“No shit.”
She nodded.
“And this hasn’t made the news?”
“Politicians are protected. Apparently, she signed a non-disclosure agreement as long as her arm… her and a bunch of his regulars had to do the same.”
“Lourde has no idea. I bet you her mother’s already booked the venue.”
“Well, I guess you should go to the ball then?”
“I can’t go to the ball. I’m not invited. Anyway, could you imagine if I showed my face at the annual Diamond Charity Ball? Alfred and Elizabeth would murder me. Not to mention what Connor would do if he found me there.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Look at what's on the news right now. They’d see this, Barrett. This news is huge!” She pointed at the screen, and we both turned. Footage of the board members being arrested flashed on the screen.
“With this, your name is cleared,” she exclaimed.
“Not yet. Jessica needs to make a public apology in exchange for her freedom.”
“How did you manage that?”
“It’s what I do, sis. The thing with Jessica is she really wasn’t to blame. She was a pawn in their game to ruin me. It turns out she needed the money for her sick sister’s treatment in California. She was so apologetic, crying on the phone to my media director.”
“Since when do you offer anyone leeway? The Barrett I know would have fed her to the wolves.”
“Maybe I would have in the past, but nothing comes out of that. I’d just be ruining her life when all she did was make a serious error in judgment.”
“Lourde’s softened your edges.” She scratched her head. I guess it was out of character for me to spare someone. “So now what?” she asked.
“Jessica will be live on television within the hour with her statement of apology. I don’t have to hear it. I know what she’s going to say. So, it’s just back to business for me, just like it never happened.” I exhaled, my lungs heavy with unshed air. “I just go on like I always have.”
“And forget about the love of your life? I see the way you talk about her. Your face comes alive and lights up, and before shutting back down again, you do the same whenever we talk of Mom.”
“You can’t blame yourself for any of this, Barrett. I bet you still blame yourself for Mom, don’t you?”
“Maybe, I don’t know. There will always be something there, some element where I let not only you down but her too.”
“You haven’t let me down at all, Barrett. You’ve helped me every day, paying for my surgeries, physio, and a roof over my head.”
I shook my head. “You know what I mean, Eve.”
“You tried saving us from him! He was the monster. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. Stop blaming yourself for Mom. This guilt is stealing your life away from underneath your very eyes. You need to quit giving up so easily when it comes to your happiness because you deserve every happiness this life has to give you, and if that happiness comes from Lourde Diamond, you’ve got to fight for her. Fight for her tonight at the charity ball. Show her how much you love her and how sorry you are for giving up on love. And guess what?”
I stared up at her.
“I’m going with you.”