Page 145 of Lush

“Why do you get to do it?” Serena demanded, though she took a step back, probably knowing better than to argue with Erik.

“’Cause I’m the oldest,” Erik said. “And I’m not about to stand here listenin’ to y’all argue over chicken and rice. Now, go sit down somewhere.”

The countless bouquets and gift baskets crowded every available surface, their pastel colors and sweet floral scents filling the room.

“Did it double up in flowers up in here? I was gone for twenty minutes.” Erik plated the food, looking around.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Serena deadpanned, sitting back on the couch, pouting.

“They’re from the whole town,” Gigi said. “I hope people do the same for me. Not that I wanna be hurt and possibly break my nose. People just wanna check in on Laurene.”

Erik snorted. “Right. Because they’resoconcerned about her well-being and not fishing for gossip about the crash.”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “You know they’re dying for the tea.”

“They’ll have to stay thirsty,” Erik said firmly, shooting me a look. “No one’s bothering you about this until you’re ready, got it?”

I nodded, my chest tightening—not from the pain this time, but from the unexpected comfort of knowing my brother had my back. Thatallmy siblings and Noelle had my back. It made that devasting moment just a little better.

The crash still played on loop in my mind, the screech of tires, the blur of headlights. It had all been so sudden, so violent.

Every movement outside my room had me on edge, and the hospital room felt more like a cage than a place for healing. I kept waiting for someone to slip through the door, for a face to appear in the window and finish the job.

The added security didn’t help. It was hard explaining to my family it was just apreventativemeasure.

I lifted my spoon, ready to dig into the plate. The door to my hospital room slammed open, the sound so loud it made my heart skip a beat. Everyone jumped and turned to see Mama standing there, Dad trailing behind her.

Her eyes were hard, her lips pressed into a thin, angry line. “Laurene, did you see the news?”

“What news?”

“Change the channel,” she barked, and Noelle scrambled to get the remote. She landed on the local news station and she turned it up for us to hear.

There was Harold, hands cuffed in front of him, being led into a Las Vegas jail.

“Reese said Harold was here,” I said.

Mama shook her head as we continued to watch his face. His lips were pale and pressed in a grim line as reporters shouted questions at him. The camera panned, and beside him were two other familiar faces—Blair’s father, Albert Sterling, Toby, andBlair herself, all looking equally disheveled and furious as police marched them inside.

“Holy shit!” Gigi exclaimed.

The news anchor’s voice filled the room, her tone laced with barely contained excitement.

“—arrests made earlier today in connection with a massive illegal gambling ring operating out of Las Vegas and tied to high-profile individuals. Harold Ashbourne, Albert Sterling, Blair Sterling, and Tobias Merrick were taken into custody on charges of money laundering, racketeering, and running an unlicensed gambling operation for the last few years. A whistleblower on the operation revealed to authorities…”

Business.

Harold had said Blair was helping him withbusiness.

“Your marriage needs to end. Immediately,” Mama said.

I let out a breath, slow and measured, and set my spoon down. “Excuse me?”

“Laurene.” Her voice was laced with cold pragmatism. “You know as well as I do that your marriage to Reese is more of a liability than an asset now.”

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “A liability?”

“His father just got arrested like a commoncriminal,” she continued, like I hadn’t spoken. “The Ashbourne name is about to be dragged through the mud, and yours will be right there with it. You need to cut ties before this gets worse.”

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