Page 179 of The Renegade Billionaire

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Well, it’s in all your letters, but I can tell you now that he’s?—”

“In prison?” Grey says.

“Actually, he’s in jail, awaiting trial.”

Turning my head, I find my half-brother Archie in the doorway, dressed in jeans and a button-down.

It’s odd, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in jeans before. Alistair insisted on suits whenever he left the house.

“Archie,” I say mildly. Leaning into Madison’s space, I take her hand and hold it in my lap.

I’m honestly not sure where any of the Montgomerys’ heads are. Grey has been back in California for about six weeks, but Madison and I arrived this morning.

“Is it true?” Archie asks. His normally antagonistic tone is gone, and his head is bowed. I’m not calling him a changed man, but I’m starting to believe Grey’s private investigator’s report about how Archie has…shifted might be true.

“Is it true that your father took a bribe to take Braxton as a baby from my father? Or that he hired someone to set your barn on fire?” Grey asks, but he manages to keep his tone neutral. “Because both are true.”

“Ah, hi.” Anastasia enters the room with a gentle knock on the doorframe. She’s back in her designer clothes, but there’s at least an inch of dark roots showing in her dyed blond hair, and she’s not even attempting to hide it.

Old Ana would wear a giant headband at the first millimeter of dark hair.

“Everything makes a lot more sense now,” Archie says. When we all stare at him, he continues. “Why he hated you so much.”

“It does.” I agree.

Behind Ana, my mother enters, holding the hand of a small girl with sad eyes.

She lights up when she sees my half-sister and runs into the room to wrap herself around Ana’s legs.

“This is Piper. Ah…” Ana fidgets with the sleeve of her blouse. “Her dad had to work, and she wanted to see where I grew up.”

Someone let her take a child across state lines?

She runs a soothing hand down the little girl’s hair, and when I glance up at Ana, she’s completely focused on Piper.

“It’s nice to meet you, Piper. It’s my first time in California too,” Madison says gently, and the little girl flashes a toothy grin and a shy wave.

My mother looks as she always has—put together, the perfect wife, except now she has dark shadows under her eyes. Did she even attempt to cover them up?

“Well, now that we’re all here, should we get started?” Mr. Coop asks, offering everyone a chair.

Piper climbs into Ana’s lap and cuddles into her. Surprisingly, Ana seems comfortable with it.

“As we all know, Alistair is in jail, awaiting trial, and was denied bail because he’s a flight risk. He didn’t meet any of Ace’s stipulations, and therefore he is considered null and void for the remainder of these proceedings.”

“Ana, I’m hungry,” the little girl whispers.

Without missing a beat, Ana leans down into her oversized Louis Vuitton bag and retrieves a small plastic bowl filled with orange Goldfish crackers. Her attention never left Mr. Coop, as though she’s done this a million times.

“Did you know?” I blurt at my mother. She doesn’t ask for clarification—she knows what I’m asking. Did she know that Alistair essentially received payment for their silence and raising me.

She shakes her head with her gaze pointed at the floor. “Alistair convinced me to keep the pregnancy, even though you were conceived…” Her gaze draws up to the little girl in Ana’s lap. “Even if you were conceived without an ounce of love or care. I thought…” Her chin wobbles, but she doesn’t look at me. “The very best thing I could do for you was allow my father to raise you—he gave you the love I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”

Madison squeezes my hand. Can I really blame my mother for this?

“I’m grateful you allowed Ace to raise me.” It’s the best I can do, but it’s enough for her shoulders to droop in what I assume is relief.