Paying three hundred thousand dollars of debt before being ordered out of the house
“He was desperate,” Arthur said, his voice dropping even lower. “He was drowning in those liabilities, Clare. A father does what he must to keep his family from going under.”
“You were willing to let me be ruined in his place,” I said.
Arthur looked at the wall, his jaw tightening as he stared at a print of the old state capitol building. “We did not want any public embarrassment.”
“The embarrassment was already there, Arthur,” I said. “You just wanted me to pay for it.”
He did not answer. He simply turned back toward Fletcher’s office, his hands disappearing into his pockets once more as he walked away.
I joined David by the elevators, the metal doors sliding open with a soft chime.
The evening air was cool, carrying the scent of damp pavement and exhaust from the nearby downtown traffic. I walked out to my car, my keys already in my hand, their metal edges cold against my palm.
A shadow moved near the driver’s side door of my sedan.
Marcus was leaning against the fender, his tie loosened and his collar undone. He looked up as my heels clicked on the asphalt.
