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Since Terrance and the rest of his crew complied with Affinity's proposal, it allowed for the drive to her family's vacation house to be as peaceful as possible. And by peaceful, Affinity meant bitterly silent. John B was ordered to drive the truck while Affinity stubbornly gave directions. John B tried not to think about how he could almost see the anger radiate off of her or about how she didn't look at him once or that she angled herself so that all she could do was look out the window. He had done that. Why? Because he was selfish? Because his revenge stole his rationality? He had so much swarming his head that he couldn't pinpoint any one emotion. The only thing he did understand was that her forgiveness wasn't going to be easily won this time.
"Last left," she exhaled with annoyance.
John B ignored the sharp pain that pinged through his heart and turned the steering wheel to the left.
"Home sweet home," Terrance said. "Now, take us to your mansion, Miss Fancy Pants."
Affinity's jaw clenched.
John B pressed his lips together and reached to rest his hand on hers, which rested on her thigh. "Hey-"
Affinity ripped her hand away. Her glaring eyes met him, so intense that he could've sworn that his head was growing warmer from her stare burning a hole right through his brain. "No." She adjusted herself so that her shoulders were square to him and started to close the painful gap between them. "You lied. Now you've dug our grave even deeper and I know that you feel like you have nothing but this damn gold but I have a father that I need to wake up."
Affinity immediately noticed how John B's eyes flinched at the word that was so sensitive to him, and the regret followed soon after. She despised any moment where her anger was so immense that she suddenly lost that sympathetic side of herself, but she had reached the breaking point that was long overdue. John B swallowed hard and turned to face the security worker that was monitoring the front gate.
"Hey, there," John B said with a fake smile to the man who was on the phone, obviously bombarded by an important call. The man moved the phone away so he could listen to John B. "Hi, I'm just here to pick up my...leaf blower."
Affinity pinched her temples and rubbed her brows.
"I'm here to pick it up from..." He looked to Affinity for help.
"Bayline," she muttered.
"Bayline!" He repeated. "I do a lot of work over there."
The man nodded and returned to his phone conversation. "Yep. Go ahead."
John B drove off through the gate that had been opened up for them. He stopped in the arced driveway before the colossal doorway. Affinity jogged up the stairs but slowed after she received more threats from the girl. She huffed and began to slowly type in the security code to the front door. A slight rush of relief ran through her body, considering their lives were now in her hands and one wrong move could cost them them that very thing. Affinity led them through the extensive and winding halls until they came across a very spacious room with stark white furniture. The ink black safe stuck out like a sore thumb. Finally, her hands were able to stop shaking.
