Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Stone
Evie has been wandering like a lost little lamb, her eyes big and dazed, ever since she exited the Financial Aid Office. And I know why. I’d gone in there and paid her tuition bill, making sure to bring the balance down to zero.
The woman at the counter had resisted my efforts at first this morning.
“And who are you?” she’d asked suspiciously, eyeing me up and down.
Now I’ll admit, it’s not every day you get an alpha male in the dinky offices of Financial Aid, a dude who literally takes up all of the space in these tiny confines.
“Stone Phillips,” I’d said peremptorily. “Here to pay the bill of Evie Jones.”
The woman hadn’t been persuaded.
“I can’t just hand out personal financial information,” she’d said tightly. “It’s confidential.”
And I’d leaned forward, my manner slightly threatening.
“Let me clarify,” I’d said, my voice low and rasping. “My name’s Hanson Stone Phillips, and I believe you’re sitting in a building my grandfather had built.”
Because I’m a scion of the moneyed Phillips family who had made its fortune in packaging. We’d started off making paper boxes and wrapping paper but had soon branched into industrial packaging solutions, doing everything from the crates for Dole Pineapples in Hawaii to the shit that your laptop comes boxed in. So yeah, my family’s at the head of a massive empire, the money rolling in waves, and at that very moment, we’d been sitting in a building which my grandfather had endowed way back in the day.
Upon hearing that news, the woman had immediately perked up, sitting up straight.
“Oh yes, of course, Mr. Phillips,” she’d chattered nervously. “I’m sorry. Phillips is such a common name; I didn’t realize a member of the family was here.”
And I’d sighed, leaning back. Her behavior was exactly why I didn’t use my first name. First, because Hanson is a lame name. Well, not lame exactly, but I just don’t want to be called “Han,” “Han Solo,” “Hannie,” or any number of juvenile nicknames. So I go by my middle name, Stone, instead. It works, and everyone has called me Stone since I was a kid.
Second, Hanson Phillips is way too recognizable. It’s the name of my father, my grandfather, and countless male relatives. As soon as people hear the name “Hanson Phillips,” they bow and cower, making way for the alpha dogs. And I don’t want that. Sure, I come from power and money, but that doesn’t mean that I want to lord it over people and make them feel like vassals in my kingdom.
So I had taken a job as a high school biology teacher, and it had suited me well. Of course, my family had been devastated. They’d wanted me to join the Phillips packaging business, but I’d been reluctant. I’d wanted to explore my own interests and make my own way in life without becoming a part of the hive collective immediately. So I’d gotten a teaching degree and started at Spencer Prep as a biology instructor.
But my family had never given up; they’d just given me time to grow and develop professionally on my own before pressing their case.
“It’s been five years,” my dad had rumbled, his brows drawn. “Don’t you think that’s enough teaching? You’ve done a lot for the kids.”
My grandfather had been even more direct.
“I’m getting old,” he’d croaked. “I’m going to kick the bucket any day now, and we need fresh leadership at the company. You and your dad are the only ones; I can’t hand over the reins to Hanford or Hansel,” he’d said with disgust. And I agreed with him there. My cousin Hanford is an addict who’s been in and out of rehab a couple times in the last few years, and my other cousin Hansel is just lazy. I don’t think he ever even graduated junior high.
So I’d left Spencer after that magnificent date with Evie and had gone to work for my family. It had been abrupt, I’ll admit. Administration hadn’t been too happy with the zero notice I gave them, leaving them scrambling to find a sub, and they’d threatened me with bad references and had cut off my paycheck immediately. But none of that had mattered. I didn’t need references, and as for my paycheck? It had been a pittance, just a tiny amount of money each month that barely paid the bills.
Besides, I’d had to do what was right for me and Evie. We’d finally gone on a date, a real date between a man and a woman, and I’d realized how dangerous that was. Not for me – I didn’t give a fuck what people thought of me. It was for my best girl. If people found out that she was dating her biology teacher, not only would there be scandal, but people would question her integrity, and she’d potentially be cited by the Academic Integrity Committee. And then what? There’d be a permanent mark on her transcript, and her dreams of going to college would be ruined. She would be blackballed by all of the good schools.