Princess (American Princess #1)(41)
Author: Courtney Cole

“It seems to me that mom has been lying to you. Nothing she told you was true.”

“It appears that you are right, but to what end?  Why would she want to drive a wedge between us?” Her father was genuinely puzzled, that much was apparent.

“Daddy, this is really embarrassing and I don’t want to ask… but..are you g*y?”

Sydney forced the uncomfortable words out, trying not to blush.  It didn’t work.  Her cheeks were flaming.

Randall Ross went completely still, his face impassive as he stared at the floor in front of him. After a minute, he asked stiffly,    “Why would you ask that?”

“That was the text.  It was a text that appeared to be from you to Paul Hayes, only you sent it to me instead.  If you didn’t send it, someone with access to your Blackberry must have.  That leaves your assistant or… mom.  But why would she do that?”  Sydney was beyond confused.

“Sydney, I’m not g*y.”

Her dad squared his shoulders and looked her in the eye.

“This is not a conversation that I ever thought I would have with you.  But it appears to be necessary now.”

He took a deep breath and started talking, gazing into space as if he was seeing his memories unfold in front of him. He twisted his thick gold wedding band absently all the while.

“Another Senator came onto me, a very good friend, months and months ago.  We were spending quite a lot of time together trying to draft up a bill that we both felt strongly about.

“One night, after we had worked too late into the night and had one too many drinks, he tried to kiss me after we walked out of a restaurant.  I rebuffed him, of course, but a picture was taken.  The photographer has been blackmailing me ever since.  I wasn’t a willing participant in that… embrace, but the picture sure makes it look like I was.”

“Was the senator Paul Hayes?” Sydney asked softly.

“Yes, it was Paul. And even though I’ve been very angry with him for crossing the line and wreaking so much havoc on me with the blackmailing photographer, the Paul that I know would never victimize a child in the way that you described.  I just can’t bring myself to believe it. It doesn’t make any sense.”

The utter look of bewilderment and betrayal on her father’s face broke Sydney’s heart.  So she changed the subject.

“How does mom fit into all of this?  Why has she lied about me?  Why do you think she let me think that you were g*y?”

“I don’t know,” Randall admitted, his eyes stark.  “Your mother and I haven’t been very happy together for a long time, as you probably know.  Even though parents try to hide things from their children, children are usually smart enough to see through it.  Your mother and I have grown apart.  Although, she stood with me on paying the photographer who was blackmailing me.  It would have ruined my career.”

“And it still will.”

Jillian’s ice-cold voice came from the doorway.  “Well, that and the fact that you are going to murder your own daughter today.”

Both Randall and Sydney whipped around to stare at her.   Jillian stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding a gleaming black handgun.  Sydney gasped as her mother’s stormy blue eyes rained hatred at both of them. Sydney instinctively recoiled from it.

“Murder my own daughter?  What the hell are you talking about, Jillian?”

Randall lurched to his feet and challenged his wife without fear, regardless of the gun in her hand.  But Jillian ignored his question.

“How does it feel, Rand?” Jillian almost sang as she sauntered gracefully forward.  Sydney couldn’t stop staring as her mother drew to a stop in front of Randall.  She suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

Randall glared at Jillian.  “How does what feel?”

“How does it feel to have everything crash down around you?” Jillian smiled a sadistic smile, giving Sydney goose bumps.  She had always known that her mother was unfeeling… even cold.  But Sydney had not ever been aware that her mother was such an evil, calculating bitch.

“What is your plan, Jillian?” Randall’s voice was just as cold as his wife’s.  “You know that if anything happens to me, life as you know it is over.  Is that really what you want?”

“Oh, Randall.  Don’t worry about little ‘ol me.  I’ll land on my feet.  I’ve been investing money of my own for a long time and so I’m quite wealthy now, if I do say so myself.  Even without your money.”

“Then you also know that when we divorce, I’ll get half of your investments.” Randall smiled a tired smile.  “Maybe you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

“That would only be true if you were alive to divorce me.  But unfortunately, Randall, that won’t be the case. Didn’t you notice my little friend here?”

She made a circle in the air with her gun.

“I’ll be collecting your life insurance, instead.  Much more lucrative. Of course, that will only be after you kill Sydney.  I’m a greedy bitch, I admit it.”

Randall’s face went slack as he realized what she was saying.

“This is about money?  Jillian, think about this.   There is no way that you will get away with anything. I’ve already called the FBI.  They’re on the way.”

She laughed a casual, tinkling laugh.

“Oh, sweet, naïve Randall.  Don’t worry.  We have a plan.  Well, I guess I should say we have a new plan. When Sydney arrived here today with her little entourage, it threw a wrench in our original plan.  But we think our new one will turn out nicely. You and Paul are going to turn on us all and we’re going to have to defend ourselves.”

“We have a plan?  Who is we, mother?”

Sydney tried to keep her voice from shaking, but the shock of everything was bearing down on her quickly.

“Now, Sydney, I thought you were smarter than that—that you had it all figured out.  You were smart enough to escape Harrison, weren’t you?  Come on- put the pieces together. I want to watch your face when you figure it out.”

Jillian’s taunting voice didn’t hold even a shred of maternal love for her daughter.  It turned Sydney’s stomach.  Realization dumped on her like cold water and she sucked her breath in.