I tried to shove the thoughts aside, along with the jacket, as I pulled out my Keds. Mrs. Pruitt would hate them as much as Isabella did. And for some reason I found that wonderfully pleasing. I laced them up, grabbed the signed stack of papers, and headed back downstairs.
“Here you go,” I said and handed Mr. Pruitt the papers, trying my best to ignore the evil ladies of the house staring at my shoes.
“Splendid. I’ll update the will immediately.” He snapped his fingers and a staff member I hadn’t met before appeared. “Have this sent over to my lawyer at once,” he said.
“Your will, Daddy?”
“Yes.” He took a sip of his coffee. He was so calm when all I felt in the room was building tension.
“You have to be joking,” Mrs. Pruitt said.
“I’m not. I have two daughters now, and I’m splitting my will accordingly.”
“Without discussing it with me first?”
“If either of you say another word I’ll alter the will a third time, and I promise you that you won’t be pleased.”
Mrs. Pruitt’s jaw actually dropped. I would have reached across the table and pushed it back into place, but that was probably against the rules. Besides, I was a little shocked myself. “It’s okay,” I said. “You don’t have to update it at all. I don’t want anything.”
“Which is exactly why I’m updating it. You haven’t used your Amex card once since I’ve given it to you. Do you have any idea how much these two spend in a week?”
“Richard…”
“I’ve already made up my mind,” he snapped. Instead of throwing his coffee mug against the wall like I expected him to do, he just drank another sip calmly. “I’m going to call the lawyer in my study. Please do not disturb me.” He stood up and grabbed the newspaper. But before he walked off, he peeled away the page with the crossword puzzle and handed it to me.
He must have seen me staring at it last weekend. He noticed. He cared. He was changing his freaking will. What if I was entirely wrong about him? Some beasts had a Belle. Maybe my mom was his. And maybe he didn’t resent my existence. Maybe I really was all that he had left of the woman he truly loved. Maybe he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t know I existed. It was a whole lot of maybes. But even if a single one of them was true? He wasn’t such a monster after all.
Isabella’s chair squeaked across the wooden floor as she stood up. “You’ll never replace me, Brooklyn. Hell, your name says it all. Go back to the borough you belong in. Because Daddy only has one daughter. Me. And I’m not sharing him with you. And I’m certainly not sharing my inheritance with trash.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
I knew her sweet act was in fact an act. But the way she could flip the switch so easily was terrifying. I never found the part in the rules about not murdering people. But I hoped there weren’t any loopholes to that rule. Because if there were, I was seriously worried for my wellbeing.
“Your mother was a slut,” said Mrs. Pruitt. She was so quietly sinister that I had practically forgotten she was still at the table.
“Excuse me?”
“As I’m sure you are too. You’ll slip up soon. And when you do, I’ll see it. And I’ll be the one to tell Richard. I’ll strip you of everything you thought you could gain. Because mark my words, you are temporary in this house. My husband had one weak moment in his life and it resulted in you. And I’m going to protect his legacy even if he has decided not to. Even if I have to make you disappear myself.” She didn’t storm off like her daughter. Instead she left with a sigh, like my presence was exhausting her.
Her words echoed in my head. There was a lot that should have made my knees shake. But there were two sentences that had me literally trembling. Even if I have to make you disappear myself. Maybe the murder rule was for Mrs. Pruitt too. I knew it was a threat. But it was the other thing that stuck out even more. When you do, I’ll see it. I felt the familiar chill run down my spine and turned around to see no one at all. She was watching me. I knew she was. And I’d already slipped up every night when I went to Miller’s room. Did she know? God, she had to know. I heard the clock ticking down in my head that I always heard when something bad was about to happen. I’d never been wrong before. I’d always been good at knowing when my time was running out.
Tiffany came out to clear the dishes. “Are you alright?” she asked. “You look a little pale.”