Chapter 39

Cecilia

The text from Carter came through while I was brushing my teeth.

Turks and Caicos. Two weeks. Arthur‘s private airstrip at noon tomorrow.

I stared at my phone, toothpaste foam dripping onto the counter. Two weeks. In paradise. With Arthur.

And Max. And Alice. And Sophia.

Arthur appeared in the bathroom doorway, already dressed in one of those perfectly tailored suits that made my brain short-circuit. "Problem?"

"Carter just locked in the trip." I showed him the text. "Two weeks in Turks and Caicos."

His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes—satisfaction, maybe, or relief.

"Two weeks," I said, meeting his gaze. "Sun, sand, and whatever drama Max and Sophia are gonna bring."

"You sure you want to deal with that?" He stepped closer, his hand finding my waist. "We could go somewhere else. Just us."

The offer was tempting. God, it was tempting. But I thought about Alice.

"I want to go," I said firmly. "Alice needs someone in her corner. And besides—" I grinned up at him. "Free vacation courtesy of Sophia's guilt? I'll take it."

His lips twitched.

"I'm practical." I patted his chest. "If she's gonna throw money at her problems, might as well let her throw some at a beach resort."

"Somehow I doubt a free trip is your main motivation." He leaned down, his mouth brushing my ear. "You're never that simple."

Heat flooded through me, and I had to fight the urge to pull him back to bed. "When have I ever been simple?"

He laughed, his hand sliding along my waist, and murmured, "Shame I have work to deal with. Otherwise I'd love to find out just how complicated you can get."

My face flushed hot, and I shoved him away. "Go. Before you're late."

Arthur's jet sat gleaming on the tarmac, all clean lines and tinted windows.

We arrived first. Arthur's hand found the small of my back as we walked toward the plane, and I leaned into the touch, grateful for the anchor.

A black SUV pulled up ten minutes later.

Alice practically exploded out of the passenger side before it fully stopped, her face lighting up when she saw me. She started running toward us, and I felt myself smile despite everything.

Then I noticed what she was wearing.

Gone were the ripped jeans and leather jacket from the pier. Instead, she had on this pale pink sundress, with white sneakers that looked like they'd never touched pavement. Her hair was in two braids tied with matching pink ribbons.

She looked like a doll. A pretty, perfect, breakable doll.

My stomach turned.

Max emerged from the driver's side, and his eyes locked onto Alice immediately. Not a glance. Not a look. A lock. Like a predator tracking prey.

Alice slowed, then stopped completely about ten feet away from me. Her shoulders hunched slightly, and she took a small step backward—toward Max.

Oh, hell no.

I closed the distance between us in three strides and grabbed her hand. "Come on. Ethan loaded the plane with snacks, and I'm starving."

"Cecilia—" Max's voice was sharp.

I didn't look back. Just kept walking, pulling Alice with me toward the plane's stairs. "You like gummy bears, right? I saw, like, five different kinds in there."

"I—yeah." Her voice was small, uncertain. "But Max—"

"Can board the plane like a big boy without supervision," I finished, tugging her up the first step.

Behind us, I heard Arthur's low voice. "Max."

"Tell your girlfriend to watch herself," Max snapped. "Alice is my lover."

"Cecilia does what she wants." Arthur's tone was bored, dismissive. "You should know that by now."

I didn't hear Max's response because we were already inside the cabin, and holy shit, this plane was nicer than most apartments. Cream leather seats, a full bar, and—yes—an entire table covered in snacks.

"Oh my god," Alice breathed, her eyes going wide. "Is that—are those Haribo?"

"Like six different flavors." I grabbed two bags and tossed one to her. "Sit. Eat. Ignore everything else."

She hesitated, glancing back toward the door. "Max is gonna be pissed."

"Max is always pissed." I ripped open my bag and popped a gummy bear into my mouth. "Fuck him."

Her lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but close. She sat down across from me and opened her own bag, pulling out a green bear and examining it like it might explode.

"You okay?" I asked quietly.

She nodded too quickly. "Yeah. I'm good. It's just—" She gestured vaguely at her dress. "He wanted me to look... nice. For the trip."

Nice. Right. Because nothing said "nice" like dressing a more twenty-year-old woman like she was heading to a toddler's tea party.

I wanted to say something—wanted to tell her she looked ridiculous, that she didn't have to do this, that she could wear whatever the hell she wanted. But the fear in her eyes stopped me.

Instead, I said, "Well, I think you'd look better in the leather jacket, but the dress works too."

She blinked, then laughed—this surprised, genuine sound that made my chest ache. "Really?"

"Really." I grinned. "Though if you spill anything on it, Max is definitely gonna lose his shit."

"Then I guess I better be careful," she said, but there was a spark in her eyes now, something mischievous and alive.

We were halfway through the gummy bears when footsteps echoed on the stairs.

Carter appeared first, his usual easy smile in place. "Ladies. Already raiding the snacks, I see."

"Your fault for stocking them," I shot back.

He laughed and stepped aside to let Sophia through.

The temperature in the cabin dropped about twenty degrees.

Sophia looked perfect, as always—white linen pants, a silk blouse, oversized sunglasses perched on her head. But there was tension in her shoulders, a tightness around her mouth.

She saw us sitting together, Alice and me, surrounded by candy wrappers and crumbs, and something flickered across her face. Annoyance? Jealousy? I couldn't tell.

Alice's entire body went rigid. Her hand clenched around her bag of gummy bears, and I saw the way her jaw tightened, the way her eyes narrowed.

I just stared at Sophia, keeping my expression neutral.

"Hi," Sophia said, her voice soft, tentative. She took a step closer. "I—I wanted to apologize. For the other day. At the mall. What Madison said was—"

"Vile?" I supplied. "Disgusting? Completely fucking unhinged?"

She flinched. "Yes. All of that. I'm sorry."

Alice made a small sound, something between a scoff and a growl.

I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms. "You know what's funny, Sophia? You keep apologizing, but you never actually do anything. You didn't stop Madison. You didn't defend Alice. You just stood there and let it happen."

"I—" She looked genuinely distressed now, her eyes wide. "I didn't know what to say. Madison is—she's complicated."

"She's a bitch," Alice said flatly.

Sophia's mouth opened, then closed. She looked like she wanted to argue, but couldn't quite find the words.