Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
I needed to take back control of this situation.
I took a step back. “I can’t believe you answered.”
“When he called all of us nearly a dozen times, back-to-back-to-back, yeah, I answered,” Jordan admitted.
“I thought he was still blocked,” I said.
“I still have him blocked,” Whitt said. “But he got ahold of Jordan and told us what was going on.”
“Told you what exactly?”
Please, oh please, oh please, don’t have screwed up everything, Owen.
“Harvard,” Jordan said.
I jerked back at that response. The one I hadn’t at all been anticipating. Had Owen told them about our deal? If he had, wouldn’t they be mad about Chase? Because right now, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
“What about Harvard?” I asked.
“You withdrew from Harvard?” Whitt accused.
“Oh,” I whispered.
Oh. Oh no.
Shit, shit, shit.
How had Owen already found out that I’d withdrawn? I had only done it this week, and now, he was knocking down my brothers’ doors to get to me about it. Yes, I’d broken our promise. And he was within his power to break his side of the deal. Maybe it was too much to think that he was going to do the right thing. When had he ever done the right thing?
“Oh?” Whitt asked, fury building. “Just oh? That’s all you have to say? Harley, are you out of your mind?”
“I had good reason for doing what I did.”
“What could possibly be the reason?” Julian asked. “You got into Harvard Law School. You have to go.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
“This is what you’ve always wanted,” Whitt said desperately.
“It’s your dream,” West said. “You’ve always wanted to be a lawyer. This is like me quitting Cosmere.”
“This is nothing like that,” I insisted.
“It’s not far off,” Whitt agreed.
“Can I explain? Or is everyone going to talk over me?” I spat.
Jordan held his hands up. Julian leaned against the sofa, uncomfortable with the direction things were going but still interested. West took a step back. Whitt looked like he wanted to punch something.
“Fine. Explain,” Whitt said.
“I was going to tell everyone about Harvard tomorrow. I was accepted in January. I thought that was what I wanted to do. I spent a lot of time considering it and realized the only reason I was doing it was because it was what I’d always said I wanted. It was what all of you expected of me. I had this full-ride scholarship and a 4.0 at Tech. I should go do the thing.” I gestured off in the distance. “I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Just what I thought I should want to do.”
West sighed. “Fuck.”
Whitt crossed his arms and pursed his lips. He was the guy who had the five-year plan. The one who always knew exactly what he wanted. This was anathema to his person.
“She’s allowed to change her mind,” Julian said.
“It’s a huge change,” Jordan said on a sigh. “I don’t want you to regret it.”
“I won’t,” I insisted.
“You don’t know that,” Whitt argued.
“I can reapply.”
“There’s no guarantee that you’ll get in again.”
I shrugged. “Then, I could go somewhere else. LSAT scores are valid for five years. So, I have five years to decide before I have to retake for new scores. That sounds like enough time to know whether or not I’ve made the right choice.”
“Five years,” Whitt said. “That’s a long time. What are you going to do in the meantime?”
I grinned then. “Well, I’m going to work with you.”
“Come again?” Whitt said.
“And you,” I said to Jordan.
“You’re going to get a job at Wright?” Julian asked in confusion.
“Correction: I already have a job with Wright.”
“No,” Jordan said. “I would have heard about it.”
I shrugged. “Not if I went to Morgan directly. I remembered what you’d said, Whitt, when we moved here, that it felt like this was the position you were meant for. Like it had been waiting for you.” I pointed at Julian. “The same thing happened for you too. Wright Construction is our namesake. Why should y’all get to claim it and not me?”
“It’s not about claiming anything,” Whitt insisted. “It’s about you being smarter than all the rest of us combined and not meeting your potential.”
I took a step back, my hand going to my heart. “Ouch.”
“I didn’t mean it…”
“I think you did,” I said back.
“What he means,” Jordan said, “is that we don’t want you to waste your time.”
“It’s not wasting my time. I’m going to be working in HR to help with a new inclusivity program. That’s what I want to be doing. Helping people and changing the world. One company at a time. I want to start with ours.”
West nodded his head. Julian nudged Jordan, as if to say, Let it be. Only Whitt still looked unconvinced.
“How exactly is Dad involved with all of this?” Whitt asked. “I thought you were no contact.”
“I was.” My eyes darted to the bedroom door again. How to explain this without Chase? Fuck. “It changed last summer. He was at Mom’s.”