Page 51 of Don't Love Me

He sniffed. “People of our class do it all the time. When there is this much money involved? This much at stake? There can be no wild cards. To be clear, Ashleigh, I don’t care what age you’re going to be in a few weeks. You are still my daughter and you will do as you are told.”

“…your life is his, until he says it isn’t.”

There was nothing left to say. I walked over to the hall to retrieve my suitcase.

“Don’t bother with that,” Arthur called out. “I’ll have George handle it.”

I turned and made my way to the massive staircase, feeling like I was weighed down with each step I took.

“So,” Arthur said, calling up to me again. “Switzerland then?”

“Of course,” I answered quickly, lying through my teeth. “Who wouldn’t be thrilled to go to such a lovely school?”

“Excellent. I’ll be leaving then. I have plans for an extended stay in the city. I just wanted to make sure we were clear on this matter. You leave in six weeks. Everything has been arranged.”

“Well, I certainly hope I won’t see you before I go,” I said politely. “Have a nice stay in the city.”

I could see it took him a second to understand what I’d said. Whether it made him angry or not, I didn’t care. He’d won. He’d gotten what he wanted, which was me away from Marc.

What I didn’t know was why.