Page 73 of Her Sloth

“My wife,” she says. “We also know it was you.”

“What?” I ask, pretending to know nothing.

“I’m not here as an enemy,” says Lilian, turning to the glass front overlooking Downtown. “I give you this as proof I’m on your side.”

“You—you killed him?” I stammer out.

“Your father was a horrible man,” she finally says. “He deserved to die.”

“He sure did.”

“But I didn’t do it. Wouldn’t. My wife, however…” she says with her voice getting slightly higher, “She’s on a personal vendetta against abusive men in power, if one can say so. She’s also rather…possessive.”

“Lovely wife,” I say and chuckle.

“She is indeed. She also has wonderful ideas on how to manage your case.”

“My case?” I ask. “I didn’t⁠—“

“The banners and everything else you are up to.”

Fuck. She knows.

“How do you know all that? I mean, yes, your wife, but she must have means?”

“Irrelevant,” Lilian says briefly, “What’s relevant is that we have ideas.”

Ideas. I repeat carefully in my mind.

“What ideas?” I ask as I step next to her.

Lilian doesn’t speak for a while.

“You were never meant for this world,” she finally says. “I still remember the day we first met. You had this light in your eyes when we talked about the cars. I envied you for the love you had for them. You lost your spark. That’s what this world does.”

“Um—“ I say, because I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.

“You lost your spark, but never your love for them. You should do what your heart tells you to do.”

“Easier said than done,” I say with a scoff.

She doesn’t speak for another moment; we both just stare at Manhattan.

“I was meant for this world. It’s what I am good at. I love the corporate world.”

“Do you?” I ask her, looking at her.

“Yeah,” she says and turns to me.

“I want to buy Whitney-Morgan from you,” she says, looking me straight in the eyes. “I want to buy it so you won’t crash the world into a crisis, because that is what will happen. It will cause a disruption that will cost many existences. And if you agree to it, I promise you I will manage everything to your satisfaction.”

“You are insane,” I say with my mouth half-open.

“I’m not. I’ll take over and take care of the investigations and proper measures. Just name a price.”

I stare at her.

This is surreal.