Page 83 of Seas the Dating Coach

“Me too. So I pulled the contracts with our mothers—all three of them. How banal of Dad to reuse the same wording in each one, and how predictably cruel of our mothers to willingly sign away their children.” Though Cordelia’s expression remains blasé, the crack in her voice gives her away.

“Cor.” I gather her to my chest.

I don’t say anything else because what is there to say? We already knew that our father is a controlling scumbag, but discovering that our mothers traded money for the children they were supposed to love leaves me hollow. The only thing making this situation mildly tolerable is the relationship Cordelia and I forged in spite of our toxic upbringing.

Which brings me back to my original question…

“How are you here?” I ask, releasing her.

My sister sighs, her palms tapping her cheeks a few times. It’s a motion she only does when she’s exhausted. For the first time, I notice her swollen eyelids, the dark circles under her eyes despite her immaculate makeup.

“I told him off.”

All I can do is blink.

“Once the documents were secured, digitized, and given to trusted backups in case something really crazy happened, I marched into Dad’s office and informed him that I’m done playing his games. Because of Jax’s help during my little heist, he hadn’t known I’d raided his vault. He also didn’t know that I’d taken all our trust documents as well.” A small tug lifts one side of her mouth. “Yours and Brody’s match—one-third distribution at twenty-five, thirty, and the rest at thirty-five, a bazillion terms and conditions, but I discovered something very unusual about mine.”

I’m about to shake her when she pauses again, that Cheshire grin widening.

“Dad has been in breach of fiduciary duty for almost a year since my trust terms state I should’ve received a single lump-sum payment at eighteen. But more importantly, my trust is irrevocable.”

My knees feel like they’re seconds from giving out. “Are you saying…”

“Dad’s collateral is fake.” Cordelia is luminescent. “He was probably going to sabotage your chances of getting the directorship, but now—”

“He did.” I barely get the words out, struggling to breath. I should be relieved, elated, but it feels like my heart is exploding. “I just found out that he set me up.”

A string of very unladylike words bursts from my sister’s mouth, incongruous with her regal attire.

“This is some next-levelDynastynonsense.” She grits her teeth. “That makes me feel even better about telling Dad to shove it after dropping the lawsuit on his desk. Turns out there are a lot of former enemies who were more than happy to offer their legal counsel to see the great Patrick Otto take a hit.”

My head shakes in amazement.

Cordelia frames my shoulders. “None of this would have been possible without you. If you hadn’t loved me when no one else had, if you hadn’t continued to raise me from afar, I’d probably be riddled with addictions or debilitating psychosis. And that’s why”—a fizzy energy lights her face as she gives me a little squeeze—“you, my tender-hearted brother, are a billionaire again.”

“What?” My eyes fly wide.

“Well, you will be. Once I get my lump sum…” Cordelia uses her index finger to tap my chest. “You’ll get half.”

“You can’t do that.”

“You know what, Finn?” My younger sister looks more mature and confident than I’ve ever seen her. “I’m just figuring out that not only am I completely capable, I can dowhateverI want.”

It’s hard to argue with Cordelia when it’s clear she’s finally surfacing the ocean of fear and control that our ruthless father dropped us in at birth—before birth.

My mouth lifts in a grin. “Okay, Cor. You’re the boss.”

“Boss.” She gives her shoulders a little shimmy. “I like the sound of that.”

My spine relaxes as I grin. It’s impossible not to absorb Cordelia’s infectious spirit, like spring flowers tilting up toward long-awaited sunrays.

“So what are you going to do now?” she asks through a broad smile.

I go to slide my hands in my pockets then laugh when I remember that I’m wearing pocketless breeches. “I like my life, especially since moving here and—”

“And fallingin love,” she chimes in, sounding more like her teenage self.

A chuckle escapes me. “And falling in love. Honestly, I’ll probably let that money sit in the bank, accruing interest, until you want it back.”

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