Page 61 of The Elusive Billionaire

Corrine and Helena sold every story they could after the accident happened, but I was a no-name kid who came from nothing. It wasn’t sensational enough to keep the traction going once Riley was found guilty.

But now that I’ve been linked to Grey?Oh my God.This is what they’ve been waiting for. This is what they meant when they said they’d wait however long it took to take away everything I’ve ever loved.

This time, I have everything to lose.

Grey was right. He’s the accelerant they were waiting for.

My insides swirl as though they’re inside a blender, so I stare down at my lap. After years of friendship, I can’t look my best friend in the eye. If a goodbye is in our future, I need her to hear my side of the story first.

“When I was sixteen?—”

“Fuck,” Grey curses beside me, but I attempt to shrug him off.

“I met this guy. He was…older than me, but he made me feel special, and my parents never gave a shit as long as it didn’t interfere with theirfree loveandif it feels good, do itlifestyle.”

Grey stiffens beside me, and I focus on how he fists then flexes both hands.

“My parents are…different. I didn’t grow up with rules. They idolized the ’60s and raised me and my brother as free spirits, but to the extreme. I was a little girl who craved attention, and begged for love, and when I didn’t get it…”

Shame wells in my chest. I can’t look at anyone, so I close my eyes for a count of three. When I open them, I feel more robotic, less connected to the scene before me. “I rebelled,” I whisper. “I was going to parties at twelve. Shoplifting by fourteen. Staying out all night by fifteen. They didn’t know where I was half the time, and truthfully, it never crossed their mind that they should.”

Madi presses her hand to mine and squeezes gently, but now that I’ve started this, I have to get it out, so attempting a smile that feels more like a grimace, I tuck my hands under my legs and continue.

“I was labeled the ‘bad kid’ the ‘troublemaker’ even though Paige—she was my best friend—dragged us into half the shit we got into. Her last name got her a rideshare home, while all mine did was get me thrown into the back of police cars. But we fed off each other. She loved that I had freedom, I loved that she had parents who cared.”

Internally, I fight the sensation of fire ants crawling along my exposed skin, but when it becomes unbearable, I release my hands from under my legs and begin to pick at the skin around my thumb.

“My parents never came to get me when I’d get in trouble for shoplifting food or tampons. It was always my brother. When police would raid parties, it was Austin who would promise to keep a closer eye on me, but he was busy building a better life for himself, and he left home the moment he could.”

I chance a peek around the room to gauge everyone’s reactions. I wish I hadn’t. Madi’s skin has gone pale, Braxton’s eyes are pinched at the corners, and Grey’s jaw ticks like the second hand of a clock. Inhaling, I stare at my hands while I collect my thoughts.

“Austin was always a rule follower, the extreme opposite of my parents, and I was acting out, doing anything I could to get the attention of anyone who would care. My brother is probably the only reason I’m still alive, but even he could only take so much shit from me.”

Madi shifts next to me. She’s wearing her sadness like a heavy cloak that’s weighing her down.

“When everything was spiraling beyond what I could handle, he didn’t believe me.” I can’t help the detachment in my tone. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to this place in my mind, the one that protects me without judgment—the hidden garden I would seek solace in when I needed to still believe that someone, somewhere would care about me.

“I asked for help with Riley DeVane, and Austin shut the door in my face.” A sob catches in the back of my throat, and I wrestle it back down to my stomach. “I can’t even blame him. The only thing he asked of me was to stay out of trouble, and I just couldn’t do it.”

“What did you ask him to help you with?” Grey asks through gritted teeth.

“That’s not— Is Riley one ofthoseDeVanes?” Braxton asks, and my neck crackles as I whip around to stare at him.

Those DeVanes? What’s that supposed to mean?

“Yes,” Grey answers cryptically. I open my mouth, but he continues before I can form words. “Continue your story, and then I’ll explain.”

The urge to gulp is strong, but my mouth is suddenly as dry as the Vegas desert.

“Um, well. So, I’d been with Riley for two years. He got us into clubs?—”

“I bet he did.” Braxton spits the words as though they personally insulted him.

I frown in his direction, but he makes a rolling motion with his hand for me to continue.

“We got into clubs, but he also found ways for me to work in them when I needed money, even though I was obviously underage. But my parents would take off for weeks at a time, and I’d be left on my own with cans of soup if I was lucky or nothing at all if I wasn’t. Looking back on it, I know the entire thing was wrong, but I was a dumb teenager, and Riley was this twenty-two-year-old with money and power who gave me the affection I’d never had. He gave me experiences I longed for but could never afford.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Grey mutters before taking my hand in his again. His thumb hovers over the pulse on my wrist, and I swear his lips twitch when my pulse begins to slow.