16
Later, his secretary added me on social media. Cole had said there were issues with the foundation, and his secretary would handle all communi- cation with me.
“Is Mr. Miller available? I’d like to schedule a meeting with him.”
“I apologize, Ms. Hayes. Mr. Miller said he’s not available.”
[Big sister, you have to keep trying! Cole really needs you.] [OMG, I’m totally shipping this now! The official pairing never had any chemistry, but this ‘big sister–puppy‘ dynamic is perfect!]
Did he need me? It felt more like he wanted to keep me at arm’s length.
A few days later, my quiet work life was interrupted by the comments.
Big sister, hurry to Oakhaven Vineyard! Cole is drinking because of the donation funds Holy
Chapter 2
14:53
[Big sister, hurry to Oakhaven Vineyard! Cole is drinking because of the donation funds.] [Holy crap, Lily White was the one who stopped the shelt- er funds! She’s trying to force Cole to marry her.] [Cole never ate properly before, his stomach isn’t great. Now he’s drinking this much…]
What was that supposed to mean? I didn’t wait to read any more. I hailed a cab and went straight to the vineyard.
Inside, the place was a wreck. Panicked, I grabbed the nearest server. “Where are the Millers and the Whites?”
The server, busy cleaning up, replied, “Someone got drunk and collapsed, then a fight broke out. It lasted about half an hour, then everyone left.”
Well, if Cole had just passed out, at least he hadn’t been hurt in the fight.
I pulled out my phone and called Mr. Thompson. “Did Mr. Miller go drinking? Was he taken to the hospital?”
His voice was shaky. “I just got to the hospital, but it wasn’t Mr. Miller who was drunk. His phone’s still pinging at the vineyard.”
I hung up and told the driver to take it slow. We drove for over an hour, but there was no sign of Cole. Outside, thunder rumbled and rain began to
fall.
My worry mounted. As we rounded the last corner, I spotted Cole, huddled by the side of the road. He seemed truly drunk. I called his name seve- ral times, but he didn’t respond. “Cole, please, don’t scare me like this!”
I tried to pull him into the car, but he stubbornly refused to move. “Just leave,” he muttered, “I’m not putting myself in your hands again.”
The rain intensified. The driver, impatient, told me I had five more minutes. “Cole, can we please just go back and talk about this? Please…”
I was crying, tears splashing onto his hand. His expression finally softened a fraction. He looked up at me. “Big sister, why are you upset?” He gave
a weak, desolate laugh. “Didn’t you always treat me like a stray? Keep me around when you liked me, then just discard me when you didn’t?”
My tears wouldn’t stop. “Can’t I just say I was wrong?”
Cole watched me for a long moment, then sighed. “You weren’t wrong. I surrender.”
