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“Ben! What happened? Are you okay?” Sasha pants out like she has been stressed to get to me, yet her perfectly polished look ensures me that she took her time to get ready, and I wonder why she is here at all.
“I’m fine,” is all I can grit out.
“Well, why are we here?” Mother asks, looking between us boys, and it is then I see the sparkle.
“What the fuck is on your hand?” I bark out, making Sasha jump.
“Oh. This… um… well…” Sasha is scrambling for words, having not seen me yell like this before.
“Oh, Benjamin. The lunch I had with that horrible Emily earlier today ended with her throwing this ring at Sasha. It was quite the spectacle, I can assure you. I am so glad she left you for another man,” my mother says in a gossipy voice that I now know is laced with lies.
I shouldn’t be shocked, yet I am. Tennyson has already walked away, and I finally understand why he does. Because the anger swirling in my body at the moment is all-encompassing.
“Mom, what did you do?” Eddie asks the question we are all thinking, as Mom’s mask starts to slip.
“Whatever do you mean?” she asks, looking between Eddie, Harrison, and me nervously.
“Sasha, you have exactly ten seconds to get Emily’s fucking diamond off your finger or I will be calling the police to charge you with robbery, in addition to the charges of accessory to assault and battery, perjury of photographic evidence, and conspiracy to attempted murder that I already will be speaking to the police about. Not to mention, I will be filing a protection order for you to keep over two hundred yards away from me and my fiancée,” I spit out, not leaving out a detail. My blood is boiling, and if I don’t keep a level head around these two, there is no telling what I will do.
“What? That is absurd…” she sputters, my mother shocked as she stands beside her.
“Ten… Nine…” I start, and I see Eddie stand nervously beside me, Harrison’s eyes glued to our mother.
“Benjamin, stop being ridiculous. Sasha is the only one for you, can’t you see that? She is tall, beautiful, comes from the right family, has the right connections,” Mother spits out like I am the crazy one.
“…Eight… Seven… Six.” Clenching and unclenching my fists, Sasha pulls the ring from her finger.
“What the hell is going on, and why did you boys call me down here anyway? We are miles out of town! Seriously, I don’t have time for your antics today.” Mom is now ramrod straight, not liking that things are not going as she planned.
“What happened today, Mom, when you were at the restaurant?” Harrison asks her, his eyes not leaving her for a second as I grab the diamond from Sasha, then set my attention firmly on our mother.
“I had lunch at the Four Seasons with Emily. She was late, terribly dressed, and upset at something or other. She put on quite a display, I’ll have you know. That woman has no idea how to act in such settings, Benjamin. She is—” But I cut her off.
“Enough!” I yell, making everyone jump.
“Ben?” a little voice says, and I turn swiftly to see Rosie sitting on the edge of her seat.
“Fuck,” I murmur, rubbing my head, forgetting about the little girl who is probably hearing some very adult conversations right now. Beth gives me a look to tell me I need to do better.
“I’m so sorry, Rosie,” I mutter as I take a few steps to her and pick her up, her small frame clinging onto my hip, her dainty hands circling around my neck, and she rests her head on my shoulders. She is tired, we all are, but we are not leaving until we speak to Em.
“Benjamin!” My mother says my name like she is scolding me.
“That’s your Mommy, isn’t it?” Rosie whispers to me.
“Yes, Rosie, it is,” I say with a sigh.
“Benjamin!” My mother’s voice rises another octave.
“Don’t worry, Ben, I will teach you how to use Siri. You don’t need to ask her to do that. She doesn’t seem very nice,” Rosie says to me, worried for me. I huff out a small laugh and kiss the top of her head, keeping her securely in my arms.
“Benjamin, why are you cradling that little girl?” My mother’s eyes pierce mine accusingly. “And why in the world did you call me to this hospital, Edward?” She turns to my brother, looking bewildered. I walk back over to her, taking in the look of disgust and mortification on her face as she registers Rosie’s lack of sight. She doesn’t even try to hide her reaction.
“I called you here because there was a terrible incident this afternoon, which left Emily here in the hospital, and we wanted to understand what happened to get her here. We are building a case, and we need as much evidence as we can get,” Harrison says, keeping a calm tone, but I can sense his impatience right beneath the surface.
I watch my mother swallow roughly, and her face pales a little. My brothers and I all know that she is somehow mixed up in it all. Guilt is written all over her face.
“Fucking hell,” Tennyson murmurs from a few feet away where he is sitting, putting his head down, not looking at anyone.
