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“Whoop-dee-fucking-do.” I give Tristan a bored look and reach for the bottle again. My head is swimming, and my chest doesn’t feel as tight, so I keep drinking. “They’ve got enough money to keep moving, you fucking idiot. How are you going to stay one step ahead of them, huh?”
I drink until their voices fade into the background, and I can almost pretend I’m not here. Now and again, I feel his eyes on me, but Tristan doesn’t address me directly.
Ernesto and Lorenzo drift closer, and I shoot them both an angry look. Lorenzo falters and changes course while Ernesto remains by my side. From across the room, I see Paul studying the whole thing, with his arms folded over his chest and his back pressed against the wall.
Fucking weasel.
I always knew he was a weak link. They all are.
I don’t understand why I keep wasting my time with them or why I have to babysit a bunch of grown-ass men who’ve been in the business as long as I have. Goddamn incompetent bastards.
While Tristan and the others are discussing their plan, I stand up and walk out of the room. Ernesto’s footsteps follow close behind me as I walk across the hallway and make a beeline for the window. Shoving it open, I stick my head out and allow the fresh air to slap me across the face. By the time Tristan comes out, I’m on my last sip of the bottle, and I don’t feel like killing him anymore.
Downstairs, Anita and Daniel are waiting for us, faces half-obscured by the shadows. My aunt takes one look at my face and frowns.
I don’t see anything as I get into the back of the car and lean against the leather seats. In the side mirror, I see Anita get into the car with Daniel, bright headlights making spots dance in my field of vision. I scowl and squeeze my eyes shut. The car lurches to life, and I sink my nails into the seats under me.
A short while later, Ernesto pulls up outside his apartment building. Wordlessly, he leads us all upstairs.
I brush past everyone and head straight for the kitchen. After rummaging around, I pull out a bottle of whiskey and use my mouth to pry the cap open. Once I spit it out, I chug straight from the bottle, enjoying the numbness settling over me.
It keeps Isabella’s image and what I did to her at bay. And if I have to drink every last bottle in the city to do that, I will.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Tristan steps in front of me and glances at the bottle. “That’s your second one today.”
“Back the fuck off,” I growl and push past him and into the living room. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
I sink into the couch and glance up, the four of them blurring together to form one shape.
“You can’t walk into a meeting looking like that, Carter.” Anita steps forward and peers at me. “It’s been two weeks.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What’s your fucking point?”
Anita’s brows furrow together. “My point is that you’re dismantling everything you worked hard to build. In the past two weeks alone, you’ve managed to call into question everything you’ve done, including your position as head of the family.”
I shrug and take another sip of my drink. “It was being called into fucking question anyway. For months, even. What difference does it make?”
Especially when none of it holds the same appeal as it once did. Whenever I try to picture the future, the thought of doing any of it without Isabella casts a shadow over everything.
None of it means anything without her. None of it ever will again.
For the first time in a long time, I almost want to watch it all burn, if only so it’s no longer a problem for Isabella and me.
Daniel takes a few steps forward. “I’d like to talk to Carter alone.”
Anita and the others exchange a look.
Ernesto motions to the terrace, and the three of them pile outside. I listen to chairs being dragged against the floor, then silence. Daniel sinks into the armchair opposite me and links his fingers together. I stare at him for so long that his features start to resemble my father’s. It makes my chest tighten, so I hastily glance away and blink furiously.
“This whole self-sabotage thing isn’t going to solve anything,” Daniel begins in a low voice. “I know you’re trying to deal with some things, but this isn’t the way to do it.”
I level Daniel with a withering look. “If I want your fucking opinion, I’ll ask for it.”
“You’re going to get it anyway,” Daniel replies without missing a beat. “I’ve been watching you the past few weeks, Carter, and it’s obvious that your head isn’t in it anymore.”
I’m on my feet before the words finish leaving his mouth. “Who the hell do you think you are anyway? You can’t just show up out of the fucking blue and act like you know something. You don’t know shit.”
Slowly, Daniel rises to his feet and pauses to fasten a button on his jacket. “I know enough. You’re a lot like your dad, Carter, and he also struggled with his responsibilities.”
