They Excluded Me From the Family, So I Built a New One novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: On Speaker

"Rosalie," Desmond said. "You're on speaker."

"Of course I am. I'm not hiding anything."

Her voice had the old warmth in it, the one she used on me at every holiday.

Thirty-some brokers sat without moving.

"Honey, I know you're angry. I know what Sue's been telling you. But I need sixty thousand dollars by tonight, in a cashier's check, and I need you to bring it yourself."

"For what?"

"For the bank. Carl panicked and did something foolish, and it's all going to come back on you, on the guarantee, unless we make the payment before they close."

"The payment's already late."

"Then we make it up. If you drive to Portland this afternoon, I'll walk you through it. I'll make it right, darling. You know I always have."

Desmond looked at me.

I shook my head very slightly.

He looked at the phone again.

"Rosalie, where is Kenzie?" he said.

A pause.

"She's confused. Susannah has gotten into her head. That woman has been planning this for a year, and she's using our girl to do it."

"Our girl is at my wife's house."

"Sue is not your wife. Not really. She never was, and you know it."

His mouth moved.

I thought I saw him start to nod, from the old habit of agreeing with her.

Then he straightened.

"I read what you wrote to Carl," he said.

Silence on the line.

"The one about the house. And me having nothing."

"That was a misunderstanding."

"It was seven sentences."

"Desmond..."

"Where are you right now?"

"I told you. In Portland."

"Which street?"

"Commercial Street. It's a lovely little place by the water, and I'd love for you to see it, if you'd just..."

"Whose name is on the lease?"

The line went quiet for a long moment.

← Chapter 16 · All chapters · Chapter 18 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend