Epilogue

Oscar

I stare at the computer in front of me.

"Make it make sense."

I desperately need for this to start making sense because right now, I'm totally lost. My brother discovered our father's secret, but now it's up to me to take things farther. Ryan and Alex are desperately searching for her brother. They're going to tear apart the fucking world to find him. I know that now.

What I don't know is who else was affected or why.

I need to get to the bottom of this and find out who else was involved so I can clean house. My brother might like to play by the rules, but I don't, and Phoenix certainly doesn't. We're going to destroy Project Sunshine no matter how hard it is and no matter how deep we have to go.

We already know that Allison Green was a victim of the project she now works on. She's having a meeting with Phoenix to talk things over as I stare at my own files. I just wish any of this made sense, but it doesn't.

There's a knock at the door, and Dolly walks in.

"Burning the midnight oil?" She smiles brightly, and I force myself to smile back.

"Something like that," I admit. "I'm working on a big project."

"Sounds important."

"It is."

"Anything you need a coffee for?" Dolly asks. She waves at the door behind her. "I was going to dip down to the coffee shop for a cup. Thought I'd get you one, too. You know, if you like. It's pumpkin spice season," she offers.

"Do I look like a basic white girl?" I ask, but it's the closest I've felt to joking in a very long time. Dolly smiles. Then she laughs. The sound makes me feel...

Joy.

Is that what I'm feeling?

It's been so long since my heart didn't feel like it was aching that I'm not even sure anymore. Maybe that's what I'm experiencing right now. Maybe it's something else.

"You know what? I think I'll come with you." I close my laptop and stand, stretching.

"You sure? It's a little bit of a walk."

"I realize I make more money than you, but I think I can afford to walk a few blocks," I tell her. Once again, Dolly laughs, and I'm caught off-guard by how easy it is to talk to her. Most of the time, talking to women feels like a nightmare for me. It's one of those experiences where I'm kind of off my game.

The two of us ride down to the lobby and exit the building, walking past the guards and starting down the sidewalk. We head to the end of the block and turn. Dolly chats about her day. She complains about the elevators and the maintenance people, and she makes a joke about how many birds sit outside the office. Things feel comfortable for once. They feel easy.

We're having such a good time that I don't notice the van pulling up next to us.

I don't notice her stop walking and standing back.

I don't notice the men getting out of the car.

I don't notice anything until the whole world goes black.

The story will continue in Dirty Little Billionaires, Book 2.