Page 11 of Forking the Billionaire

She was a real-life Barbie doll, minus the smile.

Another two boats unloaded people onto the shore. One of the resort servers broke through ranks, handed out tropical drinks, and began guiding people over toward the stage. As he held his tray out to me, memories flooded my brain.

Sparkling cider had smacked my taste buds in the best way.

I was a janky alien in a forest surrounded by swanky fauna, and I loved it.

I’d never felt so free or giddy in my entire life.

Except that night would not free me from anything. It ended up shocking me into realizing how screwed up I truly was.

So much for putting First Contact out of my head.

And soon my brother would be here to reinforce my failings.

Bile rose up my throat.

I shook my head at the server offering me a drink. “No thank you.”

Even as the server moved on, stomach acid lingered in my throat. I should have grabbed two slices of bread before attempting to tackle this morning.

Maybe a freak storm would come. A tornado would drop down out of nowhere, shoot me straight up into the sky, and then disappear. I’d reinvent myself as a cloud person, make friends with the seagulls, and everything else would fade away.

People around me chatted with palpable excitement. My feet moved as I walked with them, a part of the group but also completely alone.

We stopped in front of the stage.

The sound of the music grounded me, mellowing my erratic brain. I swayed to the familiar song, lips moving as I mouthed the words my friend was singing.

My eyes met Ziggy’s.

There, I found warmth and solace.

He hopped down from the stage, grabbed me by the waist, ripped me right off the ground, and whisked me straight up to the sky.

FOUR

JASPER

Esme squealed as a stranger put his hands on her.

My mouth went dry with startled concern. My fingers flexed to tear his hands away. I took a step forward before I realized what I was doing. But then I saw her face, the delighted expression that sparked her inner light. When she was happy, she shone brighter than the moon on a cloudless night. She always had.

She was brutal and blinding. She always made sure everyone knew exactly what she was thinking and exactly how she felt. She said the quiet parts out loud and held nothing back, no matter how inappropriate, and no matter who she’d hurt.

I breathed in slow and steady as I watched her dance across the stage. Her dotted white dress spun around her thighs as she twirled. She was a box of lit fireworks, dangerous when close, explosively beautiful from afar.

The woman playing a steel drum handed the instrument to her. Esme picked up the tune exactly like she’d done this a thousand times. Maybe she had. I knew nothing of her life anymore. I knew nothing of the person she’d become.

The last time I’d seen her was about four years ago. At the time, she’d recently received her driver’s license. She’d tried,unsuccessfully, to manipulate Gabriel into letting her drive him to a science award ceremony.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Her childhood cherub cheeks were now long gone. Her hips were wider. Everything about her seemed to have amplified with time, including the sharpness of the scowl she lobbed at me.

She’d always been self-assured. She’d always been fearless. She’d always been a vortex, drawing everyone around her in. That clearly hadn’t changed.

It was like she couldn’t help herself. She had to put on a show, make herself the center of attention, even when everyone’s focus should have been on Gabriel and Layana. While everyone else went with the flow, Esme gleefully fought the current, always. It didn’t surprise me, but it did put me on edge.

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