**Hi everyone! Happy late Thanksgiving. I hope everyone had a wonderful day filled with yummy food, stretchy pants, and good friends/family. I definitely ate my weight and am now feeling it. Anywho, here's the next chapter and honestly one of my FAVORITE chapters of the book because queen Roxie really comes out to play. Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Roxie's dress:

Roxie's POV

After the last encounter I had with Jedrek, two things happened; one, I hadn't seen him around the house since - mainly because I'd gone straight to my room and haven't come out despite my growling stomach - and two, my patience with anyone in this entire God-forsaken family had shriveled up almost entirely.

It was finally the end of the week and the day of the bridal shower. Despite having only been here since Thursday, it felt like a fucking lifetime. All I wanted to do was go home. I knew that I was going to be surrounded by heiresses with thousand-dollar dresses and even more expensive pearls, which meant I had to up my A-game and look absolutely flawless; however, I really wasn't feeling up to it after the fight I had with Jedrek this morning.

Regardless, I was not about to let these entitled daddy's girls show me up. If there was one thing my momma gave me besides brains, it was all-natural tits, hips, ass, and sass and by God, I was going to show them all off and be quick-witted while doing it.

I slid the emerald green bodycon dress up and over hips and ass with a little difficulty as it clung to me like a second skin. There was boning outlining the entire dress that gave it a corset-style look while also having a slimming effect on my front. The deep green complimented my skin and hair, making me feel like the sexiest woman in the world while also giving me a much-needed boost of self-confidence.

Upon arrival, I got many annoyed glares. That's right, ladies. This dress only cost me twenty bucks on sale and I still look better than ya'll I thought smugly, striding right past them. Miss Princess Tori just had to have the damn thing at the ritzy country club they were members at - the one place I blamed for all the shit in my life. How wonderful to be back.

The event room she'd rented out was just a ways away from the golf course, which meant there were men crawling all over the place - more specifically, Jedrek, Waylon, and their entire fucking group of men they brought with them for their planned business meeting. They were told to 'pop in anytime!' because apparently no one had told them that bridal showers are traditionally women only.

I was highly thankful for the endless amount of champagne that we were being supplied right off the bat; my liver, however, not so much. Once it was flowing, though, I couldn't get enough of the bubbly stuff. I grimaced as Tori squealed for the thousandth time as they all played some stupid fucking game.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that your fifth glass in the last forty-five minutes?" Sandra smugly questioned out loud as I was given a new full glass. Her comment caused all the girls at the party - whom I'd gathered within the first ten minutes of my arrival did not like me at all if the glares and snubbing I was still receiving was anything to go by - to look at me with catty smiles.

"God, Sandra, you're right on the fucking ball. Nothing gets past you, does it?" I exclaimed, catching everyone off guard. I could tell she didn't know what to say, having expected me to become defensive and engage her in an argument. "I'm a little surprised that you're shocked. I mean, I learned from the best and my dad can fuckin' pound em' - but I'm sure you know all about that with being married to him and all," I chuckled, loving the way her cheeks heated up with embarrassment at me dragging her dirty laundry out into the open for all her posh friends to inspect.

"You know what, I've gotta uphold the family name!" I chirped before downing the entirety of my drink and switching the now-empty glass for a filled one off of a tray from the same waiter who'd yet to walk away. "Make it six now!" I laughed fakely before leveling her with a challenging glare.

Your move, monster-in-law.

"Well, your father has become much better at portion control with alcohol, but you must also get this trait from your mother. I've heard quite a lot about her partying days," she laughed evilly, sharing a haughty look with some of the other girls surrounding her. My body grew hot all over as my sight tunnel-visioned on just the ugly hag with that fucking disgustingly smug smile. She knew she'd just hit me where it really mattered and Goddammit I was going to do it right back.

But, as I said, momma didn't raise no bitch. Oh no, this wasn't being settled with words anymore...

Her face dropped as I kicked off my heels and started barreling towards her. My hoops came out next as I pulled them from my ears and chucked them uncaringly over my shoulder onto a table. Time to put all the shit Khloe showed me to the test.

"Someone call security!" Was the last thing I heard as I lunged at her. I reared my fist back and got in five solid punches before I was being pulled off of her by some of the girls at the party. Seeing that one of them was Tori, I shook the hands off me and let my fist fly at her this time instead.

Have fun with covering that black eye on your wedding day! I snickered in my head, almost scared by how deranged the thought sounded even to me. It wasn't until two burly men charged into the room and finally restrained my arms that all the chaos ended.

"You fucking psycho!" one of Tori's bridesmaids screeched while they all tried tending to the two women's wounds. I glanced in a mirror hung on the wall to my left and applauded myself for coming out looking as good as I went in - which was most definitely not the case for Tori and her bitch of a mom.

"You know, I didn't bring a gift to this stupid shit because quite frankly you can go fuck yourself, Tori," I began, unable to stop the word vomit from continuing, "but I think I will leave you with a little advice as my gift. First off, don't you or anyone else ever fucking talk about my mother ever again. She was more of a woman than everyone in this goddamn room combined," I growled, "and secondly, you better mentally prepare for your wedding night because after spending four years with Jedrek, I've learned that he likes everything but vanilla. He likes cuffs and gags and ties and paddles and whips. He likes taking you to the brink of pleasure only to bring you right back down, denying you until you think you can't take another second. He likes leaving lasting marks on your body in places that only he can see. He likes fucking you until you don't think you'll feel anything else down there but him for weeks," I hissed, watching as everyone's jaws dropped. From the blank look on her face, Jedrek had never taken her there. That look alone told me he'd never gone past even missionary with her.

I was horrible for feeling good about that.

Deciding I'd done enough damage to not only them but also my reputation amongst the group, I turned on the heels of my feet and stormed out of the room, grabbing my jewelry and shoes as I went. Someone up above must've been looking out for me because the first door I tried ended up being the exit onto the patio that continued to the golf course. I put my earrings back in but kept the shoes off as I ventured onto the grass, guessing this place wouldn't like it if I accidentally irrigated their fake lawn for them with my stilettos.

The shit they served must not have been that strong, because the effects were already wearing off as I continued to walk - that or the adrenaline had sobered me up. My feet began to hurt from adventuring barefoot on the concrete paths, but I ignored it. Anything was better than being back in that shithole situation.

I heard a golf cart coming up from behind me and quickly jumped out of the way, but it was for nothing as it slowed to a complete stop as it approached me.

"Roxie? What the hell are you doing out here?" Jedrek called out, looking worried. Oh, buddy, you shouldn't be worried about me. You should be worried about your weak-as-shit fiance.

"There was a, uh, a bit of a disagreement," I said with a smirk before giggling. Okay, maybe still a little tipsy. He sighed before slumping back in the driver's seat.

"Waylon, get out and join Mather's car," Jedrek ordered before massaging the bridge of his nose, visibly stressed.

"But-"

"I said get out!" He ordered harshly. Had he not looked so pissed, and I not been so turned on by him taking charge, I would've laughed at Waylon's scared reaction as he scrambled away. "Get in, Roxie. And don't give me that fucking look. I'm not in the mood," he growled, obviously seeing the fight I was going to put up. I licked my lips before huffing and rolling my eyes. I sauntered up to the cart and slid in next to him, crossing my arms over my stomach and clenched my thighs together to quell the heat there.

So much for completely ignoring him.

"What's got you so pissy?" I asked while looking straight ahead, trying to distract myself from the intense urge to pull the golf cart off the main sidewalk to somewhere secluded and ride him until I was fully satisfied.

"The fucking potential investor and partner I was supposed to meet with is now officially half an hour late and by the look on your face you've caused something that I'm definitely going to have to clean up," he grumbled. I hummed in reply before nodding my head. Being late was one of the things that irritated Jedrek the most - something that clearly hadn't changed one bit - and I had most certainly caused a shit storm as he'd guessed.

The rest of the ride was silent until we pulled up to the same place I'd stormed off from. My heart started to beat a bit faster thinking about having to go back in there and face the lot of them again, but I was saved when we entered the door for the neighboring room. It was a conference room filled with men I barely remembered. I set my shoes down and bent over to put them on just as a group of men entered the room.

"Shall we talk business, boys?" came a man's voice. I gasped before jolting upright to meet eyes with the man.

"Ezekiel? What the hell are you doing here?" I questioned, shocked.

"I could ask you the same thing, sweetheart," he chuckled looking at me suspiciously.

"How the hell do you two know each other?" Jedrek demanded with murder in his eyes while Waylon's gaze volleyed between the two of us as a look of realization passed over his face. 

"Is this the guy you were waiting on? Ugh, are you never on time for anything?" I grunted before crossing my arms and popping my hip while staring at Ezekiel. Having my current...sugar daddy-slash-friend? and past...well, daddy in the same room had my heart beating out of my chest, but I kept my calm, composed exterior the best that I could.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, sweetheart?" Ezekiel asked, his voice somewhat strained as he motioned over his shoulder at the door. I sighed before nodding and following him out of the room, leaving a lot of confused men and one fuming one behind.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Did you follow me?" Ezekiel demanded, looking as if he'd already made his mind up concerning the answer to that question. "We have a great friendship type of deal going here, Roxanne!"

"No, you idiot!" I hissed back, catching him off guard. "I'm here because Jedrek's marrying my step-sister and my father forced me to come. Did you have a brain aneurysm that wiped out your memory or something?!" I asked, slightly offended that he thought I actually went out of my way to stalk him in a sense.

"Hold on, back up. Jedrek, as in the owner of Chamberlain Brothers LLC., is the ex you've told me about?" he balked, his tone dripping with disbelief. I winced, thinking of how badly I could've fucked things up for Jedrek's company just now with how I'd spilled my life story to him.

"Yes, but listen, don't let what you know about him and I cloud your judgment on doing business with him. He's one of the most brilliant architects I know - you've seen this first hand with all the things he's unintentionally taught even me. Hell, he's been asked to re-designed practically half this city. If I'm correct in thinking that this is the business meeting you were leaving town to attend, then you're right that some of his men are absolute morons - but he's not," I stated confidently. I wasn't sure what the hell possessed me to say this to him and try to defend Jedrek, but I just had to.

Love makes you do weird things.

I knew that Ezekiel owned one of the most prestigious design companies in Chicago and was looking to expand to multiple different states before finally taking the company global. This could be an amazing deal for both parties. I just hope I haven't fucked it up before it even has a chance to begin.

He sighed deeply before looking at me dead in the eyes.

"That means a lot coming from you, especially knowing how you feel about him. I just don't know that I can trust him to be a smart businessman and partner when he made such a stupid fucking decision letting you go," he said honestly before resting his hands on his hips as a look of contemplation crossed his face.

"Just think about what I said, okay? Obviously, he's good enough for you to make the trip out here, so make this decision solely based on his business and his potential," I pled just as the door behind me slammed open, my livid father looming over my shoulder. Uh-oh.

"Roxanne, get in here," he snarled before backing away. Shit, I kept repeating over and over in my head as I slinked into the room and dropped into the desk chair he'd pulled out and was now pointing at. Tori and Sandra were behind him, both sporting the most fake-ass crocodile tears I'd ever seen along with a couple of good shiners I'd given them. Everyone else in the room looked tense and somewhat shocked, but Jedrek just looked curious and pissed off.

"We invited you into our home thinking you would at least behave yourself like a decent young woman should," my father hissed. Was he really going to do this in front of not only all of Jedrek's highest employees but also an important potential investor? How fucking stupid is he?

"Actually, you forced me to be here if I do recall correctly," I interjected sarcastically.

"And then you savagely attack my wife and daughter for no reason!" he yelled, ignoring my correction. I shot up out of the seat so fast the chair fell backward behind me. My wife and daughter.

Man, that stings.

"For no reason? For no reason! I had every Goddamn reason! No one, and I repeat no one, slanders my mother's name and gets away unscathed. I was defending mom's honor - you know, the woman you spent twenty years with? The one that you've just thrown away like she was nothing to you!" I shouted, shaking off the comforting hand Ezekiel tried placing on my arm.

"Excuse me?" My father hissed, his face turning red.

"I wasn't finished!" I growled, banging my fist against the conference table.

"You may be just fine and dandy to forget all about her and to let this botoxed-up bitch and her clone of a fucking daughter drag her name through the mud, but I will not stand for it! They may have walked away with a busted lip and black eye, but I can assure you that next time I'll be out for fucking blood," I growled vehemently, my tone causing a visible chill to run up his spine.

No one in the room spoke. No one moved. No one breathed.

"Are you alright, crazy girl?" Ezekiel whispered into my ear with mirth in his tone as I continued my intense staredown with my joke of a father, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Just fucking dandy," I hissed back.

"This is your fiance, I take it?" Ezekiel asked as the men he'd brought with him - most of which I'd recognized the instant I'd returned to the room - filtered into the room around him. They all glanced at me with polite yet somewhat-amused smiles before their faces went stone-cold serious once again. Ezekiel's question was directed at Jedrek as he pointed towards Tori's shaking frame. Jedrek ground his teeth together before nodding a single time while looking like he was doing everything he could to hold back whatever was on the tip of his tongue.

"Well, that's all I need to know. Such fine company you keep. I'll contact you within the next week regarding my partnership decision," he stated coolly. I watched as every last one of Jedrek's men's expressions turned to that of desperation and despair before Ezekiel leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you when you get back, sweetheart," he murmured before making his leave. I didn't say another word as I turned and followed Ezekiel out. I didn't want to be here for another second.

Whipping out my phone, I called a cab before ringing Milo while simultaneously dismissing Ezekiel's offers to share a ride. Right now, I just needed space away from everything and I knew that if I were to share that ride I would start doing damage control on Jedrek's behalf - something I just didn't have the brain capacity for right now. 

"Yes, darling?" Milo asked as soon as he answered. I could hear the curiosity in his voice as I'd only been at this stupid party for two hours by now. And oh the shit storm I've caused. Quite the accomplishment really.

"I'm coming back to the house and then we're packing our shit and staying in a hotel. I don't foresee myself sticking around for the wedding after what just happened," I said as a wave of exhaustion flowed over my body.

"This sounds like a story that deserves a good bottle of red and some food. I'll buy, just get your ass here," he insisted excitedly. I rolled my eyes before hanging up.

At least someone was going to gain some entertainment from this cluster fuck.