Chapter 67
Sixty-Seven
S ybil
Less than a minute after Cooper’s ultimatum, the board unanimously votes to remove Lance.
“Do this, and I’ll be the one to share all your secrets,” Lance fumes.
Cooper lets out a sardonic laugh. “You’re admitting to blackmail now? Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty on you, too. Don’t think my investigators didn’t do a thorough job. I’m sure your financial crimes alone would be enough to send you to prison. How about we all agree to keep our mouths shut, huh?”
Vale’s lips press together, his face turning purple. When security is called, nobody comes to his defense. He leaves on his own accord, a few obscenities thrown our way at the last second.
For the first time today, I laugh.
The meeting disperses, and Cooper asks me, my mom, and Conrad to stay behind.
My emotions are spinning in every direction, racing through me one after the next.
I’m shocked that this happened, elated Lance is gone, thrilled I still have a place at Laurence, but hurt that Cooper and his father took me down in the first place.
“There’s more,” Coop says with a little frown. “I think we should sit.”
I assumed the exchange of ownership equity is what Cooper wanted to talk about, but his voice is thick with regret, and my stomach drops. We all take a seat at the far corner of the conference table, eyes on Cooper.
“Vale was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. He blackmailed, bribed, and fabricated lies to claw his way to the top. He had his sights set high for a long time. I’m sure he was elated when Gregory passed away.”
Mom looks stricken. “Gregory trusted him.”
Cooper shakes his head. “I’m not sure he did.”
“What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t just some of the people in this room Vale blackmailed. I have proof he did it to your husband as well.”
Conrad and my mother exchange a glance, then Conrad turns on his son with a scowl. “What did Vale do?”
Cooper sighs. “Lance found out about Arden and used the information for his benefit.”
“How?” Despite her rigid posture and stoic face, Mom sounds absolutely wrecked.
“I’ll email you the proof, and it takes a bit of logic to put it all together, but it’s pretty clear Vale wanted to weaken the partnership between King and Laurence. What better way than to reveal a deep, dark secret?”
“Like an affair,” I whisper, my stomach immediately souring.
Cooper nods. “Your father was willing to agree to some pretty awful things in order to keep the truth about Arden’s paternity a secret.”
Mom sighs. “He must have harbored a lot of shame for having children with me while simultaneously getting my sister pregnant.”
My heart hurts, knowing our past and everything Dad tried to keep hidden. He loved someone he couldn’t have, and the consequences eventually took his life.
“Where are you going with this?” Conrad asks, but his usual bravado is gone. He’s a husk of his normal self.
Cooper turns to his father. “Mom never had an affair with Gregory Laurence.”
Shock—pure and utter and complete shock.
We blink like goldfish, our mouths hanging open.
“The whole thing was fabricated by Lance Vale to get Laurence and King to stop doing business together,” Cooper explains. “It helped him leverage his position within Laurence and get to COO faster.”
“Oh God,” Mom whispers. “We were played.”
Cooper nods. “What do you think would it take to get someone like Gregory to agree to such a damaging lie? To give up his best friend and business partner? To jeopardize his family?”
“Arden,” I whisper.
Arden was the pawn used by powerful men that none of us knew was even on the game board.
“Lance Vale did a lot of digging on Gregory, looking for a pain point to exploit, and he found exactly what he needed.”
Conrad drops his head into his hands. I wonder what he’s thinking. For years he believed his late wife had cheated on him with his best friend, and now Cooper is saying that never actually happened.
“Here was this girl in foster care, living in Massachusetts that Gregory had fathered with his wife’s late drug addicted sister,” Cooper says.
“As hard as the fabricated affair with my mother was on his family and marriage and business, Gregory knew the Arden secret getting out would have much harsher consequences, so he let Lance manipulate him into going with the lie.”
Mom nods, her voice hollow. “I forgave him for Victoria. It was hard, but I forgave him…” She wipes a stray tear from her face, her wrinkles deepening, as she continues.
“But after he’d kept my sister’s only child a secret from me, I’ve been angry.
It’s been over a year, and I still haven’t forgiven him for that. ”
Dad willingly allowed Arden to grow up in poverty without a family—something Mom never would have accepted had she known.
I’m sure he felt deep shame about his actions later in life.
Either way, he was going to get revealed for having an affair, but I guess the real one carried more risk than the lie. I wonder if he regretted his choices?
“He was right to assume I would never forgive him for it,” Mom goes on, her voice sharp. “Even though he’s dead, I don’t think I can, and I don’t think I have to.”
I take Mom’s hand, my vision blurring with unshed tears. I know exactly how she feels.
“I don’t think I can forgive him for that either, but I can move past it. We both can.”
I’m not going to let any of this ruin my life, and I hope she won’t let it ruin the rest of hers. Mom squeezes my hand, and I know she gets it. She’s in the same place I am—angry with someone we desperately miss.
Conrad’s head is still in his hands. This is a lot to process, and I think the man might be in shock. As far as I know, he was a devoted husband. Now he’s on wife number three, not seeming to care about his love life the way he did with Victoria.
He’s a hard-ass businessman in every sense of the word, and I’m livid at him for what he pulled with Top of the World . But I can recognize the pain written all over his face.
I feel sorry for him. Nobody deserves this.
“You’re sure she didn’t cheat?” He finally looks up, watery gaze on his son.
“I have plenty of proof. I’ll send everything over.” Cooper’s voice cracks. “She never lied.”
“I’ll kill him.” Conrad flies out of his chair, his face blotchy and his eyes wild.
“I felt the same when I found out,” Cooper replies. “I thought you might beat the life out of him right here in front of a dozen witnesses, which is why I had him sent away before I told you.”
Conrad strides from the room, presumably to hunt Lance down and beat the shit out of him. Or maybe he’s done showing vulnerability and needs privacy. Either way, I think I know exactly how he’s feeling.
Duped.
Stupid.
Exposed.
Angry.
But mostly… relieved .
Mom squeezes my hand again and stands. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” she says, slipping out the door.
Even though Cooper is sitting right next to me, I can’t look at him. A heavy, all-consuming silence falls on us, and I stare at my empty hands, wondering what in the world to do with them.
“I’m so sorry, Sybil.”
I force myself to look at him, to search his gaze for answers, hoping for something I can trust and hang onto, but I don’t even know what I’m looking for. My trust has been tested and shaken again and again, and I don’t think I can take it anymore.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?” I demand. “You let everything happen without warning.”
His chest rises and falls with a shaky breath. “I was afraid. You’ve left me before. You make walking away look so easy, and I… I can’t handle that.”
“So that gave you a right to lie to me?” I shake my head. “You broke my trust, Cooper. And I’m expected to forgive you and get over it? Just like that? How can I be with someone I can’t trust? I don’t know how to do that.”
Fear ripples across his features as he awkwardly slides to his knees in front of me, gripping my thighs tightly between his large palms.
“I’m so fucking sorry. I don’t want to lose you.” His face falls into my lap, and he growls in frustration before gazing up with adoring eyes. “I love you so fucking much. Please give me another chance. This is me begging.”
Tears fall, hot and wet. “Don’t do this,” I respond. I’m so tired of being emotionally manipulated by everyone and can’t handle much more, especially not from the man I love.
He swallows hard, looking at me like I’m something to be worshipped. “Last night I almost slipped up and went to the liquor store, but I didn’t. I have to be sober for you. I’ll do anything for you.”
“That’s not fair. I can’t be responsible for your sobriety.”
He shakes his head, dark hair falling across his devastating eyes.
“I’d never put that on you. That’s not what I’m saying.
If you want to end things with me, I’ll respect that, and my choices with my addiction are mine alone, and I can’t promise anyone I’ll never make mistakes with it again.
But I can promise to always do my best.” He lets out a long sigh.
“Between the release that alcohol can give me and the life I can have with you, I picked you last night, and I’ll pick you every time. ”
My heart cracks, and I want so badly to let him in, to kiss him, to love him unconditionally and accept every flaw. But I’m not sure if I’m ready, and if there’s one thing I have to have with Cooper, it’s authenticity.
“We should take a break. I’m not saying we’re over forever, but I need some space to think about what I want to do next. Can you give me that?”
His face crumbles, and I can tell he wants to argue, but eventually, he nods. “I’ll give you anything you want.”
What I want is him, but what I need is to be alone. If I decide to stay with Cooper, I’m going to have to trust him fully. Right now, I’m not ready to give him that.