Chapter Two
He frowned, his jaw tight. “Strangers? What is
that supposed to mean?”
“I can buy my own clothes. Whatever job I have,
I find it rewarding, and I think that I would
describe my work as something I would be
proud of. This money? Give it to someone who
needs it.”
<
9:10
924
He clenched the check in his fist, just standing there.
Sarah sidled up, saw the check, and seemed to put two and two together.
Her eyes flashed, but she plastered on a smile.
“Ashley, why turn down our generosity? We can do better than that.”
“I’m opening a nail salon on Main Street. I’ll get you a job as an apprentice. It’s not much,
maybe six grand a month, but you’d learn a
skill. If you’re ever down on your luck, you can
open your own place.”
“What do you say? It’s gotta be better than
whatever you’re doing now.”
I kept eating, trying to ignore them. “No, thank
you.”
>
9:10
924
Sarah’s smile never wavered, but her eyes were pure ice.
Tom balled up the check, his voice dripping
with contempt.
“You’re a lost cause, Ashley! I can’t help it if
you just want to be miserable forever!”
After that, a bunch of the old football team guys started swarming, trying to get me to take a shot.
“Hey, Ashley, look like you are having a hard time. Drink this, and I’ll Venmo you a grand.”
“If you’re really hurting…I’ll throw in some
extra.”
Their eyes were slimy, and the other classmates
were cracking up.
No one stepped in.
<
9:10
924
I grimaced.
This reunion was nothing like I thought it would
- be. If I wasn’t waiting for someone, I’d have stormed out already.
I was about to yell for security when Tom
suddenly crushed his cigarette and grabbed one of the guys by the arm.
He looked furious. “Knock it off.”
The guy yelped, trying to shake Tom off.
Sarah tugged at Tom’s sleeve.
“What are you doing?”
His face was still like stone. “Being decent. This
is a reunion, not a frat party.”
He shoved the guy away, and the guy, though
9:10
I couldn’t help but look at Tom. Never thought he’d be the one to defend me.
Sarah’s teeth were practically grinding to dust. But she said, all sugar. “I hear the CEO of Stark Industries is meeting upstairs. Maybe we’ll get lucky and see Tony Stark himsel!”
The room perked up.
Tony Stark.
Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
A–list celebrity.
“You think we’ll see Pepper Potts too? I have to
get a TikTok!”
“This is huge!”
A few minutes later, a squadron of bodyguards
ushered a little kid into the room, and the crowd
<
9:10
“That has to be Stark’s kid! Look at that
swagger!”
924
The guy who tried to buy me shots earlier, even after getting his arm twisted, could only seethe at me.
“Ashley, if it weren’t for Sarah, you’d never see Tony Stark’s kid! You should get down on your knees and thank her! Maybe you’d get a decent job, and I could be married to you, a regular guy who has six grand a month!”
Please.
I ignored him, watching the little boy.
Everyone was fawning over him, snapping
photos and videos.
Even Sarah, all smiles and honey, went over,
hoping to get close.
<
9:11
924
“Hey, sweetie, you want anything? Auntie Sarah
will buy it for you.”
She reached out, trying to pinch his cheek.
But the kid, surrounded by his guards, didn’t even glance at them.
He went straight for me.
He gave me a sweet smile and threw himself
into my arms.
“Mommy! You’re here!”
