptoms so far?” she continued.

                “Mood swings. Depression,” added Leo, Grayson gave him a sharp look, “Sorry G-man, but it’s true. You know I love you man.”

                “My thoughts are all muddled sometimes and hard to sort out also.”

                Leo placed her second shot into her hand before he gripped his friend on the shoulder. She made quick work of it and set the glass back on the counter. Grayson leaned himself up against the counter and crossed his arms. He eyed the liquor longingly. No doubt this was an uncomfortable conversation for him. Her next question was hard to find the right words to get out.