"What?" Lillian screamed in shock as she stared at her best friend and all the stories she had shared. Everything that had fallen apart this morning hit her again, and she could not believe she was only hearing the full truth now. It was already past two in the afternoon. "What the fuck, Riley? That stupid bastard had been cheating all this time?"
Riley nodded as she watched her. She knew things could get worse if Lillian refused to stay calm.
She kept her eyes on her friend with rising worry while Lillian bit her lower lip and curled her hands into fists.
"I am going to kill those bastards, trust me," Lillian said, her voice shaking with anger as she marched toward her car. By the time she finished with them, they would regret ever knowing her friend or daring to play with her feelings. "Who the fuck do those morons think they are messing with? Us? They made the biggest mistake."
"No. No." Riley rushed forward and blocked her path. She wrapped her arms around her, hoping to stop whatever wild plan was forming in Lillian's head.
"Let go of me, Riley," Lillian said as she tried to pull free. With her years of training, she could flip her friend over in a second, get in her car, drive straight to Scott's house and beat the life out of him.
But she didn't do it. Lillian let out a long breath and finally nodded. "Fine. I am not going unless we both agree on it. Is that okay with you?"
"Promise?" Riley asked, scared to release her.
"Yes, babe," Lilian looked around her. No one cared about them. They were outside the hospital, only a few minutes away. When her friend told her everything, she had been angry too because no one deserved such treatment from people who were supposed to be family. "I promise. I won't do anything without your consent no matter how much I am dying to punch Scott's face."
Riley finally let go of her and breathed out, her chest rising and falling like she had run a long distance. She was drained from everything that had happened. "I want to do the same to him, but I can't go after them right now. Maybe later, but not now when my mom is lying in that sick bed, about to die if I don't provide two million for her heart surgery. My father and my two brothers are lying cold in the mortuary."
"No. Please don't cry again," Lilian said as she pulled her close and rubbed her back slowly. "You are going to cry for a long time because people never forget the ones they love. The world keeps saying we move on, but that is not true. We keep living, but inside we break a little every day. We remember every moment we wish we could share with them. I think of my mom every single day."
Riley tried to hold back her tears. Years ago, back in high school, Lilian had lost her mother. If anyone understood pain, it was her.
"Guess what. I didn't tell you the part where I tried to burn both Scott and Betty in the house," Riley said before she even realised it. "But I couldn't do it. I am not a murderer no matter how much they hurt me. And I thought of my family."
"You should have done it. I would have gladly covered it up for you," Lilian said in a low voice. Riley looked shocked, but Lilian did not care. "Why do you think I went to the police academy? I would have found a way to protect you."
"Oh please," Riley said with a weak laugh, shaking her head at her friend trying to support such madness. "What would I do without you?"
"We are sisters, babes."
Riley nodded and ran her hand through her red hair. "How on earth am I going to raise that huge amount for my mother? My account balance and all my savings are not even close to it."
"Mine either," Lilian admitted, feeling the weight of everything pressing on them at once. "But you can have the money in my savings. It is not much, just a hundred and fifty thousand."
"No. I am not taking your savings, and we are not arguing about it," Riley said as she walked to the car. Lilian followed behind, asking how she planned to get the money if she kept rejecting help. "My father's account. I will go to my dad's company, and any money I find there, I will use it for my mom's surgery. If it is not enough, I will sell the house."
Lilian let out a long sigh as she opened the car door and sat down, ready to drive. "using the funds from your dad's trucking company sounds terrible, but what choice do we have?"
"I don't have any," Riley said quietly. She knew her father had poured his whole life into building that company. But she was not using the money for herself. She was doing it to save her mother.
The drive to the company was silent, both of them lost in their thoughts, trying to figure out how to fix a problem that felt bigger than them. When they arrived, Riley stepped out as soon as the car stopped, ready to rush inside. But she froze when she saw her uncle standing by the trucks, giving orders as if he owned the place.
She would not have minded if he had done this before, but this was the first time she had seen him act like he cared about the company. Most of the time, her father had to quarrel with him to get him to do anything.
Maybe the death of his younger brother had finally shaken him.
"Hey Riley," Betty's dad, Williams, called out when he saw her. He quickly dismissed the workers before walking toward her. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean what am I doing here?" she asked, confused and irritated by his question. Yes, she hardly came around because of her work at the hospital, but that didn't give him the right to talk like that.
"I'm just surprised to see you at my company," her uncle said, standing with his legs wide apart to balance the weight of his big stomach. Riley was sure all the alcohol he drank was responsible for that belly.
"Your company? Are you okay?" Lilian asked, shocked that he even dared to say those words.
"Yes, that is exactly what I said, cop girl," Williams replied with a look full of disrespect before facing his niece again. "I am sorry to say this, but your father transferred the company to me last month. It was almost like he knew he was going to die."
"That is not true," Riley said, unable to believe her ears. There was no way her father would take such a big step without telling her. "I need money from the company, and as his daughter, you will—"
"You think I am lying? Your dad was drowning in debts," he cut in. "He took loans for a business idea that failed, and he had to sell almost everything to pay it back. The only thing left with your name on it is your small share in the company. If you want to sell it for nine thousand dollars, I can prepare the papers."
"Are you mad, uncle? Or did you and your daughter plan to ruin my day?" Riley asked, shaking with anger and disbelief. "I don't believe anything you just said. You are the last person who should be calling my dad reckless. I am not buying any of this nonsense."
Before he could reply, she spotted the company accountant walking past. Riley called him over immediately, hoping he would tell her something different.
But the answer she got broke her completely.
"I am sorry, but your uncle has been the owner of the company for weeks now. He brought legal papers showing that the transfer of ownership was done. All the shares were moved except for yours. Did your father not explain that to you?"
Riley stood there, shocked. She turned to her uncle, unable to believe what she was hearing. There was no way her father would hand his company to a man who drank and gambled without control.
"No. This is not happening. You are all lying," she shouted, her voice breaking. When she tried to walk into the building, the guards rushed toward her, but Lilian stepped in front of them, daring them to touch her friend.
"If you keep behaving like an animal, you are not welcome here," Williams said with a careless roll of his eyes.
"Between me and you, who is acting like an animal? You think I believe all the rubbish coming out of your mouth?" Riley snapped. "I know my father. If anything happened to his money, he would have told me."
"I heard your mom survived. Go and ask her… oh wait, she cannot talk right now," Williams said, smirking as he looked at his niece. He enjoyed the pain on her face.
"Do not talk to her like that," Lilian said as she walked right up to him. She stared him down and said, "If you are lying about any of this, I swear I will kill you."
Williams swallowed and stepped back, avoiding her eyes. "If you touch me, my lawyers will deal with you. And according to the company rules, your friend loses her shares. Family members must not harm each other."
Lilian froze and looked at Riley. Riley gave a small nod, telling her to stop.
"You are lying about the transfer. My dad will never hand his company to you," Riley said, pain burning through her chest.
"Well, he did. And if you have a problem with it, go to court," Williams replied as he walked away. On his way out, he told the guards to throw them out if they caused any trouble.