CHAPTER THIRTY ONE - COOPER

 

Two days later everyone is back at the Glass House except Sophie and Isabella, who are both locked up at a nearby psychiatric center on a seventy-two-hour hold because… attempted suicide. And Ax, because he’s being held in the county jail for felony assault on Dante.

The Legosi family is pressing charges.

Sophie downed a whole bottle of pills that were conveniently left out in Dante’s bedroom and Isabella has a long history of self-harm and she was telling the doctors that she was checking out for good this time.

So. Here we are. Challenge three.

Yet another auction.

Even Michael showed up. I told him not to, but he’s in it to win it now. His exact words to me when I called to ask him to stay home today were, “No fucking way am I leaving Sophie to live in that hellhole alone. I’ll be there.”

So that’s just fucking wonderful. And I know this sounds like I’m only thinking about myself—and if people want to see me that way, I guess that’s their prerogative. Lars, anyone?—but the auction starts in five minutes and even though Sophie isn’t here, she’s still up for grabs.

And Dante has already promised to buy her just out of spite.

It gets better. Cadee is now her stand-in.

“We’re still buying her?” Mona says.

“What choice do we have? We’re not letting Dante get away with this. Not on my watch. How much cash did everyone bring?”

“Us girls brought what we’ve earned so far. And the boys have some too.”

“What’s the total, Mona?”

“Four hundred and seventy-five.”

“Good.” I breathe a sigh of relief. “Should be more than enough.”

 

 

 

Famous last words.

Dante buys Sophie for a million dollars.

Only he didn’t buy Sophie, did he?

He bought Cadee.

And this time there are no bodyguards and I have been told, in no uncertain terms by the Chairman, the Judge, and the Mayor, that I will not interfere with Dante Legosi in any way. If I even speak to him for the next two weeks, they will take it out on Cadee.

In fact, after the auction I got a call from my father telling me to go home. He has forbidden me from going to the Glass House again until the third challenge is over.

Lars has been put in charge of everything.

And even though Lars and I have been best friends for the better part of two decades—which is saying something since we’re only twenty-one—when he shows up at my house after the auction, I’m not at all sure we’re still actually friends.

He enters the living room and sits down on the couch opposite me.

“Well,” I say. “What happened?”

“She went home with him.”

“I cannot believe how badly we have fucked this up.”

“We?” Lars laughs. “I didn’t do shit, Cooper. And if you try to blame this on me—”

“Relax, Lars. You’re still the good son. Your future is intact and promising.”

“You’re just jealous.”

“Of you?” I scoff.

“Yeah. Of me. You and Ax both. You hate that I don’t have family problems like you guys do. And you know why, Cooper?”

I side-eye him with some fierce fucking anger. “Because you’re a sellout?”

He laughs. “You want to believe that. But you know it’s not true. I’m not a sellout, Cooper. I just play the game so much better than you two do, it’s sad.”

“Sellout.”

He studies me for a moment. “Well, at least I’m not a fucking baby-killer.”

“What?”

“I know what you did to Cadee, Cooper. People have been talking about it all summer.”

“What people?”

“Everyone in the kitchen for one. Dante. Victor. Hell, even Selina came up and asked me about it. I cannot fucking believe you forced her to have an abortion without even telling me and Ax. What the fuck is wrong with you? It’s not me who’s buying in to this whole kingmaker thing. It’s you. You’re the one who fell for it. I’ve always had a way out.”

“With or without us, right?”

“My father is already working on the Judge about Ax. He’ll be out on bail after his arraignment. And he’s already offered to pay off the Legosis, because God knows, the Judge won’t do it. Even if it was just about politics, and we both know it’s not. So no, I’m not going to sit around at your pity party and put my father in the same category as the Chairman and the Judge. And even though you’ve lied to me, pushed me away so you could have Cadee for yourself, and took my rights away when you forced her to get that abortion, I’ve still got your backstabbing ass, Cooper. That could’ve been my baby.”

I laugh. So loud.

“And I’m not going to sit here and listen to you criticize me or ruin Cadee’s life any more than you have. At least I understand why she was so sad that spring. And why you wanted to kick her to the curb so fast before summer rush.”

“You don’t know shit, Lars. You have no idea what I went through with Cadee that year.”

“Because you lied about it. And I’m done here. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I’ll be taking care of her from now on. You’ve done enough.”