When I open the front door, Aisling stands there with her arms folded and her expression set somewhere between concerned and unimpressed.
“You look like hell,” she says bluntly, stepping inside before I can argue.
“Good to see you too.”
She kicks off her shoes and walks straight into the living room, scanning the space with quick, assessing eyes. She doesn’t comment on the quiet, on the heaviness that still lingers in the air, but I know she feels it.
“I saw them this morning,” she says, turning back to me.
My stomach tightens instantly. “Who?”
She raises a brow. “Don’t play dumb. Koa, Kai, Finn. They were at the café before opening.”
My pulse kicks.
“And?” I ask, aiming for indifference and failing.
“They look wretched.”
I swallow. “As in hungover?” I try, hopefully.
“As in someone-shot-their-dog levels of wretchedness,” she replies dryly.
“They don’t have a dog.”
She silences me with a look.
“Finn looked like he hadn’t slept. Kai was snappish. Koa didn’t speak at all.”
My gaze flicks away before I can stop it.
Aisling notices. “Right,” she says slowly. “So. What happened?”
I cross my arms, suddenly cold despite the warmth in the house. “They were discussing when to call off their bet.”
Her brows lift. “Ah. Okay.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
She tilts her head. “Definebet.”
I stare at her. “You knew?”
“Specifics? No. But they always do one. They’re infamous for them.”
The ground shifts slightly beneath me.
“What do you mean, always?”
Aisling sighs and drops onto the sofa without waiting for permission. “Every summer since they were teenagers. Younger, probably – I wasn’t around then but I’ve heard the stories. They run a challenge. Something stupid. Something competitive. Usually harmless.”
“Harmless,” I repeat flatly. The pain in my chest doesn’t feelharmless.
“They’re bored billionaires,” she says, not unkindly, with a shrug. “They manufacture entertainment. It’s juvenile. It’s infuriating. It’s also rarely malicious. They’re not bad people, Lani.”
I feel something twist uncomfortably inside my ribcage.
“What kind of challenges?” I ask quietly.