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“Yes, princess. I need to get dressed and take care of some business beforehand,” I say, capturing her lips. “I can’t wait to see what you’re revealing.”
She smiles behind sleepy eyes. “You inspired me.”
“Love you,” I whisper. “Go back to sleep. You have a few more hours before you need to be up.”
“I love you. Can we leave after the show?” she asks.
“Will it make you happy?”
She nods.
“Then the answer is always yes,” I tell her, stealing another kiss.
“I already miss you,” she admits in a sleepy tone as I find my clothes from yesterday.
Once I’m dressed, I leave the penthouse, and when I walk into the foyer, Brody is leaning against the wall.
“Hey,” I say to him, and he gives me a chin nod, then returns to his phone. “Do you ever sleep?”
“No,” he says, looking me up and down. “Do you?”
“Barely.” I move closer to him, unsure how to bring up this conversation. And maybe it’s not the proper time to mention it. However, I also understand it will never feel right; discussions like this are inherently awkward.
“I know about you and my sister,” I say, keeping my voice low. “I’m really, really fucking sorry. I can’t imagine what losing her did to you.”
His face slightly softens, but then returns to the same hard expression he always wears. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Okay,” I tell him, moving to the elevator.
It’s clear he doesn’t want to discuss it, but I don’t think I would either. I press the button and wait.
As I step inside, Brody speaks up. “Who told you?”
I give him a smile, remembering I found out through the letter. “My sister.”
He swallows hard as the doors slide closed.
Guilt floods me. I wasn’t there for him or anyone who was missing Eden. I closed myself off to the world and doubled down on making the firm the best that it could be. I wasn’t living; I was surviving. That stopped the moment I kissed Billie in Weston’s penthouse.
I wish I could change the past and that my sister were still here. I think I always will.
I step off the elevator and make my way to my room, where my luggage is. Everything is exactly where I left it when I arrived. I won’t sleep in this room once.
After I quickly shower, I get dressed. Just as I’m adjusting my tie, a knock taps on my door. It’s almost seven in the morning. I look through the peephole, only to see Josh Lustre standing outside. I return to the bed, pulling the blankets down and roughing them up so it looks like I was here. I’m too invested in this game to fuck it up at the end.
I return to the door and open it. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” he says, and I can smell alcohol on his breath.
“Are you drunk?” I ask, staring him down.
“I’m ruined,” he yells. “Fucking ruined!”
“Josh, lower your voice. You need to go to your suite, take a shower, and get a few hours of sleep. Then get up and get dressed for your fashion show this afternoon. Okay? Stay the course.”
He leans against the doorway. “Do you know what room Billie is in?” he asks.
“No,” I state. “Why? Are you planning on sending her flowers?”