Gatsby comes back right as I get out of the bath. He is wearing a new suit and looks as sharp as ever. His hair is brushed back, and his eyes are twinkling.

“Must’ve been some meeting,” I say. I want to wrap my arms around him, but I’m soaking wet.

“I had a video conference. I had to look presentable.” He comes closer to me, wrapping his arms around me. He’s not as concerned about his suit as I am.

“Oh wow, if I knew I was going to miss this, I would have never gone downstairs,” he says, kissing me.

I feel how hard he is through his pants, and he undoes my towel, dropping it to the floor.

“Come to me,” he says, kneeling down on the floor and kissing my breasts.

His lips start to meander down toward my belly button.

I feel hot all over, and it’s not just the bath. But before I lose all control over my faculties, I pull away.

“I have to ask you something,” I say.

“Anything,” he says, kissing my collarbone. “Just talk while I keep doing this.”

Gatsby pushes hair off my neck.

“No, c’mon. This is serious. Please.” I pull away and pick up the towel off the floor.

“Okay, okay.” He folds his arms across his chest. “What? What’s so important?”

I have to wrap myself in the towel before asking him. I have never been totally comfortable with my own nudity. Plus, I need to buy myself some time. This is very difficult to say. I can’t find the words. I don’t really know what I heard, but I know it’s not good. I know that it’s something that Gatsby should know about. Yet I am conflicted.

Things have just started to get better between them. When we first arrived, Gatsby didn’t even acknowledge that he had brothers. And then today, everything changed. I saw him not just admit that they exist but actually have fun with them. I saw him laughing with Atticus, reminiscing about their childhood.

Given my own experience with my sisters, I don’t want to take that away from him. I want to just pretend that everything is okay. I want them to remain brothers. Even more than that, I want them to remain friends.

But am I willing to lie for Atticus to do this? No, I can’t. My allegiance lies with Gatsby. Atticus didn’t ask me to. And I don’t even know what it is that I am lying about.

I have to choose my words carefully.

“I was just wondering…” I start.

He waits for me to finish. I can’t find the words. I don’t know how to ask about something that I’m not supposed to know anything about. I don’t want to alarm him if it’s really nothing. If this just has to do with Atticus and not the company.

“I was just wondering why Atticus is so worried about the IPO.”

Gatsby gives off a sigh of relief. “Oh, Christ, Annabelle. I thought you were going to say that you wanted to leave or something. Don’t scare me like that!”

He is relieved too soon, but I just nod and wait for his reply.

“Because we’re all going to get really rich after it goes through.”

“Okay.” I nod. That doesn’t really explain anything.

“Well, everyone but him, I guess,” Gatsby adds as an afterthought. I don’t trust my ears. I am not sure if I heard that correctly.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, technically, Atticus won’t be getting any money from the deal. All of his shares are held in a trust.”

That’s when I realize that what I heard was really bad. Atticus has some plan to get money that’s not his, and that’s why he has to wait for the IPO. Something’s wrong. I tell Gatsby everything. Every last part of the conversation that I over heard Atticus have over the phone. And I remember every detail.

---

“No, that can’t be right.” Gatsby shakes his head after I stop talking. “There must be some explanation.”

I shrug. I don’t know anything except what I heard.

“I’m going to go talk to him,” he says. I start to get up and get dressed, but he stops me. “Wait here, okay?”

“No, I want to come.”

“This is private, Annabelle. I need to speak to him in private.”

I’m about to protest again, but then there’s a knock at the door.

---

It’s Atticus.

---

“Stay here,” Gatsby orders me. I roll my eyes and cross my hands. I can’t believe that he is talking to me like this.

“Please?” he gives me a quick kiss. “Please, I just need to talk to him in private. Brother to brother.”

“Okay,” I give in. I appreciate his kind words. I give him his space.

I am left alone in the bedroom. I pick out a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a light sweater that the concierge brought over for me. Then I pick up my phone. I check my email and then mindlessly scan through the books on my Kindle app. Hundreds of different thoughts swirl through my head, and I need to make them stop. I need to focus on something else, but it’s not working.

“Annabelle, can you come here a moment?” Gatsby walks back into the room.

I shake my head, no, no, no.

“What are you doing? What I said to you I said in confidence!” I whisper.

“I know, but I have to get this out in the open. It sounds like it was some sort of misunderstanding.”

“It wasn’t a misunderstanding!”

“Well, that’s why I want you to come out here and talk to Atticus.”

I can’t believe he’s making me do this. This is so unfair.

“Hi, Atticus.” I nod and stand slightly behind Gatsby. I can’t confront him. I don’t want to. This isn’t my business.

“Annabelle, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you overheard my conversation earlier today.”

“I’m sorry, too.” I shake my head at Gatsby. He has betrayed me!

“I’m sorry Gatsby has dragged you into this. It’s really embarrassing.”

“For me, too,” I add.

“The thing is that what you heard, it’s nothing big. I just owe people a little money. That’s it. It all has to do with this fantasy football thing I’m in.”

Atticus is smiling and nodding. His voice is high-pitched, and he’s the friendliest he’s ever been to me. It’s all an act, but Gatsby doesn’t see it.

“But what about what you said, that you’ll only be able to pay your debt after the IPO goes through?” I say. I don’t want to be confrontational. I shouldn’t even be here. But I can’t just let him cover this up so easily. I can’t let him get away with this, whatever this is.

“Oh, that?” He smiles and hesitates. I can see that he’s trying to buy himself some time. I look at Gatsby, who is anxiously waiting for his reply. “That was just something I was telling him. I do owe him some money, but I’m pretending that I don’t have it. So I was just trying to put him off for a few weeks. So I made up the IPO thing.”

I nod.

“Well, you see.” Gatsby smiles. “It’s nothing.”

“Yeah, it’s nothing. I’m just sorry you two got all messed up in this. I really should keep my private phone calls private.”

Gatsby laughs along with Atticus. I barely crack a smile. I can’t stand what he is doing, how manipulative he’s being, but I need to be alone with Gatsby to tell him this. I can’t call him out on this now. Besides, there’s nothing really to call out. I don’t have any proof.