Page 128 of The Price of Scandal

“It’s your mess to clean up.”

He sputtered into my ear. “You don’t get it. This is serious shit. They’re talking fraud charges.”

My heart clenched in my chest.

I could probably make this go away. I could save him. But it would cost me. And not just money. And in the end, it would cost Trey even more.

“I can’t help you, Trey. But you can handle this.”

The silence was deafening. In it, I heard the cracks that had always existed in our relationship splinter wide open.

“So you’re picking your money over your only brother?” His laugh was mirthless. “That’s heartless, even for you. You’ve got enough to spare.”

“What’s mine is not yours. You haven’t earned anything except trouble. Take your lumps. Get through it. And come out a better person.”

“God. What is your problem?” he snapped, all casual joviality vanished. “You’re my fucking sister. I need help. I need cash. I need lawyers. I need you to wire me the fucking money. A couple hundred thousand. I need you to take care of this!” He sounded desperate yet still so sure that the help was coming.

“Not this time, Trey. Not anymore. I’m done with the bailouts. Call me when you want an actual relationship.”

I wanted to hang up on him, to cut him off mid-tirade. But I also needed to hear him. Hear the names, the threats. Really hear it this time. Because as of this moment, I didn’t have room for my brother in my life. Not as anything more than a casual acquaintance across the dinner table once or twice a year. He was toxic, and I was too busy to be disrespected.

He hung up on a bitter “Fuck you!”

I leaned against the wall, hands falling to my sides. All alone in the middle of two worlds. Ninth graders gleefully sketched out superbugs on whiteboards to my left. To my right, a dozen people were waiting to take pictures of me.

I felt a strange anxiety creeping its way through my system. My reputation was repairing itself. The IPO seemed to be back on track. Everything I’d worked for was coming to fruition. To top it off, I’d finally stood up to one of the most disrespectful people in my life.

And yet I felt that niggling of doubt. Something was off. Wrong.

Had I made a mistake? Another misstep?

I wished Derek were here. His trademark bluntness would snap me out of this funk. No one felt sorry for an empire-building CEO who was about to add more zeros to her portfolio.

I peered into the educational lab again. It was a picture of chaotic energy. Interest.

But it felt like there was more than just a wall and window standing between me and that vibe. Because my two greatest assets right now were my brand and my bank account. Not my brain. Not my ideas. Not my leadership. Not my contributions to fucking science. Not my ability to maneuver around a lab and wade through data.

There was no one to blame but me.

But this was necessary. This was the cost of business, of progress, of growth. Sometimes you had to take a step back from what you loved so you could do what needed to be done.

My phone rang again. It was my mother. I sent the call straight to voicemail. There were only so many confrontations I could handle in a morning.

“Ms. Stanton, we’re ready for you,” the assistant called from the doorway.

They were going to have to redo the lipstick since I’d eaten half of it off.

* * *

Emily, it’s your mother. I was in an appointment with a tarot reader and had a message from Trey. The poor thing’s gotten himself into a bit of trouble. I need you to reach out to him and make arrangements with your legal team. Your father is being ridiculously stubborn and pretending like he’s not going to pay. So of course, you’ll need to cover the cost until he sees the error in his ways. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into that man. He acts like family doesn’t deserve—Hang on. Trey is calling me back.

* * *

Emily! How could you turn your back on your brother like that? I’m appalled. He needs our help. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but it isn’t attractive. You cut off all your beautiful hair, start dating a questionable man, and suddenly decide that you’re too busy to help your family? Call your brother and fix this. Immediately. You know he’d be there for you in a heartbeat if you ever needed anything. I’m just sick over this. You need to fix this.

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Derek