Episode 406: If It Hadn't Been For Love

"She’s fine," Justine answered. "She’s at a play date."

Sebastian frowned, not that he wasn’t relieved to hear his niece was well. "What was the emergency then? What was the need for a sibling meeting?" He glanced at his watch and scowled. "Ava and I had plans to go to the beach this afternoon, it’s not always easy to get her to relax, to stop thinking about certain people."

"You have to stop talking to mom and dad," Justine stated.

"I can’t do that," Sebastian replied, folding his arms. He expected any day now his father would offer him a cushy job to save him from waiting tables, Ava, maybe too. Dad was just biding his time to give the illusion that he wasn’t out to control things per usual. Soon they’d have more than enough money to find Xavier. And he’d help her get whichever happily ever after she wanted. "Why would I do that? Dad owes Ava."

"They’re screwing with your sisters’ lives," Quentin pointed out. "It’s like you’re rewarding them by coming back into the fold."

"I’m using them," Sebastian argued before asking, "What have they done?"

"Your dad hired a teacher to crush Ad’s acting dreams. The stuff he said cut her so deep that she’s still having a hard time getting past it now that she knows the truth," Ryley explained and planted a kiss on Adria’s temple.

"And Quent and I were nosing around the competition only to learn that Dad bought them right before they announced a new garage across from Quent’s. We’re pretty sure he hoped financial problems would break us up."

"Nice," Sebastian muttered.

"So you’ll boycott them with us then?" Adria asked. "If we all cut them out of our lives they’ll finally have to wake up that this stuff isn’t right."

"I can’t do that, Ad. I’m sorry, but I need cash to help out Ava."

"What about your sisters?"

Episode 407: I'll Be There