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This is the front page of the New York Times. Oh my God. Word of this must be spreading like wildfire. And I went all day without knowing? Shit. Shit. Shit. Why was Ethan arrested? He didn’t do anything wrong. He was a victim in the boating accident. My uncle’s death wasn’t his fault. I want to believe this is paparazzi drivel, but I know it’s not.
With shaking hands, I buy a copy of the paper, then read the front page while standing right there on the busy sidewalk. I blink several times and my hands shake in disbelief as I read.
Ethan King, son of self-made billionaire Conrad King of King Media, was arrested Thursday for voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of billionaire Gregory Laurence of Laurence International. The Massachusetts prosecutor’s office in conjunction with the New York City Police Department made the arrest after a weeks-long investigation into the June 4 boating accident that took the life of Mr. Laurence, who was lost at sea and is presumed dead. The prosecution asserts they’ve gathered sufficient evidence that Mr. King knowingly caused the accident with the intent to harm Mr. Laurence and his family. More on page 8.
No fucking way I can read another word of whatever the hell is on page 8.
I toss the paper in the trash and call Amelia, but she doesn’t answer. This has got to be some sick joke. Why would Ethan get arrested? The whole thing was caused by my uncle. Ethan and I may have fueled my uncle’s rage with my confession, but Gregory was the one driving recklessly. He was the one who crashed into them. He caused his own death. If the prosecutors want to lay blame on someone, lay it on Gregory, but not Ethan.
Instead of taking the train to my building, I go to Aunt Amelia’s penthouse in hopes that she’s here in Manhattan and not an hour away at the Greenwich, Connecticut house where she and the kids spend most of their time. Or worse, vacationing at one of the other houses and screening my phone calls. I stride into the opulent Upper East Side building overlooking Central Park, the kind with marble floors and million-dollar artwork in the lobby, and ask the security to let her know I’m here.
“You’re in luck,” he says. “She just got in today.”
I’m sent right up and she opens the door for me as if it’s the most normal thing in the world for me to be here.
She gives me a hug but I’m stiff and awkward. She’s put together, wearing black dress pants and a burgundy blouse that compliments her hair. Her signature perfume encircles us, a spring floral scent that was always so comforting to me because she told me that my mother used to wear the same one when they were teenagers. Now it feels like a betrayal. She releases me from the hug and takes my hand. “Come in then. Let’s have some tea.”
Fuck tea. “They arrested Ethan.”
A flush creeps up her neck. “Yes.”
“Why? Ethan didn’t do anything wrong.”
She releases a bitter sigh and drops my hand. “That’s your opinion. The Massachusetts prosecutor’s office has a different one. We should let them do their job.”
My knees weaken and I would sit down right there on her stupid hand knotted Turkish rug if I didn’t think it would make me look weak. “Gregory was the one that crashed into them, he almost killed us, he broke Sybil’s arm, and he caused Cooper to lose his leg. It’s a tragedy that Greg died, but why should Ethan have to face false charges over it?”
She waves her hands as if I’m being dramatic. “Ethan King will get off. There’s not enough evidence and he’s got an arsenal of lawyers.”
“Okay . . . so what did you say to the police? Did you lie to them?”
“I’m not a bad person.” She’s defensive and grieving. Grief makes people do crazy things but that’s still no excuse. “Listen, Arden, it was either our reputation or it was theirs. You saw the hashtags, the way this blew up online? The media needs to blame someone for the accident and the Kings have gotten away with far worse. Ethan won’t end up in prison over this but it’s an opportunity for their family to face some real consequences for once.”
So this is about reputations. It’s about pride. And it’s about getting back at her cheating dead best friend by taking down her survivors.
“Are you even listening to yourself? This is wrong. This isn’t you.”
Her face goes slack and then hard. “You don’t have to understand it.”
“What would my mother think?” Maybe this is why she ended up estranged from her family and on drugs. Maybe they were conniving and led her down a dark path. What if not telling them about me was her way of protecting me?
Her eyes go sad. “I don’t know what she would’ve thought. She never valued family the way I do. She left.”
This is not what I signed up for. We’re supposed to take care of each other, but this is not the way to do it. “If being a Laurence means lying and manipulation, then I’d rather go back to being a Davis.”
I’d rather leave too.
“Davis? That wasn’t even Josie’s real last name. She changed it to that just to get away from us. Davis means nothing. Laurence means everything.” Her eyes water and I hate myself for hurting her, but she’s hurting me too. “Do you know what I’ve been doing today?” She takes my hand and leads me further into the penthouse.
This building is one of the most iconic in the city and my aunt and uncle have three entire floors to themselves. The real estate alone is worth over a hundred million dollars and that doesn’t include all the priceless artwork and furniture housed inside. I was out of my mind if I ever thought I could fit in with these people, blood relation or not.
But the feel of her hand in mine reminds me of just how kind she’s been to me. How is this the same person who would let Ethan go down like this? She helped raise him. He saw her as a second mother, she saw him as another son.
And now she’s going to help ruin his life?
She leads me into her bedroom where boxes are lined up with Gregory’s clothing. “Your uncle wasn’t a bad man just because he wasn’t perfect. He cheated on me, and he had a terrible temper that got him killed, but we loved each other, we were partners, and now I have to pack his life away in boxes and attempt to move on. We met in college and got married right after graduation. Did you know that? I’ve been with him for over thirty years. I don’t know who I am without him.”
And so she wants to make the Kings hurt because she’s hurting? “Cooper lost his leg. Isn’t that punishment enough?”
