Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher

“We will make him pay for what he did. That much I promise.”

My laugh comes out broken and hollow. “I don’t want revenge. I just want him gone. Forever.”

“Then that’s what we will do.”

Her use of we makes me emotional for a completely different reason.

You’re not alone in this.

Violet and Delilah remain on the phone while I cry it out. Come tomorrow, I will need to pretend none of this ever happened, so I allow myself to feel everything tonight. My anger. My sadness. My betrayal.

I might not have everything figured out by the time I stop crying, but I’m sure of one thing: Callahan Kane is going to regret ever thinking he could take advantage of my kindness and get away with it.





Lana has been acting strange. Ever since we returned from Rowan and Zahra’s place, she has kept quiet. Before I had a chance to ask her what she thought about the night, she disappeared into Cami’s room, claiming she needed to get her ready for bed.

By the time I come out of the shower, the door to her room is locked with no answer when I knock.

She is probably still in the shower.

I take a seat on the couch and pull up Candy Crush. My highest score was quickly beaten by the same little git across the world who scored the top spot by a measly three points.

I’m not sure how long I play for. Lana doesn’t ever open her door, so I lose track of time. I only quit once my eyes start to get heavy.

I rise from my spot on the couch and knock on Lana’s door again.

“Lana.” My knuckles tap against the wood.

No answer.

I press my ear against the door but still can’t hear anything.

Rather than wait around, I go to my room and text her.

Everything okay? You didn’t answer when I knocked.



My text goes unanswered, too. Either Lana fell asleep the moment she put her head on the pillow or she is avoiding me. While the first option is highly plausible, especially after the long day we had, I can’t help considering the second.

I sift through the memories of the night. From my point of view, it seemed like she had a great night. Lana got along well with Zahra and Iris, and she held her own when going up against Declan. She even got that special glint in her eyes that I love when Rowan tried to buy out her recipe for a million dollars.

I don’t think anything went wrong. Yet I can’t seem to shake the nagging sensation in the back of my head.

I text Iris individually.

Hey.



Time goes by painfully slow as I wait for her to answer.

Hey. What’s up?



Did anything seem off about Alana after dinner?



The dots appear and disappear twice before a message pops up.

I’m not sure. Ask me tomorrow when I’m sober.



I throw a pillow over my face and groan. Although Iris won’t be much help tonight, I plan on hounding her for answers once she is coherent enough to remember what happened.

Sleep evades me no matter how long I lie on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as I comb through everything that happened tonight for a second time. Despite considering every little detail, I can’t think of anything that might have upset Lana. My family was on their best behavior—a shocker in itself—so I’m not sure what could have gone wrong.

Just ask her in the morning.

It’s the last thought I have before my eyes slide shut and my breathing evens out.

“Hey.” I kiss the top of Lana’s head. She doesn’t lean in to me like she usually does, which only adds to my growing evidence that something is wrong.

I already texted Iris early this morning, but she hasn’t answered yet. Knowing my sister-in-law and the headache she gets after drinking too much wine, it might be a little while.

“Hi.” Her gaze flickers from her food to my face before turning back to her plate.

I take a seat next to her and wrap my arm around the back of her chair. Lana is careful to keep from touching me.

“Everything okay?” I twirl a piece of her hair around my finger.

“Just tired.” She takes a long sip of her coffee.

“You went to bed early.”

“I had a headache.” Her lips thin.

“Are you feeling better this morning? We can always skip the waterpark today if you’re not.”

“I’m not going to let Cami down no matter how shitty I feel.” Something passes across her face, but it fades away quickly as she returns to her empty expression that makes the acid roll in my stomach.

“Do you want me to get you some medicine?”

“Sometimes the best cure is time.” She looks away in a poor attempt to hide the tic in her jaw.

“Ready!” Cami comes out wearing a bathing suit and a cover-up skirt that resembles a mermaid tail.

Lana places her cup on the table and stands. “Perfect. Let me help you with your hair.”

“Can you do a braid crown? Pretty please?”

“Sure.” She walks around the table, leaving me behind.

Compared to the icy interaction with me, Lana is nothing but warm to her daughter. The tightness in my chest intensifies until I’m subconsciously rubbing at the spot over my heart with a frown.

The silence surrounding me adds to the weight pressing against my chest. After spending weeks around Cami and Lana, eating meals alone seems unbearable.