No More Funding My Traitor

Walking home after school with Everett, the world was exactly as it had always beenthe smell of damp pavement, the rhythmic thrum of rain against umbrellas, the comfortable silence between two people who had known each other since they were in diapers.

Then, a voice that was unmistakably Everetts, yet completely silent, echoed inside my skull.

God, Cora is such a drag. Why does she have to shadow me every single day?

I froze. Everett hadnt moved his lips. He was staring straight ahead, his profile as sharp and cold as an ice sculpture.

If it werent for the Sinclair-Aria merger, I wouldn't even look at her. My father would kill me if I blew the deal.

Its pouring. I bet Luna didn't bring an umbrella. Shes probably shivering.

My heart did a slow, painful somersault in my chest. I felt a cold sweat break out, unrelated to the rain.

Luna. She was the new girlthe girl with the thrift-store sweaters and the kind of ethereal beauty that didn't belong in a place as cutthroat as our private academy. Rumor had it she lived in a cramped studio on the edge of the city, working two jobs just to keep up with the tuition.

Everetts jaw was tight, his usual mask of indifference firmly in place. But the voice in my headthe one that sounded like his soul stripped barewouldnt stop.

The walk to that neighborhood is brutal. The streets are a mess.

Im so worried about her. I just want to be the one to take her home.

Ugh, if I could just find a way to shake Cora off for five minutes...

I stood there, paralyzed. I looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time, I saw it: the flicker of resentment in his eyes when he glanced at me. He didn't just find me annoying. He loathed me.

Suddenly, the heavy back door of the prep hall creaked open. A soft, hesitant voice drifted toward us.

"Everett? My umbrella... its broken."

I turned. Luna was standing there, clutching a flimsy, floral-patterned umbrella with a snapped rib that hung like a broken wing.

"Im so sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to bother you both. I just... I was worried about my textbooks getting ruined."

She looked up, her eyes catching Everetts for a split second before she looked away. They were rimmed with red, shimmering with a vulnerability that felt like a calculated strike to the heart.

Luna had only been here a week. She barely spoke to anyone, let alone the "inner circle." For her to ask Everett for help was a move I hadn't expected. Everett was famous for his lack of patience; he usually cut people down before they could even finish a sentence.

But today, he didn't even hesitate.

"Cora, I can't walk you home today," he said, his voice dropping an octave into something low and forced. "Luna lives on the other side of town. Its too far for her to walk in this."

His face remained a mask of ice. If I hadn't heard the internal screaming of his heart, I might have actually believed this was a moment of chivalry.

"And what about me?" I asked, my voice laced with a bitter edge I couldn't quite suppress.

Everett frowned, his irritation bubbling to the surface. "Your driver is literally sitting at the gate, Cora. Just take her broken umbrella and run to the car. Its twenty feet. Youll survive."

Without waiting for an answer, he shoved Lunas mangled umbrella into my hand.

Luna looked at me, her face a portrait of guilt and anxiety. She twisted the hem of her cardigan, her fingers shaking.

"No, I can't let you do that, Cora... Im so sorry. Im such a mess. Forget I said anything, I'll just run for the bus."

She turned to go, but Everett caught her arm. His grip was firm, protective. He looked at me again, his lips thinned into a hard line.

But his thoughts? They were a riot.

Here comes the tantrum. I am so done with her drama.

Shes spent her whole life thinking the world revolves around the Aria family fortune. She thinks she owns me.

But Im not playing along anymore. I love Luna. I want to scream it just to see the look on Coras face.

Luna cant get sick. I won't let her.

I felt like the air had been sucked out of the street. Something inside mesome old, dusty hopefinally cracked and turned to ash. Before he could say another word, I took a step back.

"Just go," I said.

Everetts shoulders slumped in visible relief. He turned to her, his voice softening into a register Id never heard him use with me. "Luna, give me your bag. Ive got you."

Luna gave me one last, lingering look of pity before she tucked herself under Everetts umbrella. Within seconds, they were two silhouettes blending into the grey curtain of the rain.

I looked down at the broken umbrella in my hand. Then, I tossed it into the gutter and walked into the downpour.

At the gate, our driver, Arthur, scrambled out with a large canopy, looking panicked. "Miss Aria! Where is Mr. Sinclair? Why are you all alone?"

"Just drive, Arthur," I said, leaning back into the leather seat, feeling the cold water seep into my skin. My eyes burned, but I refused to let a single tear fall.

When I got home, my mother was a whirlwind of silk and concern.

She began rubbing my hair with a towel, her voice a frantic hum. "Cora! Are you trying to catch pneumonia? Where is Everett? Hes supposed to be with you! Look at you, youre pale as a ghost. If your father heard about this, hed fly back from the London merger tonight..."

"Mom," I interrupted, my voice sounding hollow and strange. "I just want to sleep."

She paused, searching my face for a moment. "Agatha, get the ginger tea started! I'll bring it up myself."

She didn't push. She knew me well enough to know when the silence was a warning.

I changed into dry clothes and went upstairs. The moment the door clicked shut, the world went silent. But the images from the afternoon kept playing on a loop in the back of my mind.

I saw the way Everetts eyes crinkled at the corners when he looked at Luna. I saw the way he looked at melike I was an obstacle to be cleared, a debt to be paid.

The voices hadn't been a hallucination.

Everett Sinclair didn't just tolerate me. He used me. He hated the very shadow I cast.

For years, I told myself he was just "stoic," that he didn't know how to show affection because of the pressure his father put on him. I was wrong. He knew how to show it; he just didn't want to show it to me.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. The caller ID flashed: EVERETT.

The second I picked up, his voice came through like a jagged blade.

"Cora, did you say something to your mother? Because my father just called me, losing his mind. It was a rainstorm, for God's sake. I was being a decent human being and giving a classmate a ride. Do you really have to run to the parents every time you don't get your way?"

I could hear his breathingjagged, frantic. It was the most emotion Id ever heard from him.

"Everett," I said, my voice eerily calm. "Are you calling to check if Im okay? Or are you just scared that if my family pulls out of the merger, your father will finally realize youre useless?"

There was a beat of silence. Over the phone, the "mind-reading" didn't work. But I didn't need it. I could see the sneer on his face.

"Don't be dramatic," he snapped. "Youre just throwing a fit because I didn't hold your hand for two blocks. Just tell your dad it was a misunderstanding. Fix this, Cora."

I took a long, shaky breath. "Everett, why would I ever cover for you again?"

The line went dead silent.

I let out a short, cold laugh.

"You think your dad found out because of me? Everett, use your head. Do you have any idea how many people your father has watching us? He knows exactly how much money the Aria family has pumped into your fathers failing ventures. Hes not watching mehes watching his investment."

I heard a muffled thud on the other end, like hed punched a wall.

"Are you finished?" he hissed.

"No," I said. "Im just getting started. Ive spent years keeping quiet about your 'moods' because I thought we were a team. But the truth is, the Sinclair family would be in bankruptcy court if it weren't for my fathers pity."

The silence stretched out, heavy and suffocating. He was calculating, weighing his pride against his bank account.

Finally, his voice came back, cold as a winter morning. "I won't be calling you for a while, Cora. Maybe take that time to think about how you treat people. You think money buys loyalty? Good luck with that."

He hung up before I could reply.

The cold war lasted three days.

I knew he was waiting for me to crawl back, to apologize for "misunderstanding" him, just like I always did. He thought he was the prize.

On the third day, I was walking to the library when Luna collided with me.

It happened in slow motion. Before I could even react, she was on the floor, clutching her ankle and whimpering. Students stopped in the hallway, their eyes darting between us.

Then, that familiar, low voice cut through the air.

"Cora! What the hell are you doing?"

I looked up to find Everetts eyes burning with pure, unadulterated disgust.

Luna bit her lip, her voice a tiny, fragile thing. "It wasn't her fault, Everett. I was just... I was walking too fast."

God, even now shes trying to protect her. Luna is too good for this world.

Ive only ignored Cora for three days and shes already targeting Luna. Shes so incredibly spoiled. I cant breathe in the same room as her.

Once I take over the company, I am going to bury the Aria family. I'll make sure Cora never looks down on anyone again.

The thoughts hit me like a physical blow.

I looked at the crowd, then back at Everett. "She ran into me."

Everett stepped forward, his lip curling. "Save it. Do you honestly expect us to believe she tripped herself just to spite you? Youre pathetic."

I looked at Luna, who was looking up at him with wide, watery eyes.

"You're right," I said quietly. "She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew that if she fell, a dog like you would come running to bark at me."

The hallway went dead silent.

Luna gasped, fresh tears spilling over. "Cora, I know you hate me, but how can you talk to Everett like that? Hes only being kind..."

Everetts fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white. "Is this who you are now, Cora? Just a bully hiding behind a trust fund? You clearly haven't learned a thing"

"If you hate the trust fund so much," I interrupted, "stop using it. Im telling my father tonight to pull the funding for the East Side project. You should probably tell your dad to start looking for new investors. Or a bankruptcy lawyer."

There she goes again. Always the power play, always the threats.

Shes bluffing. Shell cool off in two days and come crying to me. And when she does, Im making her get on her knees to apologize to Luna.

"Do whatever you want," Everett spat. "I don't care."

He knelt down, sweeping Luna into his arms in a classic bridal carry. "Hang on," he whispered to her, his voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Ive got you. Let's get you to the nurse."

Luna tucked her head into his shoulder, her face hidden from the crowd. But as they turned, I caught itthe tiny, sharp curve of a smirk aimed directly at me.

I didn't say a word. I just turned and walked the other way.

My father came home that night, still smelling like jet fuel and expensive espresso.

We sat in his study, the heavy oak doors shut tight. He tossed a stack of documents onto the desk.

"The Sinclairs are pushing hard for the East Side development, Cora. Your Uncle George has been hounding me for a decision. Ive been holding off. What do you think?"

My father knew exactly what was going on. Hed seen the Sinclairs lean on our family for decades, using our reputation to prop up their shaky empire. Hed only allowed it because he thought Everett would eventually be family.

I looked him in the eye. "Dad, Ive been a fool. But Im awake now. Its time to cut them loose. All of it."

He let out a short, dry chuckle and pushed the papers aside. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."

He stood up and walked over, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Remember this, Cora. You are an Aria. You are the heir to everything weve built. You don't bow to anyone. Especially not a Sinclair."

I nodded, feeling a strange, cold peace settle over me.