“What does that mean, exactly?”
“Cove told me,” Aria looks down, clutching her hands, “that Arlo started drinking severely. To the point of not even drinking water at all, all he drinks is whiskey. If he continues down this path, he’ll turn into an even bigger alcoholic.”
My mind drifts off to the past few days. Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, my heart hammering against my ribcage. She’s right — he’s been drinking nonstop. It’s a severe problem, and it doesn’t help that I started using heroin yesterday, too. But no one needs to know about that.
“You have a plan, don’t you?”
Aria nods, determination on her face. “Yes, but you won’t like it.”
“Try me.”
“Cove’s taking Arlo to a rehab center.”
“He is what?!”
“Look, Blair—”
“No,’’ I cut her off, standing up, gripping the edge of the table between us. “You worked with Cove to force Arlo into an institution?!”
“Don’t you dare yell at me.” Aria stands up too, eyes narrowed to slits. “I understand that you’re angry that I didn’t consult you on this matter, but I need you to understand thatneither you nor Arlo are in the right state of mind right now. He needs to get off alcohol, because more than anything, I need my brother back. And the world needs the Ghost back.”
“You should’ve told me.”
A deep laugh reverberates through the room, but it’s void of any real humor. Instead, it’s laced with bitterness and a hint of sorrow. “I just told you, and you flipped out.”
I look away, jaw clenching. I hate that she’s right.
“How long will he be gone?”
“For as long as necessary. I’m taking over.”
My eyes snap to hers immediately. “What? You’re what—seventeen? You think you can rule an entire empire on your own?”
“I’m almost eighteen,” she corrects. “But more importantly, I was born into this family. I know ins and outs that no one else knows.”
I smirk. “Spoken like the daughter of Hudson De Santis.”
“More than that, I’m Noelle Campbell’s daughter.”
There’s pride on her face when she mentions her mother, and it’s a warming sight, especially during days this dark.
“You can’t do it on your own.”
“I won’t,’’ she says. “You’ll help me.”
“I will?”
“Yes,” she nods. “Because you’ll need something to do while Arlo’s away. You won’t visit him, you won’t write him letters. He needs to focus entirely on his recovery.”
The thought of not seeing him, hearing his voice, or at least sending him letters causes a pang of hurt to flutter in my chest. However, the rational part of me knows that Aria’s right — his well-being and getting sober are the most important things right now.
“Okay,” I concede. “What do you need me to do?”
“Firstly, refresh your training with Cove. He’s a gym rat and a fighter, so he’ll come up with a good meal plan for you togain weight again. In the meantime, I’ll prepare everything for Luna’s funeral. Arlo deserves to say a proper goodbye when he comes out, and after that, I’ll find the fucking rat who let Amy Marshall out.”
“Not to sound skeptical, but that’s a lot to do.”
“I’m not alone,” she offers with a small smile. “And I won’t let the empire my parents worked so hard on keeping steady fall right before my eyes. I won’t fail them. Besides, this is only for a while. Once all of this is over, I’m retreating.’’
