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Home / YA/TEEN / His to Ruin: Breaking Chelsea / Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

All Chapters of His to Ruin: Breaking Chelsea : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

136 Chapters

121

THE SPECTATOR{Playlist Suggestion: "Lovely" by Billie Eilish & Khalid / "In The Blood" by John Mayer}~KADE POV~"So, I was thinking emerald green," Valerie said, scrolling through her phone. "It matches your eyes. But then again, black is classic. And it hides the... you know... bulk of the brace." She gestured vaguely at my leg without actually looking at it.I stared at the ceiling tile with the water stain. I wondered how much trouble I would be in if I threw my water pitcher at her head."Valerie," I said, my voice flat. "I don't care about the suit.""You have to care, Kade. It's the Gala. The press will be there. If you're going to roll in there on crutches, you need to look like a hero, not a victim. Perception is reality." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. She looked perfect. Not a hair out of place. She looked like she belonged in a magazine, and right now, I wanted to set the magazine on fire.I checked my phone again.Last seen: ‘2 hours ago.’Chelsea wasn't replyin

122

THE PRICE OF BREATHING{Playlist Suggestion: "Saturn" by Sleeping At Last / "Fix You" by Coldplay}~CHELSEA POV~The sound of a ventilator is the loneliest sound in the world.'Hiss. Click. Breathe out.'I sat in the plastic chair next to Bed 4 in the ICU. My hands were wrapped around Chase's limp hand. He felt cold. Not the cool of a fall breeze, but the deep, terrifying cold of a body that was forgetting how to keep itself warm.Dr. Ryker stood at the foot of the bed. He looked exhausted. He had been our doctor for years, the one person who actually tried to help us navigate the nightmare of the American healthcare system."He's stable," Dr. Ryker said softly. "For now.""But?" I asked. I knew there was a but. There was always a but."But his oxygen levels aren't holding on their own. The autoimmune flare-up attacked his lungs this time. It was quick. Violent." He sighed, looking down at his chart. "We need to start the second round of the experimental infusions, Chelsea. Tonight.

123

BAR TAB{Playlist Suggestion: "Pray For Me" by The Weeknd / "Hit 'Em Up Style" by Blu Cantrell}~CHELSEA POV~I didn't even lock the apartment door. There was nothing left to steal anyway.I ran down the street, my chest burning. I knew exactly where he was. Samuel was a creature of habit, and when he had money....my money....he went to O'Malley's on 5th.I slammed the heavy wooden door open. The bar smelled like stale beer, sawdust, and bad decisions. It was crowded for a Tuesday night.And there he was.Samuel sat at the center of the bar, surrounded by three guys I recognized from the neighborhood—losers who usually didn't have two dimes to rub together. But tonight, they had shots lined up in front of them."Keep 'em coming, heavy hand!" Samuel roared, slamming a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. My twenty-dollar bill.I saw red.I marched through the crowd. I didn't care who I bumped into."Samuel!" I screamed.He turned on his stool, a sloppy grin plastered on his face. His eye

124

LOST CAUSES{Playlist Suggestion: "Family Line" by Conan Gray / "Matilda" by Harry Styles}~CHELSEA POV~I left three voicemails while running down 4th Street."Mom, pick up. It's an emergency.""Mom, Samuel stole the money. Chase is in the ICU. Where are you?""Mom, please. I need help."By the time I saw the neon sign for Penny's Diner, my lungs were burning and my hand was throbbing where the glass had cut me. But I didn't care. She had to be here. It was Tuesday. She worked the night shift on Tuesdays.I shoved the glass door open. The bell jingled....a cheerful sound that made me want to scream.The place was dead. Just a couple of old guys drinking coffee and a waitress I recognized named Brenda wiping down the counter.I ran up to her. "Brenda! Where's my mom? Is she in the back?"Brenda looked up, popping her gum. She looked at my messy hair, my bleeding hand, the wild look in my eyes. She didn't look surprised. Just tired."Chelsea, honey," she sighed. "Your mom ain't here."

125

THE FIXER{Playlist Suggestion: "Brother" by Gerad Way / "Heartless" by The Weeknd}~KOLT POV~The scotch in my glass cost six hundred dollars a bottle. It tasted like oak, smoke, and misery.I sat in the dim light of my penthouse living room, watching the rain line against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Across from me, Knox was loosening his tie for the third time, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger."He actually told the CEO of Vanguard to fetch him a coffee," Knox ranted, running a hand through his hair. "In the middle of the merger signing. He just... snapped his fingers. 'Black, two sugars.' The man controls half the tech sector in Asia, and Dad treated him like an intern."I took a sip of my drink. "And?""And I had to spend two hours smoothing it over in the hallway while Dad sat in the boardroom looking smug. He's out of control, Kolt. He's not just ruthless anymore; he's reckless.""He's bored," I corrected. "He's won the game, Knox. Now he's just breaking toys to see w

126

THE PRICE OF A SOUL{Playlist Suggestion: "Hostage" by Billie Eilish / "Lovely" by Billie Eilish & Khalid}~CHELSEA POV~I was just sitting there in the absolute darkness of my living room which wasn't really a living room anymore because everything was destroyed, curled up in a tight ball on the floor with my knees crunched against my chest while my phone just kept buzzing and buzzing on the floorboards like an angry insect.It was Kade, or maybe it was Zoe, but I couldn't even bring myself to look at the screen because if I saw Kade's name I knew I would completely fall apart, and I didn't have the luxury of falling apart right now because I had to figure out how to get five thousand dollars in less than an hour or my brother was going to die.The room was so quiet except for the buzzing and my own ragged breathing, and then suddenly I heard it—the heavy sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and then the front door creaking open because Samuel had broken the lock when he stormed o

127

THE CRIPPLED KING{Playlist Suggestion: "Train Wreck" by James Arthur / "Start a Riot" by BANNERS}~KADE POV~Getting out of a hospital bed when your leg is basically held together by screws and expensive plastic feels less like a triumph and more like a humiliation, especially when you have to swing your heavy, useless limb over the side of the mattress and wait for the world to stop spinning before you even attempt to stand up.Knox was standing by the door holding my discharge papers and a bag of clothes that smelled like home, looking at me with that pitying big-brother expression that made me want to punch him, but I couldn't even let go of the safety rail to make a fist."Do you need help?" he asked, his voice low and tired because he'd been dealing with Dad's tantrums all morning."No," I gritted out, grabbing the aluminum crutches that were leaning against the nightstand. "I'm fine, I can do it myself."I jammed the crutches under my armpits and put my weight on my good leg, h

128

SURVIVAL INSTINCTS{Playlist Suggestion: "Ghost of You" by 5 Seconds of Summer / "Hold On" by Chord Overstreet}~CHELSEA POV~The Mirage was loud, vibrating with that specific Friday night energy that usually made my teeth ache, but tonight I felt like I was moving through water, my body going through the motions of wiping tables and serving drinks while my brain was completely somewhere else.Every time the heavy front door swung open to let in a new group of laughing customers, my head snapped up, my eyes scanning the entrance before I could stop myself, looking for a tall figure in a suit with cold eyes and a predator's walk."He's not coming."I jumped, nearly dropping a tray of empty glasses as Antonio appeared beside me, leaning against the bar with that knowing smirk that made me want to punch him."I wasn't looking for anyone," I lied quickly, turning back to the counter and scrubbing a spot that was already clean."Sure you weren't," Antonio chuckled, checking his watch. "Bu

129

SAFE HOUSE{Playlist Suggestion: "Heaven" by Julia Michaels / "Earned It" by The Weeknd}~CHELSEA POV~Leaving the hospital felt like peeling off a second skin because every instinct I had was screaming at me to stay glued to that plastic chair next to Chase's bed, but Chase had practically pushed me out the door, telling me that if I didn't go get a shower and a real night of sleep he was going to lock me out himself.So I went.I followed Kade's taxi directions to a part of the city I had only ever seen in magazines, the kind of neighborhood where the streetlights actually worked and the driveways were long enough to land a plane on.When we pulled up to the "townhouse," I almost laughed because there was absolutely nothing "town" or "house" about it; it was a huge layout of steel and glass that looked like it belonged in a futuristic movie, sharp angles and floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the city lights like diamonds."This is your hideout?" I asked as Kade keyed in the c

130

THE SPARE HEIR{Playlist Suggestion: "Call Out My Name" by The Weeknd / "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Chase Coyne}~KOLT POV~I woke up staring at the ceiling of my room, the clean white paint doing absolutely nothing to cure the pounding headache building behind my eyes.The girl from last night—whose name I had already forgotten—was gone, having taken the hint and the Uber I called for her over an hour ago, but the mess of the night was still sitting heavy in my chest.Of all the places Kade could have brought her, he brought her here, to Knox's sterile safe house, and of course, she had to walk downstairs at the exact moment I was trying to bury my own demons inside a stranger on the living room couch.I rubbed my face with both hands, groaning.I had been actively avoiding Chelsea since that night at my penthouse, the night she stood in my living room crying and offered me her body like it was currency just to save her brother. Hearing her say those words, seeing the utter defeat

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