Page 6 of Collateral Damage
Three
Sybil
Present - Age 27
How much does Cooper King hate me? On a scale of one to ten, I bet it’s eleven, and I don’t even blame him. He’s certainly let me know how angry he is every time we’ve run into each other.
But I’ll be honest, Cooper was on my mind as I planned Ethan and Arden’s reception. I’ll have to spend a whole evening with my ex-best friend that hopefully doesn’t end up in another screaming match. I’m genuinely sad our friendship will never see the light of day. Things are cordial with Ethan, and that’s good enough for me. But with Cooper? They’re still broken.
Peering around at the reception, pride swells in my chest. I can honestly say I’ve done a job well done. We were able to snag the ballroom at one of Manhattan’s swankiest hotels by picking a weeknight, and the gold-hued space has been decorated in shades of blue, per the bride’s request, to “match Ethan’s eyes,” she’d said—gag me with a spoon but also…awwww.Everything has been meticulously planned and executed, from the gourmet food to the band to the guest list.
Now all we do is sit back and enjoy.
I’m trying to do exactly that, but my analytical brain hasn’t been able to switch off event-coordination mode.
I’m currently standing against the far wall beside the bar, double checking we’re not running low on champagne, when familiar voices catch my attention. It’s Cooper King and his father, Conrad King. Conrad used to scare the absolute shit out of me, and from the way my body tenses, that might still be true. They’re around the corner in the nearby hall, having what they probably think is a private conversation. I shouldn’t stay here and listen, but my body stays glued to the spot anyway, my ears prickling.
“Are you going to make the announcement, or am I?” Conrad King asks his son, and my hackles rise.
“You are.” His voice is cold and heartless, lacking the warmth I took for granted for so many years.
“You don’t want to gloat?” Conrad questions, sending a shiver of unease down my spine. I swear, if they do anything to ruin this special evening for Arden and Ethan, I’m going to lose my shit.
“Something like that,” Cooper says. “I’m not really the gloating type.”
“Fine, but remember, the end goal here is King. Always King.”
“Always has been and always will be.”
My stomach hardens. I have half a mind to interrupt them and demand answers.
“Go talk to her,” Conrad adds. “You know what you need to do, son.”
“I don’t want to talk to her. They’re all rotten. The entire Laurence family,” Cooper snips and my ears burn. “Except for Chandler and Arden. But the rest of them are rotten as far as I’m concerned.”
“Makeamendswith Sybil, or you’ll regret it,” his father insists.
My entire body goes numb.
“I was ready to make amends before her father cost me my leg,” he growls. “I still have phantom pains that will most likely never go away. Do you know what that feels like?”
“Everyone has pain, son.”
Flashes of that day return like a never-ending nightmare. He’s right; my father drove our speedboat into Ethan’s sailboat. I was there. It was the single most terrifying and horrible day of my life. I lost my dad that day, but I also lost so much more…
I lost my sense of trust.
And Cooper lost his leg.
“And don’t forget the way they treated Ethan,” Cooper continues. “The media shitstorm nearly destroyed us, and Sybilwillinglyparticipated in that.”
My cheeks heat, shame burning through me. When my father died, I wanted someone to blame. Even though I knew Ethan was innocent, I didn’t stop the police from charging him with manslaughter. Luckily, the charges were dropped, but only after our family almost lost Arden for good. She was livid with us.
“Don’t forget Gregory’s actions that day cost him his life,” Conrad reminds.
“I don’t care. It’s unforgivable.”
My heart aches, and I can’t listen to anymore. I peel off the wall and stumble into the throng of guests, focusing on everyone’s glamourous cocktail attire and fitted designer suites.
