Page 95 of The Price of Revenge

But how could I reconcile having Cora in my life when she still allowed Eli and her father to be there too?

The only way my brothers and I could distract ourselves from the drama cycle was work. Restoring our reputation was a full-time job. We had a solid PR team, and we could counteract some of the negative press, but we couldn’t avoid losing some clients. Trace, Damian, and I worked overtime to make sure we replaced departing clients with new blood. Eli wasn’t going to ruin us. He could make me stumble, but he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of watching me fall.

At least not yet.

“Axel.” Damian’s baritone broke through my midday Manhattan contemplation. I stared out the window of my office so fucking much. But I drew energy from the gorgeous fury below. It singlehandedly fueled, healed, and held me. It was no wonder I couldn’t get out of New York City permanently.

“What’s up?” I turned to look at him. We’d all been sullen recently, but Damian took it the hardest. I was the CEO, but as the CTO, he was the brains behind the algorithms responsible for both our success and our potential downfall. And as the architect behind our mad scientist success, he was particularly worried.

He held up a newspaper. “New headline you gotta see.”

I shook my head, turning back to the gorgeous mess of life outside my window. “I’m taking a sabbatical from the news. I thought you knew.”

He cleared his throat, striding forward undeterred. “This one’s an exception.”

“What if I told you I don’t care?” I muttered, already knowing that I wouldn’t win this one.

“Come here.”

The no-nonsense tone prompted a big sigh from me. I turned to him. “I’m not interested in learning how our lives have gotten a little bit worse. I’m ready to be done with rock bottom, okay?”

He tossed the newspaper on the surface of my desk and pointed at it. “Whether you’re done or not, now you’ve got company.”

I couldn’t lie—he’d piqued my curiosity. I drifted toward the desk, spotting the headline.

A VERY PRINCESS MELTDOWN: Real Estate’s Golden Girl Jumps Ship

Cora’s photo took up a full eighth the front page. I stormed toward the desk and snatched up the newspaper.

“Thought you’d want to see it,” Damian said.

I gobbled up as much of the text as I could, but I was so eager to learn more that I had to read everything twice to absorb it. My heart pounded. The more I read, the further my jaw dropped. By the end of the article, it was hard to pick my favorite part, but these were a few top contenders. Cora Margulis stepping down as CEO-in-waiting of Margulis Realty was a big one, but so was the fact that she’d not only filed for divorce from her womanizing husband but also asked a judge to declare her legally single on top of that. I also particularly liked how she’d written a damning tell-all letter that was scheduled to be released inBig Apple Mag. It was rumored to air family secrets that had been festering for decades. But the cherry on top? Her declaration of support for the Fairchild brothers in the midst of their scandal, imploring anyone who doubted us or our ethics to take a hard look at themselves.

“Holy shit,” I murmured as I went for round three on the article. “She did it.”

“Go, Cora. She just blew up her entire life,” Damian said with a little smile. “Been a long time coming, huh?”

“Way overdue.” My voice came out in an awed whisper. “I almost can’t believe this.”

“I want to read this tell-all,” Damian said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Me too.” Though I already knew what it would contain. The biggest festering truth in her family was the facts of Chris’s death. “I just can’t believe she’s willing to break the NDA. Alan is gonna go nuclear. He’ll sue the living fuck out of her.”

“She must be prepared. She found a judge to declare her legally single, after all. Cora is getting creative.”

I smiled down at her picture in the newspaper, my chest tightening. It was her classic business head shot, dark hair pulled into a low bun, her mulberry lips curved into a polite smile. But there was a shark swimming behind those eyes. A shark Allan had helped create. But Cora Margulis was done playing his games.

She was no longer the Princess of Manhattan. Now, she was the outcast.

Just like us.

I dragged my hands down the front of my face, my heart still pounding.

“You okay, bro?” Damian asked.

“Yeah. I’m okay. Just got sucker punched by how much I fucking love this woman.” I picked up the newspaper, coming to my feet. “I need to go find her.”

Damian nodded, clapping my shoulder. “Thought so.”

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