Page 95 of Logan

I push the memory away. “Nothing will happen if you go out and work for a living. I work too.”

“Why would I do that when I have you?” She giggles, the sound grating on my nerves. “Or do you no longer care if I publish what I have on you? What would Daddy Dearest say?”

I want to reach through the phone and wrap my hands around her neck, to cut off her airflow until she turns blue—until that smug tone is silenced forever.

I take a deep breath, forcing down the rage. “How much do you need?”

“Meet me at the restaurant, the usual place, in an hour, and we’ll talk.” Her voice is sickeningly sweet again.

“Why do we need to meet?”

“Just show up.” She hangs up before I can argue further.

I bite my lower lip hard enough to taste blood and exhale. I can’t let her affect me like this, I need to remember what’s important, to protect my parents, my family.

At seven o’clock sharp, I park in front of Georgina’s favorite restaurant. Pain radiates from the base of my neck upward, and I know within an hour, I’ll have a debilitating headache. Apparently, threats and extortion don’t do wonders for my stress levels. Who would’ve thought?

I take a deep breath before striding into the restaurant. I’m sure Georgina hasn’t arrived yet. She’s always late. I’ve spentenough time with her to know she won’t be the one waiting for me. She’ll make sure I wait for her.

The hostess at the door takes my name and ushers me to our table, placed at the heart of the restaurant. Georgina’s absence is as expected as her taste for the dramatic.

I settle into my seat and survey the room. It figures that Georgina would pick a spot that’s as much a stage as a place to dine. This hotspot brims with the city’s elite, all eager for a side of spectacle with their supper.

I lean back and rub the bridge of my nose.

Twenty minutes later, Georgina appears, and as usual, she draws attention from everyone present. Heads turn.

There’s no doubt she’s stunning, dressed in an eye-catching silver evening gown. I stand and lean in to kiss her cheek, but she turns her head and kisses me on the lips.

I grab her shoulders and push her away from me. “What are you doing?”

“You used to love kissing me.”

“I also used to think you loved me, but you only love money.”

“I still love you.”

I shake my head. “You said it’s impossible to love me.”

“Well, I said those words out of anger. Don’t hold it against me. We were good together, we can still be good together.”

I sit back down without waiting for her to sit first.

“We were never good together.” I look into her blue eyes. How did I ever buy this act? How blind was I? I can smell the lie from a mile away now. Or maybe I never bought it, but it was convenient and easy to ignore everything.

She sits across from me, her face wearing a fake smile. “Don’t be like that, Logan.”

“Like what?” I lean forward. “What do you mean by ‘that’? Someone who realized your performances are just that, performances? When you told me you never loved me, that was the only time you ever told me the truth.”

She blinks, and her expression shifts from wheedling to hard. I think she’s understanding I’m not going to fall for the trap a second time.

“I want a million a month.”

I snort. “A million a month? Are you insane?”

“I need to live.”

“I think most people can live on smaller amounts.”