Chapter 5.

"You know, just because I'm forced to be here doesn't mean I have to listen to you. I can scowl all I want, I can frown all I want and I can sure as hell curse all I fucking want."

I was pissed off and not just because mom had been smiling and giggling like Glinda the Good Witch the entire ride here but because the place we now sat in was a hundred- no, a thousand times worse than the first one.

The walls glittered with gleaming shades of gold, the sparkling chandeliers hanging above our heads were far more ornate than the last ones, and the damn plates and silverware staring at me in the face were a shimmering shade of 24K gold!

Did the owner of this damn hell-hole have any idea how many people he could feed by selling just one measly butter knife?!

The more I looked around, the worse my mood became. I could feel the levels of irritation rise steadily with every chair, every intricately designed flower arrangement, every breathtaking painting, and glint of gold that caught my eye. The sheer amount of wealth spent on the entire place was obscene and distasteful and fucked up in too many ways to count.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, kicking the legs of the chair beside me so hard it nearly toppled over.

I turned and shot Nina another icy glare, the hundredth one since we'd arrived, it seemed. This was all her fault. The violence and unbridled fury raging within me were all because of her. If she hadn't stuck her nose where it didn't belong, none of this would even be happening! I'd be at home, relaxing, forgetting all about any responsibilities I had, including the new deadline I'd just been assigned.

"These people are insane, you know that, right? They're fucked up- I mean, are you seeing this? Who the hell needs a golden napkin holder?!" I held the thing up between my thumb and forefinger, staring at it in utter disgust.

Mom took in a deep breath as she stared at me, irritation and disapproval plain on her face. I shook my head at her, flinging the napkin with its golden ring as far away from me as possible.

Well, good. At least I'm not the only one having a bad day...

Ugh, just thinking about it made my blood boil again. I don't know how or when she'd managed to contact the young master but when I woke up this morning, it was to the look of smug arrogance on Nina's face.

"We're leaving in 20 minutes, and you better wear something appropriate!" She'd hissed right before slamming the door behind her, leaving me to suffocate in a cloud of my own blistering fury. Then an idea lit the seething dark corners of my mind while a wicked smile tugged at my lips.

Oh, don't worry. I'll wear something appropriate, all right~

And I did.

I smirked as I tugged at the oversized hoodie and baggy plaid pajama bottoms I'd pulled on this morning. My hair, which was so long it brushed the curve of my ass and was another reason to wage war over with dear old mom because I wanted to cut it and she didn't, was plopped atop of my head in the messiest bun known to man. I didn't even bother with my contacts this morning either, just shoving my glasses onto my face as soon as I finished washing it. The look of complete shock on mom's face when I slipped into the car- the way the blood drained out of it only to shoot right back into her cheeks in a torrent of bright reds was the highlight of my day. And then I remembered what we were going to do and my mood went to shit.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stared hard at mom, daring her to say something- anything so I'd have an excuse to bolt. To my surprise, though, she didn't say anything, merely busying herself with something in her purse. I scowled, leaning forward on the table until the tip of my nose was inches away from hers. Planting my hands firmly on the table, I searched her face for any hint of anger, carefully examining the seams holding her together for any signs of unraveling and frowned when I saw none. Damn, she was holding it together as if her life depended on it.

With a hmph, I leaned back into my chair, my gaze still fixed on the woman before me.

So we're gonna play it like that, huh mom? Fine, let's see who cracks first then.

Since she wasn't taking the bait, I knew I had to up the ante and do something before this joke of a meeting could start. I may have unwillingly agreed to the whole thing, but that didn't mean I couldn't sabotage it. I mean, there was no way they could blame me if it was young master Rio who called the whole thing off, right?

Of course not.

"What do you suppose would happen if I were to smash something right here and right now? You think anybody would even notice it, would they even care? I mean what, these are like pennies to these people, what would it matter to lose one measly plate, one measly vase- one measly artwork..."

"Cash hush!" mom hissed through clenched teeth.

I bit back the smile tugging at my lips. "What about if I took my shoes off? I'd feel a whole lot better, let me tell you."

I wanted to laugh at the sight of the little vein on her temple throbbing angrily as she stared at me through frowning eyes. "I'm warning you Cash..."

With a shrug and an innocent bat of my eyes, I kept going. "Ah, that's much better. Now I'm comfortable. Oh and look, I guess you were right, I should've bought some new socks that last time we went shopping together." Lifting my leg high up in the air I plopped it down onto the table, my foot dangling over the edge on mom's side. As I wiggled my foot at her, one of my toes peeked out from the hole at the tip of my sock. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my God, Cash! Are you kidding me right now! Put your shoes on this instant before anyone sees you!" She seethed, trying unsuccessfully to push my foot off. "Quickly!"

I waved her off. "Relax, who's going to see me? In case you didn't notice, we're the only ones here. Again."

Her hands balled into tight fists. Her face was practically purple now. "Let me remind you Cash, that you agreed to this meeting, now stop this insanity and start acting like a big girl. Have some sense of decorum, at least!"

I snorted. "Decorum?" Pulling my leg off the table, I got to my feet and raised a brow. "Oh, I have decorum, mom. I just choose the time and place for it and let me tell you, this place..." I swept my arms around me, gesturing to the grandeur around us. "Is not suited for decorum, of any kind."

"I mean, did the people designing this place have a sense of decorum when they chose to make everything out of gold?! Do the people who frequent this and other places like it show decorum of any kind knowing that there are millions of starving people out there who would give anything just to have a fraction of what they treat as mere accessories?! Yeah, I don't think so, so then why should I have to show them de-"

"Enough, Cash!"

Mom's lips pursed into a thin line, her golden gaze practically glowed with restrained rage. Her cheeks flushed a shade of red that reminded me of the roses she grew in her garden, while the little vein at her temple was now throbbing in double time.

I frowned, tightening the arms over my chest as I rolled my eyes. And as I did, I nearly bowled over laughing at what I saw from the corner of my eye.

No... nope. Keep it together, Cash, don't screw this up!

By the time it took to gather myself, Mom had gotten to her feet, and even though she was on the same spectrum as I was when it came to height, she still had enough over me to be able to look down on me if and when she wanted to. She leaned forward until the tip of her nose was a handful of inches away from mine. When she spoke I could smell the sweet scent of the strawberry candies she was constantly chewing on.

"So help me God, Cash, I will put you over my knee and spank you for all you're worth if you don't stop being such a pain in the ass! I tried, Lord knows I tried to be patient with you, but you just don't make it easy, do you? I mean, you're acting like a damn teenager who's just had her phone taken from her, like- like a damn brat who's been told she can't watch tv until she eats her broccoli!" Nina huffed and threw her hands up into the air as she began to pace back and forth. "For goodness sake, you are 23 years old, so start acting like it! None of this pouting, these incessant tantrums when things don't go your way, no more acting out like a five-year-old, got it?!"

I said nothing, merely looked at the panting woman in front of me.

Gone was the passive demeanor she'd been trying to maintain this entire time. Gone was the gentle, bright-eyed persona she'd constructed just for today's meeting. In her stead was the crazy, red-cheeked fireball I'd come to know quite closely over the past ten years. Some curls from her updo had managed to come undone amid her rambling speech, framing her red-tinged face. The collar of her lavender-colored blouse had somehow come undone while the purse she'd been rummaging with earlier in her efforts at a distraction now lay scattered on the pearly white marble floor between us.

She was pissed, as pissed as I'd ever seen her... which meant I'd accomplished exactly what I wanted. I knew there was no way she could've held it together, not with all the prodding I was giving her. And when I looked up and shifted my gaze to see behind her, the smile that I'd been holding back this entire time finally broke free, nearly splitting my face in two.

"I- uh... should I give you two a moment?"

It was like mom's very soul burst out of her.

For a second she was frozen stiff and I didn't even know if she was breathing as she just stood there with this blank look on her face. It actually got to the point where I had to wave my hands in front of her just to see if she'd do anything. She didn't. And just as I was about to reach out and pinch her cheek it was as if life itself had been jolted back into her and all the color, all the fury, all the light seemed to drain out her all at once.

She looked like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Is... is she alright?"

Rio.

Young master Rio made his way towards us clad all in black like the last time except the closer he got the more I noticed his suit this time wasn't exactly all black, it was pinstriped. When he finally reached us I couldn't help but notice the same black watch on his wrist and the shades of autumn in his hair as it was styled in the same impeccable side-swept undercut as last time. When he walked around me, enveloping me in the scent of his skin and earthy cologne as he went, I caught myself nearly taking a breath. And when he looked at me with those pools of midnight blue...

"Mrs. Huxley?"

I blinked, snapping out of whatever fog I'd just been in. What the hell was that?

I grit my teeth, trying to forget what had come over me just now. "She's fine. She always gets like this when she suffers a nervous breakdown."

Rio turned to look at me, concern and alarm at war with each other in those eyes of his. "She's suffering a nervous breakdown? Why?"

I shrugged. "Me."

He frowned, his gaze turning back to my mother. "I still think we should do something. Get her some water, have her lay down..."

What a douche.

I rolled my eyes before shoving away the hand he'd been about to place on mom's arm. "Hey, if you don't stop this show of yours, I'm out. Agreement be damned, dad can do whatever he wants but I'm not putting up with this. You're being ridiculous. He's not the pope, you know."

I waited a good five seconds before shrugging and padding over to my seat.

"And you say I'm the drama queen."

As I began to slip my shoes on, I could feel Rio's gaze on me and damned if it didn't annoy the crap out of me.

"What?!" I snapped, lifting my head to glare at him.

He seemed at a loss. He looked from mom to me and back to mom again like a little kid who didn't know what to do. "Wait, that's it? You're not going to help her? I mean, you said it yourself, she's having a nervous breakdown-"

"Of course she is, she's suffering from a rare and incurable disease called the-woman-who-cried-wolf-initis." I replied drolly. "She's fine though but if I were you I wouldn't stand so close to her, she's contagious you know."

I offered him my most deadpan look before reaching down to finish tying my shoes. Then I got to my feet patted down the legs of my pants, brushed off any imaginary dust on my hoodie, and pushed past the two statues in front of me. "Oh, and before I forget, you can just shove the so-called apology that woman wanted me to offer you, right up your ass, okay? So, good riddance and goodbye."

"Cash, wait!"

I ignored the calls of the young master.

I was done with this shit-show. I'd accomplished what I'd wanted and now I had nothing more to say or do, and even though I hadn't exactly honored the agreement I'd made with dad I was far too annoyed by mom's disgusting show to put up with anything else. I'd just have to settle for whatever he had to offer and take it without a word. I mean... it couldn't be all that bad... right?

Wrong, Cash, and you know it.

"Cash!"

I felt his fingers wrap around my wrist and suddenly I was pulled back so hard I ended up doing a face-plant on his rock hard chest. My eyes instantly welled with tears and my nose felt like it'd just been smashed into my skull.

"Fuck!"

"Oh God, Cash, I- I'm sorry. Are you okay?! I'm sorry... I- I didn't mean-"

Sirens were going off on my head. A flood of uncontrollable rage filled my body from the tips of my toes all the way to my brain. The urge for violence was suddenly there and there was only one thing it wanted: OUT.

I pushed at the fucker's stupidly unyielding chest. Then again and again using every bit of strength I had until I felt him begin to lose his footing and just as I sensed his body finally give under my jabs I realized too late that my arm was still locked in his grip.

"Wait! Let go, you idiot, oh, shit-"

And down we went, two tangled forms followed by the sickening sound of bodies crashing hard against cold unforgiving marble floors.

For a second I didn't know where I was. I didn't know if I'd hit the floor head-on, back first, face first, or what. All I knew was the throbbing pain in my nose, the cold of the marble below, and the rock hard planes of the body beneath my hands.

"Fuck..." I groaned reaching for my nose only to have my nails scrape against something hot and when my eyes snapped open I found myself staring into the deepest depths of inky blue I'd ever seen.

"Are you okay?" He whispered so low the words were like feathers grazing my skin.

When he spoke I could taste his scent, his cool sweet breath, and his words all on my tongue. But that wasn't all... I could feel him too- all of him as he lay beneath me on that sparkling white marble flooring. And I couldn't help it... I couldn't help how close we were... how completely I was enveloped by all of him.

"Cash,"

Oh my god, did he really have to say my name like that?

My stupid brain had ceased all functions and it was all I could do just to keep breathing and staring.

Until he moved that is...

I saw it coming a mile away and still, I didn't move.

Still, I let it happen all because my brain had short-circuited and was taking a fucking eternity to reboot.

By the time his lips grazed against my own, just barely, like a feather-light touch, my body was fully operable and a little too late.

But before he could even think of going any further, all the hardwiring in my brain screamed orders at every single nerve ending in my body:

Oh, fuck no.

In one quick move, I clamped my teeth down on his bottom lip and bit down as hard as I could- until I tasted blood. Then I shoved him away from me, jumped to my feet, and glared white-hot daggers at him, swiping the sleeve of my hoodie over and over against my lips.

I didn't even hear his groans of pain, didn't notice mom, who'd suddenly remembered how to breathe, running to us, I didn't feel the ache in my ankle nor the taste of metallic pennies on my tongue. All I could see was blood red, all I could feel was the need for violence-

I balled my hands into fists so tight, my nails bit hard on the fleshy insides of my palms.

"The next time I see you," I whispered in a cold low voice. "You're dead."

Then I shot mom a look so full of venomous daggers she didn't even try calling out to me as I turned on my heel and walked out on them for the second time that week.