Page 72 of Sweet Nothings

“We’ve got it.”

I snap my head up as Frederick slaps a stack of paperwork two inches thick in front of me.

“We have what?” I ask, blinking away the nausea making a home in my stomach. I place my phone on the table beside the stack of papers and lean forward in my chair.

“Ryan Perrish has filed an official complaint. I’ve agreed to take up the case, and will be delivering it to the court this afternoon.”

“That’s great.” I give him a small smile and sit back in my seat, picking my phone back up.

Frederick snaps his fingers gleefully and spins on his heel. He points to the bar I have set up in the far corner of my office. He pours himself a glass of vodka, knocking it back before refilling it again. Sucking on his teeth, he turns back around.

“I thought you’d be thrilled,” he mutters, his grin melting from his round face. I love my uncle but sometimes I feel like my love for him has diminished over the years. Corporate greed has changed him. He isn’t the same man I used to look up to when I was a kid.

“I am.” I cross my arms.

“Huh.” He pops an olive into his mouth, smacking his lips as he chews. “You should be. This is all because of your marriage to Lennon.”

I lift my eyebrows and inhale a deep breath. “It still amazes me how one person in our family nearly ruined us, and now, because I simply married someone, it’s as if Kellan’s misdeeds and crimes have been forgiven.”

“His misdeeds and crimes aren’t forgotten, Laurel.” He schools his face. “No one has forgotten what he’s done. He’s serving his ten years, and he will have paid for his crimes. I’veforgiven him. Perhaps you should consider doing the same in the future, and maybe you will in your own time.”

Venom and poison sit at the tip of my tongue. Frederick is playing both sides of the coin. Devil’s advocate. But there’s a major difference between me and Fred. Kellan isn’t Fred’s brother, and Kellan didn’t betray him as deeply as he did both me and Roe.

Growing up, my brother was always the first to act without asking permission. He never felt the need. Being the eldest child and only boy went straight to his head. He’d used it as ammunition to gain access to everyone and everything for his own benefit. Aside from the drugs, Kellan is a lot like Lennon’s father. The kind of man who takes and takes. The kind of man who sinks his claws in so deep, feeding themselves on everyone they love like a parasite until there’s nothing left.

“Yes.” Frederick sips on his drink. “He knows where he stands with our family, considering the last time I spoke with him on the phone.”

“You still talk to him?” My jaw drops. I shouldn’t be shocked. Frederick was always closer to Kellan than he was to either me or Roe. But I am. I snap my mouth shut and stare at my uncle, wide eyed. Kellan not only stole my trust and thousands of dollars through the finance business he was running, he also siphoned money from Frederick’s accounts.

Kellan had interned for Fred during college and was given access to all of Frederick’s bank accounts linked to the firm. Stealing money from the firm was rolled into only one of the many charges Kellan was convicted of.

“Of course, I do.” Frederick sets his glass down on the bar and snaps the lapels of his suit, straightening them. He smooths his hands over the silky fabric. “You should, too. He’s still your brother.”

I shoot him a sharp glare. “Just because he’s my brother doesn’t mean I should forgive him for what he did. He took everything from me, Fred.”

I swallow the nausea that comes with thinking about the inheritance Kellan stole from me. The inheritance I could have used to help Roe.

“I’m not saying you should forgive him,” he argues, narrowing his eyes. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs before looking back at me. “But one day, he will get out of prison, and what will happen to him?”

I grind my molars. “I don’t give a shit what happens to him.”

Fred clicks his tongue against the back of his teeth in disapproval. “This is why I avoid talking about Kellan with you, Laurel. You can’t see past your anger.”

“I don’t think I need to,” I grind out, curling my fingers. My nails cut into my palms. “My life isn’t unfulfilled because my brother is no longer in it.”

Fred swipes his hand across his mouth in thought. “Considering what our family has been through, I just hope you don’t regret cutting him out of your life.”

“He’s the one who cut himself out. Not me,” I remind my uncle. He’s too forgiving for someone who doesn’t deserve it.

“He told me he still cares for you,” Fred says in a noticeably quieter voice. “He asks if I can convince you to talk to him. He wants to attempt to rebuild your relationship.”

This time I really do feel fucking nauseous.

I roll my eyes. “I doubt he wants to rebuild a relationship with me out of the goodness of his heart, Fred. Kellan always wants something. His love isn’t free.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek and uncurl my fingers. I look down and run my finger over the half-moon indents I’ve left on the skin of my palm.

My breath catches in my throat as realization dawns on me. I snap my head up. “Did you tell Kellan I got married?”

---