Chapter 146

"Sharon, while your facts hold, the conclusion doesn't add up. What you've instilled in these girls is your own fears since their conception. They lacked an understanding of love because you never grasped it yourself. I managed to teach them that in less than a day. As Sandy repeatedly pointed out, the people I answer to could have exploited them in unspeakable ways. Fortunately, they ended up with me instead. I know it might sound arrogant, but my life's a mess because of my parents. I've got eighteen more years of servitude before I'm free. I have no choice but to obey their commands, or face dire consequences. They ordered me to engage with these four girls, so I complied. If they had ordered me to do worse, I would have. I'm bound to them because they control my family and our business. In eighteen years, everything will be settled, and control will return to us. I'll have sacrificed thirty-five years of my life for that privilege.

I