She never would have guessed–Mr. Shaw was the kind of man who relished other people’s leftovers.
To Harrison, she was like the cold, forgotten rice at the end of a meal–tasteless, yet somehow too much of a waste to simply throw away.
She said it plainly to Adrian, “I don’t think the best way to get back at a man is to marry someone else. Doing that, just to flaunt my so–called desirability, to prove that at twenty–seven I can still attract a man… That’s not how I want to measure my worth. My value shouldn’t be defined by whether or not someone wants me.”
Selene smiled, her voice clear and unwavering. “If you really want to get back at someone who’s hurt you–man or woman–the best revenge is to make them watch you from afar, knowing they’ll never have you again.”
She refused to shrink back into the shadows, hiding away in some quiet corner of a house, just another invisible woman behind a man.
She was going to stand on equal ground with Harrison.
No–she would stand even higher.
She would go somewhere Harrison couldn’t even dream of reaching.
Drawn out of her thoughts, Selene realized Adrian was watching her with a fire in his eyes.
A flicker of panic crossed her face before she could hide it.
Adrian finally looked away. “You’re yourself again,” he said softly.
This was the Selene he liked.
“Hm?” she asked, not catching his words.
He sprawled across the bed, his voice muffled, and she couldn’t quite hear him.
Adrian just smiled lazily. “About that incident with little Master Vaughn and the dangerous tool at preschool–if you don’t want to deal with it, I can handle it. After all, I’m the injured party.”
Selene nodded. “You’re absolutely within your rights to demand an apology and compensation from the Vaughn family and the school.”
She glanced at her daughter. Adults could keep their emotions in check, but kids couldn’t. If Daphne and Dames stayed at the same preschool, there would always
be conflict. Even if Daphne switched classrooms, she and Dames would still run into each other almost daily.
“Next year, Daphne starts elementary school. The Vaughns had it all planned out–Daphne and Dames were supposed to move straight to Charteris Elementary. But I’m thinking about transferring Daphne. In Capital City, aside from Charteris Academy, the best elementary school is…”
“Maplethorpe Elementary,” Adrian finished for her.
Back in the day, Maplethorpe Elementary was where all the top families sent their kids for a real education, and it’s only gotten harder to get into over the
l
years–money alone isn’t enough.
But Adrian seemed unconcerned. “I can have my dad write a recommendation letter…”
Selene smiled. “No need to trouble the professor. Maplethorpe has a special program for students with exceptional talents. Daphne just joined the Metro City Athletics program, got me thinking about the transfer.”
I that’s what
Adrian was intrigued. “What’s Daphne training for at Metro City Athletics?”
Daphne, perched on the edge of the bed, ticked off on her fingers: “Boxing, swimming, weightlifting, discus… and yesterday I tried ping pong!”
Talking about her daughter, Selene couldn’t hide her pride. “She picks up skills so quickly. Every coach says she’s… what do they call it? Born for sports. Because she’s so gifted, the coaches at Metro City Athletics are still debating which sport she should really focus on.”
Adrian grinned. “Well, the Summer Olympics are in Paris in six months. We could take Daphne to watch the games–let her soak in the experience.”
Daphne had already felt the Olympic buzz at her training center, and now she punched the air, eyes shining. “Let me shine in Paris!”
Selene ruffled her hair, laughing. “You’re just going to watch, honey. You’ve got a while before you’re the star of the show.”
Adrian wasn’t convinced. ‘If you could get into Aldonia University of Science & Technology at fourteen, why can’t Daphne take the Olympics by storm at five and a half?”
At the hospital billing counter:
212
17.27
Chapter 58
“Eighty–one thousand?” Harrison repeated, not sure he’d heard the clerk right.
“That’s correct, sir. The patient used imported, top–of–the–line materials. Insurance
won’t cover it.”
Harrison stared. This wasn’t about insurance at all.
He could tell Adrian was gouging him for every cent, but there was nothing he could do. In the end, he paid the full sum without another word.
Chapter 69
