Undressed By His Arrogance

"What the hell?!" Sam shouted the moment the announcement dropped from Ivy’s lips.

"Eugene?" he repeated, blinking rapidly. "EUGENE?"

"Yes, Gramps. Eugene," Ivy said, folding her arms in an effort not to crumble under his scrutiny.

Sam stepped closer, placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I have tried to work with you," he said, brows raised. "Hell, I arranged you and Eugene so you could be sure of what you truly want. You cannot want this."

Ivy looked away, her throat tightening.

"Gramps... it makes sense," she whispered.

"No, sweetie," Sam snapped, shaking her shoulders lightly. "Accounting mistakes make sense. This? THIS?" He pointed at her. "This makes absolutely no damn sense."

"I thought about it too," Ivy said. "Eugene is safe. I don’t have to look over my shoulder every time. I don’t have to walk around with a bodyguard. I don’t have to watch Eugene kill someone. Eugene didn’t hurt me—he saved my life!"

Sam stared at her. "What? You’re marrying the guy because he jumped in front of a speeding car for you? Make it make sense." His hands flailed. "I would jump in front of a speeding car for you. Would that make you marry me?"

"Ew! Gramps!" Ivy recoiled, scrunching her face so violently her nose nearly folded. "Gross. That’s trauma I didn’t ask for."

"Oh, quit it!" Sam huffed, puffing his chest. "I’m still a catch. People would line up to marry me if I wasn’t already shackled by old age and cholesterol medication." He pointed dramatically at himself.

"My point is—that’s not why you get married. You either marry for security, for a merger, or for love. And last I checked, you’re not trying to merge with the Rothschild import division."

"He loves me."

"That’s your argument?" he asked. "That’s the hill you’re choosing to die on? ’He loves me’?"

"Gramps,"

He stepped closer, cupping her jaw with both hands. His thumbs brushed her cheekbones, wiping at tears she didn’t realize were falling. "Do you love him, Ivy?"

"I’ve seen you with him," Sam said gently. "And I’ve seen you with Winn." He closed his eyes briefly. "With Eugene, you’re calm. You’re polite. You’re careful. You edit yourself."

"With Winn," Sam continued, opening his eyes again, "you... burn. You fight, you get angry, you are on fire. You come undone. You become you."

"Winn destroys me."

"And Eugene bores you," Sam countered without hesitation. "Pick your poison, sweetheart. But don’t pretend the mild one tastes like heaven just because it won’t kill you."

"I need safety."

Sam sighed deeply, brushing her hair back. "Eugene is a good man. No one is denying that. But he is wrong for you."

"I think he is right." Ivy argued.

Sam’s entire body went taut. Ivy watched the vein on his temple throb, a stubborn little pulse that always appeared right before he started cursing up a thunderstorm.

"Right? He is right?" Sam repeated, throwing his hands into the air dramatically. "God fucking dammit! Whatever I do, it’s always a miss!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I missed it so badly with your mother, she ran away from home. Ran, Ivy! Like I was some kind of tyrant locking her in the basement. Now I am missing it with you again!"

"Gramps," she said softly, stepping closer. She reached for his hand. "I’m not going anywhere."

"Baby... look at me. I know I am old. God, I might drop dead any minute just from the hundreds of medicines the doctors give me. I swear half of them are poison."

"I thought Winn wasn’t good enough for you. But the truth is... I fear he is the one man who will—and can—keep you safe and happy long after I’m gone."

Her throat tightened painfully. "I have Uncle Evans."

"What? You want to marry Evans too?" he deadpanned.

Ivy made a disgusted sound. "Oh my God, Gramps."

She groaned. "For goodness’ sake, I already said yes to Eugene! I don’t need protection from him. I need protection because I got entangled with Winn in the first place."

"I’ve met Eugene’s parents," Ivy continued. "They don’t hate me. I just want peace. I want a normal life. A simple life."

"Wait until there is money or a fortune involved. People like us... money corrupts us. It changes who we are. We start doing unspeakable things so we don’t lose it. Even more dangerous lengths to get more. Ivy... I cannot bless this union. I’m sorry. Not when I know your heart is not in it."

"Grandpa, please... Don’t do this."

Sam pulled her into a long hug. "Your parents did an amazing job with you," he murmured. "You are a wonderful woman. But you have a hesitant strength. You shouldn’t. You are an Everest. You fight back. You go all the way. Listen, if you can prove to me you are truly in love with Eugene... I have no problems with it. I’ll marry both of you in a heartbeat."

"That’s all I have to do?"

He nodded solemnly, stroking her hair gently. "That’s all, sweetheart."

Ivy exhaled slowly.

*****

"Are you crazy? Are you crazy, Sharona?!" Tom roared.

"Why are you here?" Tom demanded. "What in the world gives you the audacity to come to my house? My wife is here!"

"You weren’t answering my calls!" Sharona snapped back.

"Sweetie... I cannot be anywhere near you right now! You are burned. I have no use for you!"

"Oh is that right? Your family madness got me into this mess," Sharona accused him.

"No! You got your damn self into this mess." He jabbed a finger toward her. "You cut me out of the plan. I know my own son. I know how to mess with him, get him to do things. But you got greedy, selfish, and drugged him — ruining every chance you had to get him. So, no! You got yourself burned."

"Water under the bridge. We have a new problem."

Tom’s eyes narrowed. "Oh, what fresh hell do you bring?" he said sarcastically.

"Something is going on, and I don’t like it. One of the men was killed and dropped at Peter’s with a warning that he is next."

"Peter says the only job they pulled together was Ivy. Now Ivy ousted me — fine — but now she is trying to set me up?"

"How is that?" Tom asked.

"Peter got a text from me saying to run her over but not fatally. Why in the world would I do that?" Sharona said.

She wasn’t innocent, but she wasn’t stupid either. Someone was setting her up, and she knew enough to be terrified.

Tom rolled his eyes. "I warned you. You didn’t take me seriously. I have no business with all of that. Good night, Sharona."

He turned his back on her. But Sharona wasn’t having it.

Sharona gripped his arm to make him listen to her. "No! If I go down, you go down with me."

Tom jerked his arm free and snarled—actually snarled. "You already know what you have to do, you bitch! Now go do it and leave me out of your mess." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Oh, it is going to be your mess too, mister."

"Get out of my compound before my wife sees you."

Sharona burst into a laugh. "Oh, cut the crap. You have pumped her full of drugs. She is just one more pill shy of a heart attack. Don’t give me that bullshit!"

"What are you talking about?" Tom said.

Sharona gave a wicked smile—one that carried secrets, leverage, and the promise of destruction. "You think you are the only sly one, mister? I told you I outsmart people who underestimate me."

Tom stepped closer, nostrils flaring. "Sharona—"

She lifted a hand, stopping him. "Here’s the deal. I need money to get out of town. I fix Ivy...you find a way to get me that Orchard money."

She tapped his chest twice.

"We will talk about this some other time. Right now, get the fuck out of here!" Tom spat and turned back into the house. Sharona had to go! With immediate effect.

He locked the door behind him. Tom braced both hands on the door, shoulders heaving. Sharona had crossed a line—his line.

He looked towards the staircase where Anna slept upstairs. Sharona was uncontrollable. Reckless. Dangerous. And worst of all...now she knew too much.

She had to be removed.

******

Joey slammed the door as he entered into Winn’s office.

"Call your sister back! Call your sister back!! Call your sister back!!!"

Winn didn’t look up from the documents spread before him. "Doesn’t matter how loud you get, Joey. I am not doing it."

Joey ran both hands through his hair in theatrical agony. "She is driving me crazy. She says to tell you it’s important."

Winn snorted. "Ask her if she needs me to order another knife for her to drive into my back."

"Come on. For my own sanity. Please. Hey! She told me Ivy got engaged."

Slowly, he lifted his eyes. "How does she know that?"