Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 22

(Cylan's POV)

I sighed in relief, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Thanks, Ellen. I just feel like I need help in the dating game, especially... in here."

Ellen chuckled. "You don't need it, Cylan. You're rich, after all. You're Cylan Cooper."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "That's not going to help me with dating, Ellen."

Damn right I was Cylan Cooper, and that came with its own set of privileges. But when it came to love, I was just as clueless as the next person.

I sighed.

"Besides, I'm not even sure I still have claim to the Cooper name," I said, a hint of bitterness creeping into my voice.

Ellen's eyes brow shot up as she looked at me. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice soft but probing.

"My parents," I said finally, "are threatening to disown me if I don't denounce being gay. I'm not sure I even have an inheritance anymore."

Ellen's face darkened, her eyes flashing with anger. "What? That's ridiculous," she exclaimed. "They can't do that to you, Cylan. You're their daughter, no matter what."

I shrugged, resigned. "They can, and they will. They're stubborn, Ellen. And they're willing to do whatever it takes to get me to conform to their expectations."

Ellen's face was red with anger. "That's not right, Cylan. You deserve so much better than that."

I smiled wryly. "Thanks, Ellen. But I'll be fine. I've been dealing with this for a while now."

Ellen sighed. "You'll be fine, really. You're their only daughter, after all," she said. "They'll come around eventually."

I smiled, even though I didn't believe a word of that. My father had let me know that I was indispensable right from when I was young. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did disown me. She had always been there for me, no matter what. "They want me to marry some guy," I said, my voice laced with disgust. "The first son of the Lloyd family. An arranged marriage, Ellen. Can you believe it?"

in shock. "What? That's... that's crazy. Why

guess. The Lloyd family has a lot of influence and power, and my parents think that marrying me

up in distaste. "That's so archaic. And what about your feelings? Don't

laughed bitterly. "Of course not. I'm just a pawn

construction or something? I think I've heard of them. They're

the industry, and my parents think that marrying me off to their son will give them a

you have to go through this Cylan. I really hope things go

"Thank you."

and stood up. "I have to be somewhere, Cylan. But I'll talk to

to hug her

sat back down, my mind racing with thoughts of Emily and my parents and everything in between. But for

....

(Unknown POV)

room, she felt uneasy in her stomach. She got into her car and sat there for a moment, trying to process her emotions. She had always been protective of Cylan, and the thought of her being with

times she and Cylan had spent together, all the laughter and tears they had shared. She realized that she had been holding onto their past relationship for

the fact that you felt like you needed to ask me before seeing someone else shows that I'm still really involved in your life. Alex had said it but I didn't realize we were really in too deep." she wrote. "I realize now that I've been holding onto our past relationship for too long.

I've been giving you mixed signals, that I was still interested in you. I mean, I will always love you but not like that. I

hitting send, wondering if she

eyes emoji, followed by a message. "Are you texting and

typed out

I never felt like you were giving me mixed signals." She responded, "I never felt like you weren't giving me space. We're best friends, aren't we? That's why I told you about Emily. I want to be able to tell you stuff

Cylan didn't feel suffocated by her presence in her life. She typed out a response, "I know, I know. I just feel like I need to give you space, you know? I don't want to be

emoji. "You're

she responded to Cylan's message. "Okay, if you say so," she typed, adding a smiling

message, this one a picture of a screenshot with

"Would you like to hang out later tonight or pass..." Ellen's eyes widened as she realized

this to Emily?" Ellen asked, her voice barely above a whisper, even though she was