Lila

She sat in the back of the car with Chris, both of them just staring at the barrier they'd asked the driver to raise. But neither of them had spoken since.

​​

She didn't know what to do. Chris was clearly in shock—or rage? It was hard to tell. His face was blank. And that was the strange part. She'd been so sure he was trouble—going to make trouble when this happened. But he'd just taken the pen offered to him by the lawyer, and stood beside her and signed all the papers. And now here they were, co-owners of an empire built mostly on Dane's personal sweat and tears.

With everything else that had happened, Lila was finding it hard to breathe. Having the normally open and cheeky Chris just sitting there…

"I need you to talk to me," she blurted without look at him.

"Hmmm?"

"I need you to talk to me and tell me what you're thinking, and what this means?"

Chris shook his head. "It means you're my boss. And I'm everyone else's boss," he said quietly.

Lila rolled her eyes and turned to look at him, but he was staring out the window.

"No, I mean… didn't you think Dane would leave it all to you? You're his brother. You've been through it all with him. And you've been a part of this from the beginning."

Chris scratched the back of his neck. "Dane's always been the captain of this ship," he said firmly. "I mean, I helped, but… you know it was his. I know it was his."

Lila stared at him miserably. "What are going to do?" she said, then horrified herself by dissolving into tears.

Chris put his arm around her and pulled her in, shushing her and stroking her hair. "Don't cry, Lila. He'll… I don't know what he'll do. but I do know you have what it takes to do this. And… and I think we make a good team. I think, we just… get on with it."

"But… Dane?"

"I don't know, Lila. Where does all of this end? He's with his dad now and that's never good. I mean, you saw the video."

She turned away, like she didn't want to talk about that. In truth, she desperately wanted to defend Dane, tell Chris—and anyone else who would listen—what he was doing. What he'd been willing to do, and why.

He deserved to be admired, not villainized in the press!

He deserved to be held up as an example, not under suspicion!

She dropped her face into her hands and Chris pulled her into his chest and she let herself go, but it made her skin crawl.

She knew they were testing this… testing Chris. She knew this entire episode was designed to bring out his true colors. But she couldn't help noticing the soft way Chris stroked her hair—how like Dane he was, in that way—and she didn't like it. Not one bit. It made her feel like squirming out of his arms and slapping him. Why was he doing this? Did he just think he needed to take care of her while Dane was gone, or did he want… something else? Was he using this?

She sobbed again and Chris whispered her name and it made her shiver so badly, recoil so sickeningly, she pushed out of his arms and started apologizing as she tried to mop her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're being really good about this. I'm just… I'm in pieces. I don't know which way is up. And I just feel… it's all too much." She wiped under her eyes, trying not to ruin her make-up, but Chris left one hand on her thigh and shook his head.

"You shouldn't be taking all of this alone, Lila. You need to let me help you. It's too much for one person.

"But… what could you do?" she said with a slightly hysterical laugh. "My husband—who might not even be the man I thought he was—is in the hands of a government spook and even if he could get free, he'd immediately be arrested.

"I've just, what, inherited his business, that's probably about to start hemorrhaging money because of all the bad press. And I'm… I mean…"

"You need to see a doctor, Lila. All this stress can't be good for the baby."

"Baby? Baby! Chris, are you listening? What the hell is happening to my life?!"

"I know it's a lot—"

"No, I don't think you do know. Not at all."

He reached for her and she shook him off. "I can't even think about that right now," she said in a broken whisper, because there was a part of her that felt like she'd betrayed Dane terribly by telling this lie. When he heard—which she knew he would, because she intended for his father to learn it. And she knew Doug wouldn't let that gem slide past Dane's notice.

What was she going to tell him if she ever had the chance?

And what was he going to think if she didn't?

She broke down then, crying out all the frustration and fear and sickening dread. After she shook off his embraces a couple times, Chris just rubbed her back. And so they drove the rest of the way, broken together, yet at odds. Neither of them speaking.

Lila knew she had to get to the bottom of this. She needed to find out what was really in Chris's mind, but that wasn't going to happen here in the car where they might be overheard. So as they began to approach the apartment building, she mopped herself up and spoke through her chokes.

"Would you… would you come to the apartment with me? I don't want to be alone right now. And I'm guessing we need to talk through some of this before we tell the staff…" she trailed off and both their eyes went wide. "Are we going to tell them?"

Chris frowned. "I think we have to."

She shook her head. "This is so royally fucked up. On every level."

Chris nodded. "Welcome to life with Dane," he muttered darkly.

Lila stared at him, but he didn't shy away, just stared right back. After a minute, she swallowed and opened her mouth. "Chris—"

"Not here," he said, eyeing the barrier between them and the driver. "Let's get up to your apartment. You're right. We've got some stuff to discuss."

She nodded sadly and didn't try to speak again.

Just closed her eyes and yearned for Dane to be there, to hold her and stroke her back and… just be there.

She needed him in a way she'd never needed him before.