“Did you hear that, Crewe?” Joseph asked.
“Yes.” My smile dropped once the weight of the truth had sunk in. That asshole was really gone. My family was finally avenged.
“I’ll give you an update on the house—”
“Couldn’t care less.” The only thing I cared about had been taken care of. “Great job, Joseph. It was a pleasure working with you.”
“No problem. Thanks for the muscle.”
“Sure.” I hung up before he could say anything. I didn’t want there to be an opportunity for London to be mentioned.
She was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
“I heard the good news.” Ariel walked into my office before lunchtime.
I rubbed my temple and stared out the window. “What good news?” A cold glass of scotch was in my hand—the seventh one since this morning.
“That you killed that dirtbag.” She sat on the sofa across from me.
The room was spinning, and the lights were too bright. My head ached like my skull had been cracked, so I placed the glass right against my head. I closed my eyes and tried to absorb the coldness, but it didn’t make a difference.
“You doing okay?”
“Fine.”
Ariel opened her notebook. “I think we should talk about the offer from Constantin. I think expanding would be good.”
“Who’s Constantin?”
“The man we had lunch with yesterday,” she said calmly.
I couldn’t remember him. “Oh…whatever you think is best.” I opened my eyes and looked out the window again. The room was spinning harder than before. I could barely keep my eyes open because it was so bright. Every other second, I thought of London, and that made me feel a million times worse. I slowly slid sideways and spilled the drink all over me.
“Crewe, are you sure you’re okay?” Ariel leapt up and grabbed the glass out of my hand before I could spill it everywhere.
“I said I was fine.” I lay back on the couch and propped my feet up. “I’m just…”
She placed her palm against my forehead.
I smacked her away. “Don’t fucking touch me.” Ariel hadn’t done anything to me, but I was so angry at the entire world that everyone was a target. I hated all of my employees. I hated anyone who was happy. “Go touch Cassandra.”
Ariel didn’t rise to my anger. “I’m calling the doctor. I think you have alcohol poisoning.”
“Are you a doctor now?” I snapped. “Just shut the fuck up and leave me alone.”
Ariel went silent, but her anger was loud. “I suggest you watch your mouth.”
“Why? Because you’ll just leave me like everyone else?” I sat up quickly and got to my feet, determined to storm out and prove a point I didn’t have. But I lost my balance and crashed into the table.
“Crewe!” Ariel grabbed me by the arms and helped me to the floor. “That’s it, I’m calling a doctor.”
“Don’t.”
She pulled out her phone and pressed it to her ear.
“I said, don’t.” I smacked her hand so the phone went flying.
“Jesus Christ, Crewe. Calm down.” She left me on the ground and retrieved the phone. She made the call.
I didn’t stop her because I couldn’t move. Otherwise, I would have grabbed her phone again and snapped it in two.
She talked in the background, speaking to a nurse or some other medical professional.
Shortly afterward, I blacked out.
I woke up in my bed. Well, my old bed. It was the bed I used to sleep in with London.
I’d been sleeping in the other room since she left.
An IV was in my arm, and monitors on wheels were connected to my bed. A blood pressure cuff tightened on my arm uncomfortably, and that’s probably why I woke up in the first place. I opened my eyes wider and found Ariel sitting at my bedside.
It suddenly dawned on me that I had no one in my life who cared about me.
All I had was Ariel.
I didn’t have any friends or family.
I didn’t have London.
I had nothing.
Ariel approached the bed when she realized I was awake. “Hey, Crewe. How are you feeling?”
I felt the same as I did last time I was awake. “What time is it?”
“One.”
I looked out the window and saw the daylight. “So…I’ve been asleep for, like, an hour?”
“More like twenty-four hours.”
“Oh…”
“Crewe, the doctor said your blood alcohol level was so high he’s surprised you didn’t slip into a coma and die.”
“Damn…should have drunk more, then.”
She gave me the coldest look I’d ever seen. “Crewe…”
I couldn’t stand her look, so I turned my gaze to the other side of the room. “I’ll cut back on the drinking, alright? Just so I don’t get sick like this again. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“I want to understand why you’re behaving this way.”
“Behaving like what?” I’d completely lost myself. Now all I wanted to do was be the biggest jackass in the world.
“Like you’ve lost your mind.”
“I have lost my mind.”