Show & Sell

“There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” Declan says. “We have to make her choose.”

For a second, my heart stops at the mention of making Aurora choose. I mean, what if she doesn’t choose me?

Usually, I’m so confident. I don’t care about other people’s opinions. But when it’s between my brothers and me—two other guys who look just like me—and when there’s a girl like Aurora involved...well, the stakes are high.

I can’t lose her.

I had never thought about Aurora not choosing me until this moment. I called my brothers to tell them that Aurora and I are now dating.

I thought maybe I’d lose them, my only family...but never her.

It’s as if I’m in a giant spider web of complexity that I may never escape. If this thing doesn’t go my way, I’ll be fucking crushed.

If she chooses one of my brothers and not me, I’ll be fucking tormented forever.

The idea of seeing her with one of them and not me is just not something I can handle.

“Fine,” I say, voice laced with anger. “Let her choose.”

But I only have one thing on my mind—I can’t lose her.

“Let’s do it in person,” Declan says. “I’ll have my limo come pick us up.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jasper says.

We’re each trying to control our inner rage. None of us wants to show any kind of weakness.

Barely a word is spoken on the entire journey to her apartment.

Yes, I want to see her again. But not like this.Chapter 40Aurora

We are officially out of money.

It’s not good.

Somehow, to my horror, Anders managed to blow through $3 billion. I sold my virginity for that money. It’s supposed to be our livelihood, our fortune, our nest egg for the rest of our lives.

For God’s sake, who can’t live on $3 billion? Somehow, my brother has defied the odds, and he’s plundered through our fortune...twice.

I’m becoming increasingly angry at him. I know he’s in a bad state, but he can’t keep doing this to me.

I honestly have no idea how we’re going to dig ourselves out of this hole.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret a thing when it comes to my virginity. The Grayson brothers were the perfect people to have given that away to. I waited my whole life for that moment, and it was so worth it.

But at the same time, I don’t deserve to be poor. I don’t deserve any of the hardship Anders has thrown at me—not to mention the fact that he’s disappeared again.

He goes out and is gone for days at a time. No phone call or message of any kind. Of course, I get worried sick.

It seems like my life is in the eye of a perfect storm. Everything’s happening all at once, and I don’t how to stop it.

I get on the phone with my financial advisor.

“Hey, it’s Aurora. I’m sorry to be calling you again. But we have a situation on our hands.”

“Aurora, yes,” he says. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you as well. The situation has become very dire. If you don’t get some funds in the account soon, you may lose the company. Not to mention your apartment.”

I think a minute about what can be done. I’m not exactly financially savvy, but there has to be a way out of this mess.

“Well, can you take out some cash from our investments to tide us over? I’m sure the chocolate company will begin making money soon,” I say to him in a pleading tone as if he can fix my fate.

He says the words very solemnly, “Aurora, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Anders took all the investment money out a few days ago. He said that you two were both on board.”

“What? That can’t be true. He couldn’t have done that. That was my safety net!”

“I’m really sorry to have to tell you this. He told me that you knew, that you wanted it that way. That’s why I keep saying that you must have separate accounts if you don’t want something like this to happen.”

His words do nothing to help me now. They make everything worse.

I was relying on those investments. I thought that, at least, we would have those to depend on.

“You have to excuse me. I need to find my brother to sort this out,” I say, eager to get off the phone.

“Of course. Just contact me when you can,” he says before hanging up.

My heart beats fast with rage and fury. I can’t believe my brother did this to us—to me—again! We could be homeless in a matter of days.

Just when I’m making my daily calls to the police station, Anders stumbles through the door.

He looks more haggard and drugged up than I’ve ever seen him before. He looks like a different person, thin and withdrawn.