Series: Cobalt Empire Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 234
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
It’s not a microscopic number.
It’s not even a small number.
It is massive.
A staggering amount. More than my eyes can truly grasp. Gordon had to write it down because I couldn’t believe it without seeing the numbers.
It’s millions.
“All yes,” Gordon confirms.
My eyes burn. I think I’ve blinked twice since I sat down. “Is this all of Ben’s money? He emptied his bank accounts and put everything in this trust?” For me?
Gordon sighs heavily. “Yes. I did tell him he needed to consult a financial advisor before making this move, but he was incredibly persistent.”
I clutch the sides of my head. Wishing I called his brothers or his parents to come with me, so they could process this too. Because everything about this doesn’t feel right.
I wince. “I don’t accept.” I push the legal pad, documents, and pen away from me.
Gordon exhales even deeper. “I’m afraid it doesn’t matter whether you accept or not. The money is still in this trust. It’s going to sit here if you don’t use it.”
My stomach churns thinking about all the ways I could use the money. Rent for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t even need free housing from the Honors House. Medical school, paid for. If I go that route. My future, funded. But it feels so wrong. So terribly wrong.
All of this.
Gordon pushes a box of tissues toward me, then retracts. Am I in threat of crying? Or do I look like I might bite his head off? “Once you sign, you’ll be able to access the trust on January 1st. You will have full access. No rules or stipulations. That’s how Ben set it up.”
Ben set it up.
What about all the months Ben was broke? Was his money tied up in this trust the entire time? Waiting for me?
This…this isn’t making sense.
“I don’t understand,” I say, which makes Gordon huff out another deep sigh. “No, I understand how the trust works. I don’t understand the timing. Ben told me he was already broke at the beginning of the semester when I ran into him at a frat party. We’d barely spoken before that—so when did he set this up?”
Gordon swivels to his computer and scrolls until he stalls on a document. “His first meeting with me was…in the middle of May.”
I blow backward. “No.”
That means he made the decision to give me his money before the frat party. When we’d only run into each other a couple of times. Like at Penn. The science lab.
“Hold on,” Gordon lifts a finger for me to wait. “I did put a note in his file. I thought it was strange too and wanted to keep some sort of record in case of litigation.” He reads from his computer. “I asked Ben how well he knew Harriet Fisher, and he told me, I know she’s a good person. Also asked why he was giving her so much. He told me, I don’t need it where I’m going.”
My eyes well. “May?” I ask again. “You said May?”
“Yes, mid-May.”
Oh fuck. “Can I make a call?” I ask Gordon.
“Of course. I’ll give you a minute.” He steps out, and I dial Beckett, hoping he’s available. Please, please, please.
“Harriet,” he answers on the third ring. “Everything good?”
“No, I’m at this lawyer’s office. I’ll explain in a second, but do you know when Ben assaulted that asshole who lives in your family’s gated neighborhood?”
“Tate Townsend? That was back in May.”
I go very still. Wide-eyed.
Ben was going to leave his family right then. He must’ve set up this “irrevocable” trust soon afterward. Dumped his money since he wouldn’t need it anymore.
But he didn’t end up in the woods or wilderness—or wherever he is now—back in May. He transferred to Manhattan Valley University.
Ben always said he never intended to be in New York. That it took convincing.
It was never part of his plan.
It’s why he showed up broke.
His brothers unknowingly changed his path. Then Ben spent more time with me, and he kept delaying and delaying the date to leave. Until at one point, he considered staying.
Then Audrey…the frat…it pushed him to finish what he had orchestrated.
His original plan.
Give me all his money. A girl he knew needed the cash. A girl he thought had a good heart.
Then he’d disappear into the woods. Never to be found again.
57
BEN COBALT
Iswing an axe, splitting a log in two clean pieces.
Snow crunches under my boots. The air frigid. I have no problem with the cold. I could’ve lived on the ice, but if asked, I’d say I love springtime the most. I was born when the tulips begin to bloom, when the air in Philly begins to shift and people start spilling outside. When doors open and the cool breeze is let in.
If anyone asked?
Yeah, like anyone is going to ask me, “What season do you like, Ben?” I’m not even going to be asked if it’s cold outside.