Page 25 of Michael

She saw the bubbles begin to form and then disappear.

“Come on, I just saw you about to text. Where are you?” she said out loud to the phone as she watched the screen for a message from her sister.

The bubbles appeared again, and then a message came through. ‘Talk tomorrow. Explain then…or talk to Michael.’

She looked up and knew that Michael was standing in the doorway watching her.

“What is going on Michael?” she demanded.

He sighed and then ran his hand through his hair in agitation.

“Your sister married Ben on the weekend.”

She sat there in silence, stunned. Then she whispered, “What, why? I don’t understand.”

He came over to her and sat down, trying to gather her hands in his, but she pulled them away from him, the realization hitting her that he knew all about it.

“You knew that this was happening back here in New York.” Her voice was dull and hurt.

He stared at her, and then his jaw flexed and his lips firmed.

“Your sister is in trouble,” he then said. “The money that came in from the auction has gone missing, and it looks like she took it.”

“That is a damn lie!” she snapped. “My sister would not do that!”

He just sat there, not saying anything.

“I am going to go see her and then find out what the hell happened.” She got off the bed, grabbing her bag and searching for her car keys.

Michael walked over to her, pulling the keys from her hand. “Ambra, the evidence is damning.”

“I don’t care. Give me the keys and tell me where she is.”

“She is with Ben, her husband.”

Ambra shook her head, dread pooling deeper into her gut.

“Ben is covering for her until they can figure out how the money went missing,” he continued.

“Okay, that is good to hear. If anyone can track down the truth, it’s your brother, and his soft spot for her will make him deter—” Her voice trailed off, her mind racing with everything she had just heard and read.

A dawning horror hit her. “Son of a bitch. Your family and their blackmail. Is that what your brother did? Used her situation to get her to marry him?!” she shouted with renewed anger.

He stared back with a guilty look on his face.

“Get the fuck out!”

“Ambra.”

“You knew that this was happening to my sister and said nothing.” Her chest was heaving up and down, her hands clenched into fists.

“Ben said he—”

“You trusted Ben with this—Ben, who has always had an unhealthy infatuation with my sister—instead of telling me and letting me be here for my sister and fixing things?!” She started pacing up and down. “Oh my God, my parents. I have figure out a way to reach them.”

“Don’t involve them until we have more information. Your sister wants to keep this from them for now. Wait till you talk to her tomorrow.”

“I—” She gripped her hair, a headache suddenly coming on.

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