RyderI did try.I had no idea whether or not that made a difference, but if I ever had to explain this to Samantha, I could say that I had tried my very best to explain it. But despite everything I did, nothing came of it. The genie refused to go back into the bottle no matter how hard we tried. I was standing below her and looked up at her. During the night, I draped a plush blanket over us both, but it only covered her bare body halfway. She was pressed up against me, and her hair draped over the arm that I had wrapped around her. I felt as though one of her arms was encircling my chest. She ended up falling asleep on my shoulder. I was able to detect her delicate breaths flitting across my clavicle like butterflies. Her leg was draped over mine, golden against my paler skin. The length of her body wrapped around mine was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, so I pulled the blanket up higher to cover us both.She came to when she moved. I could feel her eyelashes fluttering open

RyderThere were a lot of factors contributing to why Samantha's visit was so distressing.To begin, I am proud to say that I have never lied to my daughter in the past. Now I did nothing else. The answers to even the most basic questions had to be lies.Where have you been that you are now so dressed up and so late?Toil and trouble.Who among these actresses would like to play the role of my stepmother this week?No one special.Don't you love Lexie?It is fine with her.As a result of her visit, I was unable to see Lexie for a period of three days. Not really see her that often, anyway. On Friday, while I was in the middle of negotiating a contract, I couldn't help but look at the back of her head instead of the document. Because I was accustomed to spending Friday night and the entirety of Saturday with Lexie, those days now feel depressingly empty to me. Then there was the time that we all went out to dinner on a Sunday night, and it was a terrible experience. I hadn't seen her s

RyderFor a very long time, it appeared to those who were looking in from the outside that I was the very best person in the entire world. I had accomplished everything I had planned to do when I was a scared-shitless nineteen-year-old kid who thought he only had one chance to make a life for himself and his baby daughter. I had believed that I only had one chance to provide a good life for my daughter. My name has always been associated with achievement. It gave people I cared about the opportunity to demonstrate what they were capable of doing. My youngest child was almost finished with college and would soon be able to succeed at anything she set her mind to. I had so much money that I didn't know what to do with it, and I had so many houses that I didn't know where to put myself. Even real friends, which were even more difficult to come by in this town than success, were on my side. In point of fact, they only cohabitated on occasion. I was aware that I should be confident because

RyderAfter Lexie had left, I stood there transfixed on the elevator for the duration of the meaningless time that passed. Perhaps it was only a minute, or perhaps it lasted the whole night. When I finally tore my eyes away from what I was looking at, it was still night. That was all I knew. The air had become cooler, and the fiery red clouds that had been hovering just above were now beginning to move across the sky. In Los Angeles, the aroma of rain was neither musty nor clean. It had a flavor reminiscent of metal. A bitter aftertaste to linger. As soon as I stepped outside, I inhaled deeply of its fresh air. The first drops of rain were already beginning to fall gently. The blazing flames within the candles trembled angrily as they evaded the petty spats that were occurring between them.I stood there in front of the table for an additional uncountable amount of time, taking everything in. She'd gotten herself into a bit of a pickle. The carbonara and fettuccine were both dishes th

RyderWhen I was in the air, approximately halfway to the East Coast and the inevitable, Lyndon gave me a call. He inquired as to whether or not I desired for him to take any action in regard to Kim.What are you going to do about her? I echoed. "I thought you said you didn't have anything," the person asked.He said it in a matter-of-fact manner, "I told you I hadn't found anything."I understood what he meant. He always carried something in the pocket behind his back. A frame, a fix up, a trap. Should he put Kim in one? Did I want him to?I gave it some thought as I fixed my gaze on the back of the seat in front of me. If Lyndon were able to conjure up an incriminating counter to what Kim had on me, it would make my life a hell of a lot easier. Despite the fact that Samantha loved her very much, she had long since lost Samantha's ability to give her the benefit of the doubt. She would be aware that accusing me of setting her up would only serve to drive a wedge between her and Saman