Page 101 of Lush

“We’ve been reacting this whole time. Every new threat, every new message—we’re just chasing whatever comes next. But if we really want to figure this out, we need to go back. To the first sign something was wrong.”

She exhaled, nodding. “The first thing was the letter.”

For the next hour, we worked in sync, piecing things together, ruling things out. Laurene’s fingers moved fast as she searched names, scrolled through old news articles, and pulled up grainy photos from gossip blogs and social media.

“Here.” She turned the screen toward me. A blog post from a couple of years ago, half speculation, half scandal. The photo was small, slightly blurred, but it was someone we both recognized.

“That’s Dante,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes. “And he’s with…”

“Toby.”

The headline was bait for clicks: “Lush Foundation Welcomes Unlikely Benefactor.”

“This was for the Lush Initiative,” she murmured.

“I remember this—it was some scholarship fund for kids. Dante started it after he got elected.” I frowned. “Toby was never the ‘give back to the community’ type.”

She scrolled down. The article was mostly fluff—mentions of wealthy patrons, the night’s entertainment, and a few named donors.

Then she stopped.

“‘A generous contribution from local businessman Tobias Merrick helped launch the second phase of the program.’”

I scoffed. “What money? Most of his fast-food chains shut down after that salmonella outbreak.”

“But this was before all that. Back when his businesses were still standing.” Laurene tapped a nail against the laptop. A thought clicked into place.

“I’ve just never seen them together, even now. Maybe they’re hiding their relationship?” I asked.

She exhaled sharply. “Or they were in business together all along. Toby didn’t just donate—he was the biggest contributor. If you said you ended all your partnerships that Conrad made with Toby, maybe he went to Dante for a bailout? Dante’s expanding this city, so he has money…or access to it. And this was required of Toby to fulfill the deal, help with Dante’s plan?”

I leaned in, studying the photo again. It was subtle, but Dante’s posture, the way he leaned in close, the way Toby looked tense despite the forced smile—it didn’t look like a friendly conversation.

It looked like business. Messy business.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. “I need a break before my head explodes.”

“Okay. That’s enough for now. So… Still avoiding the whole ‘I love you’ thing, huh?”

Her eyes snapped to mine, and her expression tightened.

“Reese, I—” She stopped herself, like she’d been about to say something she wasn’t ready to say. The walls were back up, higher than before. “Would you like to see some of my paintings from Paris?”

Paris? What the hell did Paris have to do with this? With me baring my soul and her sidestepping it like it was nothing? My chest tightened, frustration and something I couldn’t quite name clawing at me.

“Sure.”

A blink, and suddenly her face looked soft, almost fragile. Like she was surprised I said yes. Now that I had, she was lost.

Laurene moved slowly to the canvas, handling it as if it would break. She brought it into the light, then stepped back. Suddenly, the room felt smaller, the air heavy as I moved closer.

Paris at dusk. Long shadows stretched across the cobblestone streets, the streetlights glowing softly in the windows. It was so peaceful, like the city was waiting for nightfall.

I stared at it, my heart beating too loud in my chest.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended.

She shifted beside me, her arms crossing over her chest. “It’s just something I worked on while I was there. Nothing special.”

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