What A Lie Looks Like | ✓

2.11: sephine

Hayes was at meetings all day. I've spent my time getting through the forty-three unread books that are slowly being moved from the unread box to small piles on top of the yet unpacked box of read books. So far, that stack has amounted to five books considering I keep falling asleep while reading them because I get so bored.

But today there's a knock at the door of Hayes's penthouse that rouses me from my nap on the couch with a book that's fallen to the floor after I dropped it. I'm not entirely awake when I open the door, but Hayes's father wakes me up faster than an electrical shock.

"Uh, Mr. Benson- Hayes isn't here?" I ask, confused as to why he's here. I'm not sure if he even remembers who I am considering we've only met once; it was at the Christmas party Hayes and I went to.

He's an intimidating man, but it's easy to spot the signs that lead to how ill he is. "I'm not here to speak to my son; I'm here to talk to you, Ms. Montgomery."

"Alright, can I get you something to drink?" I ask, trying to keep my hands from shaking as his critiquing eyes wash over me.

"I don't think this will take long," He pauses to cough into his handkerchief after stepping into the entry hall. "How much money will it take to make you go away?"

I let out a nervous chuckle unsure of how I'm supposed to respond to that, "I'm not in this for his money; in fact, I like to think I have plenty on my own."

He doesn't seem amused at all, "You are no good for him. What can you even offer him? Ms. Ellsworth, at least, has a company that she can offer Hayes along with a lifetime of drama free happiness. But you offer him nothing. Name your price, please."

My nerves are leaving as my anger starts to set in, "Excuse my bluntness, but I'm not sure you know what's good for Hayes."

Hayes's father's eyes narrow at me, "I know enough that it's not an addict such as yourself. If I recall correctly, that's what ended your mother's political career after it was leaked by none other than Ms. Kaplan during your short stint at Hermon. I would rather drop dead than let my son destroy the company that my father and I have built from the ground up."

I suck in a sharp breath because he knew exactly what to bring up, and then I realize that he's trying to get a rise out of me. The glint in his eye shows me that he thinks it's working. "That was my past, and I got help and worked through my issues," I reply slowly, trying to keep my face neutral. "My mother resigned from her office because she wanted to spend more time with her family."

"If you think I could find all of this out with one simple background check, what do you think the media is going to do when they find all this out? They're going to tear you to shreds and take him down with you. He deserves better than you." And then out of the corner of my eye, I see Hayes move through the doorway, no doubt having just heard everything that his father has said.

"What's going on here?" He asks, taking off his coat and loosening his tie while his blue eyes never leave his dad as he waits for an explanation.

"I was just having a conversation with Ms. Montgomery here; you might want to think twice before giving your mother's ring to someone of her reputation," He muses cruelly and Hayes tenses.

I clamp my mouth shut for once and resist the urge to look down at my hand that now wears a ring that has sentimental value I knew nothing of. "At least I'm giving it to someone I love instead of Sutton for the sake of getting her company. There is nothing wrong with Sephine that would make her unworthy of mom's ring. In fact, I'm glad that someone of her reputation is wearing it," Hayes's stature stands mere centimeters over his dad, and it's come to which one backs down first, but both of them are incredibly prideful, so this could be quite a while.