Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Her phone had been put on silent. All calls were ignored. Work had been informed that she was taking a leave of absence until further notice. Sabrina had, in effect, gone underground. Meanwhile, she had been holed up in her best friend’s loft-style apartment, slowly turning into a vegetable.
She hadn’t showered in a couple of days, her hair was a matted mess from lack of brushing, and she was wearing the same borrowed sweat pants and now-stained white tank top that she’d borrowed from Janet upon her arrival.
Sabrina was, in a word, disgusting.
If Conner, William, or Oliver happened to find her secret hideout, they would surely be so appalled by their findings that they would run screaming in the other direction. With that thought, she wondered if maybe she hadn’t been going about all of this the wrong way. Maybe she should let them know where she was. Then she could be rid of their lying asses that much faster.
But seeing their faces would throw her over the edge into the abyss, she could feel it. Her emotions were finally leveling off, but she still didn’t trust herself completely. She had to be sure before she returned to life and work that she was strong enough to handle it.
That time was now. She couldn’t continue lying around doing nothing. Not only did she have bills to pay, but she had a reputation to defend. There was no telling the kind of damage the Hargreaves men had reaped while she’d been away.
Hell, there was no telling what they had done while she’d been too busy lying in their bed in a pleasured stupor. If they thought when she returned it would be more of the same, they had another thing coming. Sabrina was going to do everything in her power to ensure that they were all on their next flight out of town, and if she had it her way, out of the country.
Taking stock of the number of empty takeout containers and trash that surrounded her, she finally decided that enough was enough. She’d nearly taken over Janet’s living room and was embarrassing herself at this point with her ongoing pity party. Despite Janet insisting that she wasn’t bothered by it and she was welcome to stay as long as she needed, Sabrina was sick of her own damn self, so she had to believe her friend was reaching that point too—if she hadn’t already.
Getting off her butt, she spent some time cleaning the apartment, going out of her way to extend her reach to the open kitchen and dining areas as a way of thanking Janet for her hospitality. After changing back into her work outfit from a week ago, she put Janet’s soiled clothing into the wash and shot off a text letting her know how much she appreciated her being there for her and that she was returning her home to her. Then, with a twinge of dread, Sabrina headed home.
When she walked into her apartment, Sabrina almost expected to see one of the guys there, but it was quiet. Too quiet. Just like she remembered from before they’d gotten together. She used to come home to just her faithful kitty all the time, always ready to greet her with a bleating mewl, and it’d never bothered her. Before. Now, she felt a pang of hurt and longing for what she’d grown used to.
Not that they’d ever been just sitting around waiting for her to show up, but she’d gotten used to having life in the apartment. If she was alone, it was never for long. One or all of them would invariably find an excuse to come to her, and that had been nice. It’d been something to look forward to. Now, she felt as if there was nothing to look forward to anymore, and that hurt.
“Meow!” Binx was decidedly upset with her absence and lack of checking in.
As Sabrina bent to scoop him into her arms and nuzzle his furry head, she was greatful that she’d at least purchased an automatic feeding and watering system for him. In this instance, it’d probably saved his life. She was ashamed to admit that in her moment of crippling depression, he’d been the last thing on her mind, as was evident by the pungent smell of ammonia emitting from his overused litterbox in desperate need of attention.
After a good cuddle and a slew of apologies that Binx seemed to accept, she cleaned up after him and then retreated to her bedroom. Changing into fresh clothing, Sabrina stripped the bed down and threw the linens in the wash, hoping to erase any signs that she’d ever met the Hargreaves. Then she scrubbed down every surface they’d ever touched, effectively eliminating all traces of them from her life. Once she was through with that, she took a shower, washing away the days’ worth of grime along with a few tears, before signing into her voicemail and, without even listening to the numerous messages from her father to her mother to Conner, William, and Oliver, erasing every single one.
They were irrelevant. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t have anything to say to them, and they didn’t have anything they could say to make any of this better. There would never be an explanation good enough nor one that she cared to hear. It was all water under the bridge now, and she was ready to move on.
After that task was finished, she signed onto her laptop and into the corporate account, more as a test to see if her father had retracted her access, but to her surprise, he hadn’t. She’d expected him to step into the role of CEO and owner/operator the moment she’d left the office. He had, after all, already flexed his muscle and put great effort into reminding everyone that he was the one truly in charge there. Why not go full monty and exclude her entirely?
Maybe she should have listened to his message after all, she mused as she checked the accounts and her inbox, choosing to wait to make any replies until she drummed up enough courage to reach out to her father and see where they stood on everything.
It was going to be a tough phone call. There was a lot that needed to be said and hadn’t, and a lot that had been said that shouldn’t. It was time they cleared the air so she could figure out her next step.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Sabrina’s cell phone rang and when she picked it up, she saw her father’s face light up the screen.
With a sigh of resignation, she answered with a lax, “Hey, Daddy.”
“Sabrina, thank God. Your mother and I have been worried sick! Where have you been? Why haven’t you been answering our calls? We almost called the police to file a missing persons.”
She rolled her eyes. Although, secretly, she was happy that they’d been so concerned. “I’m fine. I was staying with a friend for a while.”
“You should have told someone. Do you know how many people are worried about you? My God, we thought you were dead.”
“I called Shawna and told her I’d be out until further notice.” And he knew that. Of course he did. She would have been one of the first people he asked.
“And that was the only reason we held off calling the police. You can’t go disappearing like that. It’s not fair to the people who love you.”
She almost quipped that she hadn’t been aware of any such people, but then bit her tongue. Not only would it have been untrue, but it would have been hitting below the belt.
“I’m sorry I worried you, but I’m sure you can understand that I needed some time away from everything.” And everyone.
She heard her father breathe deeply on the other end and then he said, “I’m sorry I put you through that. Afterward, when I talked to your mother, she made me realize that I could have handled things better.”
“You mean privately?”
“Yes. It was poor judgment on my part. Had I spoken to her sooner, I would have done it differently. I hadn’t considered the impact it would have on you, and I should have. That’s why I keep your mother around. She knows how to keep me in line.”
“Except I’m always cleaning up after you, after the fact,” she heard her mother yell in the background.
“Yes, that’s true. I need to practice talking to her before I make any big decisions. We’ll call it my one flaw.”
“Just one?” Sabrina smirked, her mood lifting at the light teasing.
“Yes, one,” he insisted. “No one can be perfect, after all.”
She chuckled. “Well, I guess I can forgive you, Daddy. As long as you promise to start talking to Mom before making any big decisions.”
It could save them all a lot of headache.
“I’ll swear on a stack of Holy Bibles if I have to. You know I never meant to do you any harm, pumpkin. I really thought I was going about it in the best way possible.”
“No, you were thinking like a businessman. You wanted to kill two birds with one stone, and having us all together for the big reveal made the most sense in that capacity.”
“Well, you may be right about that. I just didn’t account for the collateral damage.”
“I’m sure next time you will.”
“Well, that’s the kicker,” he said with a tone that put her on alert. “There won’t be a next time.”
Ah, there it was. His decision had been made. Sabrina thought she’d been prepared for it, but who could be ready for their dad, the person they spent their life looking up to and trying to emulate, firing them from the job that they’d worked their whole life to get and excel at? She’d thought she’d grown a thick skin over the years, but already it was clear she hadn’t thickened it nearly enough. Not for this.
“I understand, Daddy,” she said on a shaky breath.
“You do? Good, because I hate to explain myself unnecessarily.”
“It’s your company. You built it from the ground up and made it what it is today. I’m just glad that I got a chance to learn from you.”
“And learn you did. That’s why I know I’m making the right decision in turning over ownership to you.”
“Wait…what?” Sabrina couldn’t believe her ears. Had she heard him right? He was making her the owner of the corporation?
“Oh sorry, we must have a weak connection.” He raised his voice to near shouting to compensate. “I said I’m turning over the business. Congratulations, you’re the new face of Colloway Corporations!”
For the second time in a week, Sabrina felt like she was going to pass out.
“Daddy, are you serious? Are you sure?”
“Sure? Why in the world wouldn’t I be sure?”
“I just—it’s just that—I thought I let you down?”
“You let me down? Never. Whatever made you think that?”
“Well, I know how much you hate controversy and how you always told me to steer clear of it, that people are always watching, and then with the fact that I was dating the Hargreaves brothers—”
She continued on, not realizing immediately when her father cut in.
“Run that by me again. Dating the brothers? As in plural?”
She stuttered to a stop, realizing she’d stuck her foot in her mouth. Quietly she said, “I thought you knew.” She thought the cat had been let out of the bag back in that boardroom.
“Of course, I didn’t know! Geez Louise, Sabrina, what in the world would make you do something like that? I thought you were more sensible.”
Sensible? Well, she had been. Until they came along and made her feel otherwise. Then she’d been a little riskier, a little more daring. She’d decided to live her life more fully. So Sabrina, in short, had outgrown sensible and gotten a life.
A life she regretted, to some degree, now that a spotlight had been shown on all of its flaws, but it had been good while it lasted, so even though she hated the outcome, she couldn’t entirely regret the journey.
“It just happened.”
“Well, that’s one way of putting it. I thought only one of those boys had taken advantage of you. Three though?”
“It was my choice,” she explained. And even though she would like to see them all punished for what they’d done, she had to own her part in it too. She’d had her reservations and she’d gone ahead and dove right in anyway. Some of the blame rested on her shoulders, because at the end of the day, the only person who could truly protect her heart was herself. She’d knowingly placed it in harm’s way, as everyone did in the game of love, and she’d gotten burned. Now she had to be an adult about it and chalk it up to a lesson learned.
“You’re being mighty calm about all of this.” Her father sounded suspicious. “Where’s the girl who once cried on my shoulder and begged me to have the other party deported?”
Sabrina remembered that time in question, and she could do nothing but laugh and shake her head. “Daddy, I was eight, and it was because he cheated at dodgeball. Not because he’d broken my heart.” Like the Hargreaves did. The fresh wave of pain caught her off-guard, and Sabrina pressed a hand over the center of her chest in a vain attempt to stymie it.
“Did they?” her father asked quietly.
“What?” She already knew what he was getting it, but it was a temporary and pointless attempt to avoid answering.
“Break your heart.”
She paused for a long moment, allowing the silence to speak for itself.
“Oh, pumpkin, I’m sorry. Really, I am. Had I known, I would have pulled all of my favors and put them on the first plane back to their country.”
“No need,” she grumbled. Because she’d do it herself. Actually, that was just the hurt talking. She wasn’t going to do that. It wasn’t even within her power if she really wanted to. She just wanted them gone from her life. “As long as I don’t have to look at their faces every day, then I’ll be fine.”
“You’re being such an adult about all of this. I’m proud of you, Sabrina.”
“Thanks, Daddy. It’s hard, but I’ll work through it.” She took a moment, and then she said, “You’re being really adult about all of this too.”
“You mean about you getting involved with not one but three men? Brothers at that.”
“Yes, I mean that,” she clarified, though it was unnecessary. “I never expected anything like this to happen. I wasn’t looking for love, and certainly not times three, but, Daddy…it was great. While it lasted. I…I thought we were building toward something.”
He didn’t answer right away. No words of wisdom. It left her wondering what he must think of her, his daughter, shacking up with three men at once. Her father had always been a traditional man. This had to be so far out of his wheelhouse he couldn’t even see straight.
“As your mother is always telling me, it’s not my place to pass judgment. I don’t know what the right thing to say here is, but if I were approaching it as a one-on-one kind of thing, I guess I would say that we live and learn. And, of course, we all make mistakes. You’re no better or worse than anyone else who’s done the same. We all have our own paths to walk, and sometimes, we’re going to veer off in the wrong direction. It’s getting back on it that counts.”
“Well, I’m back on it now, I can assure you.”
“Good. Then I can expect you back at work in the morning and kicking ass and taking names by lunchtime?”
“You got it,” she said with a private smile that felt good to wear. She hadn’t done much of that lately.
“Great. Because I have to admit, trying to fill your shoes in your absence this week reminded me of why I bowed out in the first place. I’m an old man now. I can’t handle the job of ten people as elegantly as you do anymore. It’s definitely a place for the youthful.”
“Was that a compliment?” she teased. After one day of being back under his thumb, she’d felt beaten down. Now, it felt almost too much to hope that he approved of everything she’d been doing all along.
“I didn’t fully appreciate the effort you were putting in before. I was stuck in my own head, in my own ways, and you know, I hate to admit it, but as always, your mother is always right: I’m a bit of a control freak. I stepped on your toes and didn’t even notice because I was too focused on my own agenda. The right thing would have been to bring the information I had to you and let you address it how you saw fit. Instead, I took over. Again, I’m working on it.”
“Thanks, Daddy. And I’m proud of you too. You’ve come a long way.”
And he had. Even if it might not appear that way on the surface. Change was hard, and he was actively trying, which made all the difference.
They exchanged a few more compliments and heartfelt words before finally wishing each other a good night with the promise of talking again soon.
Sabrina was exhausted, physically and emotionally. She should continue cleaning, but in truth, she’d already whipped the apartment into such shape that she wouldn’t need to touch it again for at least a week. The lethargy soaking into her muscles was welcomed too. At least she knew that when her head hit the pillow and she pulled her fresh, clean sheets over her that she’d fall right to sleep instead of her brain running cross country all night.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be the case.
Around 11:00 PM, when she was all hunkered down for the night and close to drifting off, someone came knocking at the front door.