gold digger » jack gilinsky

seven

the topic of jack and the rings have been bugging me all night. braxton has definitely noticed my mood change, but i don't want to tell him about it right now. eventually i will, just not when we're enjoying dinner with my father and his 'girlfriend'.

"any new partner collaborations?" my dad inquires, genuinely interested in the business world.

braxton chuckles for a second, "actually yes. with the gilinskys'."

my dads eyes widen, "what?!" he exclaims. "and you're okay with this, octavia?"

i nod my head in response, "i have to keep my personal problems away from my work ones."

"that's wonderful, dear." lilian chimes in, smiling fondly at me.

i refrain from cringing as lilian calls me the endearment 'dear'. by now, we're finishing up dinner and just discussing random things. braxton's really good at keeping a conversation going with my dad that's not boring.

braxton's just good at everything in general.

in the corner of my eye, i see a waitress lead a couple to a table and i tense once i fully discover who the two are. jack and the underaged female from the other night.

"hey, you okay?" braxton grabs my attention, squeezing my thigh.

i look up at him, "yeah, but look who's here."

i gesture my head over to the table not too far from us. braxton's eyebrows raise in either surprise, hostility, or he's impressed. doubt he's impressed.

"he came with the girl i saw him with at the charity event." he murmurs to me.

"what are you two whispering about?" my dad questions, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.

"nothing." i say automatically, but of course, braxton can't lie to my father.

"jack's here." braxton informs him.

i give him a full on death glare. he knows how much my dad despises jack and the amount of hatred he has toward him. he just lit the fuse to a bomb. my dad scans the restaurant before settling his eyes at jack.

when he sees him, he angrily throws the napkin on the table. he's livid and fuming with rage.

"honey, no. he's not worth it." lilian tries to calm him down, grabbing his arm and i resist the urge to gag.

"he broke my daughters heart. if the purge were to happen, he'd be the first on my list." dad sneers and i kind of want to laugh at his protectiveness.

we all stare at jack's table like it's some phenomenal television show. i freeze in my spot and narrow my eyes to get a better look as he produces a bright red, leather box from his pocket.

i blink, registering what it is. he used to always buy me jewelry. now i'm extremely uncomfortable. i turn my attention to my purse, digging up my wallet. i throw down a hundred dollar bill for mine and braxton's dinner.

"octavia." dad starts, warning laced in his tone. "i'm paying."

i shake my head, "it's fine. let's go."

braxton grabs my hand, "baby, let me pay."

i shake my head once more, wanting to get out of here. i can't stand to stay in here for one more second if everyone's just going to be distracted with jack and his date.

"let's go." i repeat with finality.

braxton wisely presses his lips shut together and nods at my command, not wanting to argue with me. i'm not in the mood. i apologize to dad and lilian for my abrupt leaving.