𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐲 | ✓

55 (𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝)

I call William's assistant to find out where he is as I drive down the street, entering the main road. Turns out he's not been leaving his house ever since they got back from Italy.

It takes me thirty minutes to reach his house and during the entire time, despite being tense, certain serene contentment gripped my brain.

In these few days, I felt real happiness. Everything before these four days I spent with Gracie seems like a cheap replica of the emotion.

Gracie... my Gracie. I can finally say that without feeling like shit.

A wide grin breaks over my face. We're together, finally! Under no circumstances am I willing to risk losing her. Neither am I going to let anyone hurt or upset her.

Sure, a lot of people—including her brother—will talk shit, but that's what people do, it's all they ever do. And if that's the price I have to pay for being with the woman I love, so be it.

At this point, I know I'll do anything to keep her happy and mine.

Hopefully, once all of this is over, she'll gain back her trust in me, and I'll show her I'm not going anywhere. But for now, I have to remember to assure her every now and then, just in case she starts worrying and doubting.

I push my glasses up as I drive past the opened gates of William's mansion and park near the entrance door.

One of the guards hurries towards me and I toss my key to him as I climb out of the car and go up the few steps. The door opens and one of the maids leads me to William's workroom.

I knock on the door once before letting myself in, not waiting for him.

William's head snaps up from his tablet and his features twist with anger. He aggressively takes off his reading glasses, his nostrils flaring as I shut the door and stride to the leather armchair across his desk.

"William," I greet him as I sit down and prop my ankle on my knee.

"So you finally decided to show up?" he growls, throwing his glasses aside and glaring at me.

"Yeah." I nod, drumming my fingers on the armrest. "I thought it's about time we have a good talk."

"What is there to talk about!" he thunders, his protruding eyes glacial. "After what you did!" He jabs the space between us. "Do you have any idea of the problems you've caused?" he yells.

I scratch my chin. "Technically speaking, you started everything, so the majority is your fault. I kept telling you to not trust Gracie, to not go along with this-"

"You son of a-" he roars, cutting me off but halts himself.

"Bitch?" I complete for him before steepling my fingers. "Mortifyingly, for the first time in my life, I didn't act the way my mom would've approved. I did what you would have done. You know what they say, like father like son." I wave my hand around as I add, "Surprisingly, it turns out it applies to me too."

He clenches his jaw and glares at me, his mouth turning to a white slash. "It's all that girl's doing, isn't it?" he growls.

"Gracie? No, not at all." I shift in my seat, making my spot more comfortable as I face him directly. "I came here because I wanted to."

He plants his forearms wide apart on the desk. "What do you want?"

A sardonic smile twists my mouth. "If someone who didn't know us would've heard you right now, no way in hell they would've been able to tell we're blood-related. You talk to me like I've killed your father."

A muscle on his jaw ticks from anger. "Spencer," he warns in a low voice.

I hold up my palm in mock defense. "Fine, I'll get to the point." For a moment I study him, assessing how I should approach the matter.