𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 ⇉ 𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

𝘳 𝘶 𝘯

ARI AND SARAH took the Twinkie to go speak to Rafe, with Cora Lynn tagging along as the rest of the Pogues went to rally people for the town hall meeting.

The van was eerily silent, the two women dreading the conversation they were about to have with their brother. Everything Rafe had said felt like lies from the start, and despite his pleas for Ari to trust him again, she just couldn't.

He had disappointed her too many times, hurt her in ways she couldn't forget. Now, with Cora Lynn by her side, she felt a mix of fear and anxiety about what her daughter might witness.

She hoped that seeing Cora would keep Rafe grounded.

As they arrive at his home, the door was already ajar, and they walk in cautiously. Sarah and Ari exchange a glance, Cora Lynn clutching her mother's finger as she waddles beside her, wide-eyed and curious.

They made their way to the back patio, where Sarah announces their arrival. "Hello? We're here."

Rafe claps his hands in mock applause. "Hey. Thank you for showing up. Good work."

"Stop. Because you know we'll leave." Ariella says sternly, trailing behind Sarah.

Rafe's eyes shift to her before landing on Cora Lynn, who clung to her worn-out bunny, nervously eyeing him. The one-year-old tilts her head, as if trying to recognize him.

Rafe's intense gaze made her hide behind her mother's legs. Ari bent down, scooping her daughter into her arms and holding her close.

"Look, we don't want to argue, okay? I'm tired of it. We have enough people against us. You said you could help us." Ari pleads, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

Rafe's gaze remains locked on Ari, a storm of emotions brewing beneath his surface as he struggles to find the right words. "N-No. No, not with the land stuff. Kinda on your own with that—."

Ariella feels a wave of frustration rising within her, and she squeezes her eyes shut, fighting to keep her anger at bay. Sarah, sensing her tension, gently rubs her back, a silent gesture of support.

Rafe takes a deep breath, his voice shaking slightly as he continues. "Sorry, but there...there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

He gestures to the scattered papers on the table, his nervousness palpable. "So, when Dad died, the first time...um, he said I got a quarter of what he had."

"Us too." Sarah interjects, her tone serious as she and Ari settle into their seats, the weight of the conversation pressing down on them. Cora Lynn, still clutching her bunny, can't seem to take her eyes off Rafe.

"Yeah, Wheezie too, and he eventually added Cora Lynn as well." Rafe admits, tapping his finger anxiously against the papers.

Ari's heart sinks at this revelation.

Ward had set money aside for Cora? It felt deeper than she expected.

"Don't know how, but he did. And now, none of us got it, right?" Rafe's voice is tinged with disbelief, and Ari and Sarah shake their heads, confirming his fears. "Yeah, because of Rose and her greedy paw. She's got that money locked down tight."

Ariella can feel the tension in the air thickening as Sarah responds, "I-I've tried to call. Nothing."

"Yeah, yeah." Rafe nods rapidly, frustration spilling over. "That's the point. That's what I'm saying. I-I mean, we're a family, and—and Rose just gets to keep all the gold for herself. I-I mean, what gives her the right?"

Ariella watches Rafe's anger simmering just beneath the surface, and she realizes that if she had known this conversation would revolve around the gold, the money and how they were a 'family', she would've never come.