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𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

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Cora had been quick to excuse herself after dinner, but as the night had ticked on, she'd felt restless in her bedroom, bored by the endless scrolling on her phone. She'd changed out of the restrictive dress she'd worn to dinner, and now wore a sweater that matched her cream coloured sweatpants. The air was stiff with a sharp breeze as Cora paced the perimeter of the building, her arms crossed against her chest. The grounds were eerily quiet, her footsteps crunching against the gravel accentuated by the muted surroundings. She wasn't alone though, her eyes tracing the nearby courtyard and falling on the figure of a man. When she realised it was Kendall, puffing smoke into the wind, she froze in the shadow of one of the stone pillars, clenching her teeth.

She considered for a moment retracing her path in order to avoid him. After the daggers he'd spent dinner staring at her and the walk out that followed, she could only imagine what he wanted to say to her. Before she could duck into the shadows, though, he turned and spotted her.

Smoke puffed from his lips, dissipating quickly into the air. She expected a hardness to his stare, but instead, he simply looked tired. Cora chewed on her bottom lip, slowing her pace as she began to pass him, hugging her arms against her chest. The sudden compulsion to smoke filled her in the form of an itch at the base of her throat. Her eyes fell to the packet, currently sticking out of the pocket of his button up shirt.

"Can I have one?"

"Be my guest."

She nodded, joining him, trying to ignore the slur of his words. He handed her the packet and a lighter. She pulled one of the cigarettes out from the packet, placing it between her lips. After a few failed attempts, Kendall raised his hands, to shield her from the wind. Successfully lit, she inhaled deeply, the smoke invading her lungs as she attempted to pass the packet back to him. Kendall shook his head in reply.

"Keep it."

"Thanks." Cora replied, unsure how to take the sudden token. "Appreciate it, I guess."

An awkward few minutes passed where both of them averted their gaze from one another. Cora opted to look out at the estate's expansive yard that bordered on a lake, bathed inky black by the night's sky. In the distance she could see the curved form of one of Waystar Royco's helicopters, shining in the moonlight like a large metal beetle.

"Bit of a mess in there that you managed to make." Kendall said after a time.

"Really? You're deciding to blame me for the entirety of that shitshow?" She said, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "You know I didn't know he was going to make a whole speech, right?"

"Sure. All I'm saying is that I'm pretty sure things weren't nearly as bad until you turned up."

"Fuck off." She hurried to say, not wanting to linger on his comment.

"What? Do you see an improvement in the time you've been fucking around at Waystar that I've missed?" Kendall replied, his voice hard with cynicism.

"Didn't you literally try to launch a takeover of the board? Get your dad kicked off?" Cora said, turning to face him. "Seriously Kendall, what is your problem with me? I fucked you over on the Vaulter thing and all of the sudden I'm public enemy number one for you."

Kendall was silent, looking down at the ground. Cora couldn't help seeing the same dejected look he had had when she'd seen him all those years ago, the same one he'd worn after she'd pulled away from their kiss. She felt something akin to a pang in her chest, but whether it was from guilt or annoyance she couldn't tell. Instead she kicked the toe of her shoe against the ground, stirring a small cloud of dirt as she continued to speak.

"You know, I don't want to be on the opposite side to you, Kendall. I want the same thing as you, right?" Cora said, swallowing as she placed the cigarette between her lips again. "I don't want to be your rival and I don't want to keep sniping at you. I don't want you to snipe at me either, obviously. So can we just drop this? Can we just ... Be friends?"

Kendall chuckled, low and dry. "I don't think that's possible."

"Why not?"

"Because you think you're better than me, Cora." Kendall replied, turning to her. His brows were resting in a heavy line, the shadows under his eyes seeming to darken as he spoke. He looked exhausted, utterly drained. Cora felt the pang in her chest again, despite the iciness in his voice.

"You think just because you cleaned up your act and got in the good graces of my dad that you're above me and Shiv and Roman. And that's fucking deluded because as soon as you're getting little shout outs from dad, you lose the moral high ground and you're down in the pits with us. Your hands are dirty, Cora. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you get how all of this works."

Cora flushed, feeling defensiveness creep into her tone. "But ... I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for Frank to be in the hospital, I didn't ask to be put on the board. I didn't fucking ... I didn't even ask for Frank to be my step-father in the first place. To meet any of you. To be born, for that matter."

He scoffed in response. "Jesus Cora, you really don't get it. Stop playing the victim for more than a second and just think."

"Hey, fuck you! Don't talk in a bunch of stupid riddles and then jump down my throat when I don't know what you're putting down here. Whatever the fuck you're trying to say, just say it." She spat.

There was a noise from behind her, the sound of gravel being crunched underfoot. Cora glanced over her shoulder, spotting Naomi as she made her way towards the pair with a soft smile on her lips, her eyes thrown in Kendall's direction. When she looked back at him, Cora could see that Kendall's face had noticeably softened. She took a long drag as Naomi reached them, shifting awkwardly to the side to make space, blowing smoke from the side of her lips.

"Quite a show in there." Naomi commented. She seemed to be talking to Kendall but after a moment of awkward silence, Cora realised they were both expecting her input.

"Yeah. Oh yeah. Guess you could say that."

"Usual Logan Roy bullshit, huh? If he's not blasting up-skirt pictures from paparazzi's all over his little rags, he's playing chess with his own children." Naomi paused. "Should I include you in that category now? After that speech he made?"

"I don't think I ever had an up-skirt scandal." Cora replied, smiling thinly. "Just an infidelity one."

"Do you wanna go take drugs with me, Naomi?" Kendall said suddenly. Cora tried to keep her features still, acting as though she hadn't heard what he had said. Naomi grinned, nodding enthusiastically. The blonde's eyes shifted from Kendall to Cora, pulling a face that looked to be an attempt at appearing apologetic.

"You're sober aren't you? It's really too bad."

"Mm, totally." She couldn't even summon the energy to be passive aggressive anymore. Cora felt as though she'd been completely and utterly deflated. Without so much as a goodbye, Kendall and Naomi headed off arm in arm, leaving Cora standing alone in the icy breeze.

Dropping her cigarette down on the ground and stamping it out, Cora reached into the packet for another, lighting up with her back turned to the wind. She inhaled sharply, so sharply that it stung her throat and she coughed until she spat onto the ground, clearing her throat with the bump of her fist against her chest. She felt it then, the thirst, not just for one liquor but all of them mixed into a concoction that would kick her in the back of the throat and cause her eyes to sting. She wanted to breath fire, to feel the world slow down and her eyes grow half-lidded. She wanted a drink and she wanted it bad. Today had been simply too much, the world itself was simply too much and she was certain there was only one solution.

Cora closed her eyes and breathed deeply, bringing the cigarette to her lips. When she had exhaled, she had made a decision.

A fugue came over her then, brain powering down as her feet began to move. Despite the chill in the air, evident by the red it conjured in her cheeks, she didn't feel the cold. Quite the contrary. It was though something inside of her had been lit, something that had previously been dormant. She was incensed by a thought that this had actually been a long time coming, and the more her mind caught up to her body, she found herself wondering why she had resisted the urge for so long. Denied herself even. Everyone needed a vice, right? Why shouldn't hers be this?

When she knocked on his door, he answered quickly. Greg's height almost took up the entire doorframe as he towered above her, dressed in a pair of grey pyjama wants and a loose black t-shirt. His eyebrows jumped upwards when he saw her, as though he had been expecting someone else, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh! Hey Cora, uh what're you doing up so ... late?" He said, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Uh ... " She started, catching herself as she let out a stilted, nervous laugh. "I wanted to ask you something, I guess. A favour?"

Greg nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah I'd love to, uh, help because you know me. Ol' helpful Greg."

"Yeah, and feel free to, you know, not help if you don't want to. No hard feelings and all. I just don't know who else to ask is all."

"Oh yeah, no worries about that. I'll let you know." He winked, clicking his tongue.

"Ok, cool."

She stopped short, pausing. Greg let out a small chuckle as he watched her, Cora's cheeks turning a deeper shade of red as she searched for the words. After a beat, she closed her eyes, clenching her fists at her sides. Better to just rip the band-aid, throw caution to the wind. Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it.

"Look, I'm just going to say it. The favour is ... Do you want to hook up? That's the favour. I want to sleep with someone and ... And I think I should with you."

She let her eyes fall open. Greg's mouth was slightly agape, and he cocked an eyebrow as he studied her.

"Oh, you'd ... With me? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you're like, the perfect candidate. But, look, I totally get it. If you don't want to, there's no hard feelings from me. I mean, it'd probably make things pretty awkward and complicate stuff an-"

Greg stooped down, his hand softly clutching at her cheek as he pressed his lips against hers. Despite the lead up, the kiss still caught her off guard, and she inhaled sharply against his mouth, her eyes widening before she allowed them to slowly close. Cora reached upwards to press her hand against his chest, as Greg's found the small of her back. Despite how awkward he typically was, his movements were surprisingly confident. It caught her off-guard, and she felt a nervous fluttering energy in the pit of her stomach.

Cora's ears perked at the faint sound of rustling and instinctively she pulled away, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. She took a quick look around but found nothing but the wind.

"Do you wanna come in?" Greg asked. She turned back to him, nodding, a tenuous giggle on her lips.

"Probably a good idea."

Though she'd only seen the inside of her own room, Cora suspected that Greg had gotten the short end of the stick when it came to guest bedrooms. While her own room had a queen sized four-poster bed, Greg was in a surprisingly cramped room on a single which barely looked like it could contain the length of his body. It appeared the room was partially used for storage, with several bulky wardrobes lining the walls. He had left his duffle bag splayed open on the floor, with a few pairs of slacks and several mismatched socks spilling out onto the worn Persian carpet below.

"Sorry, didn't think I'd be having guests." Greg said sheepishly, trying to kick his things to the side. Cora caught him by the arm, making him pause.

"You don't have to worry about that." She said, shaking her head. "Kind of makes me nostalgic anyway. For college."

"Oh yeah? That's cool." He ran a hand through his hair. It seemed his confidence had been momentary, and he'd reverted to his trademark awkwardness. "So uh ... Do you wanna, uh ... "

"Yeah." She said, craning her body upwards, her head tilting to meet her lips to his again. This time she was less passive, pressing harder against him, her tongue flirting with his bottom lip. Tentatively his hands fell to her hips, slipping beneath her sweater to climb upwards and fumble with the band of her bra. For about thirty seconds her tried and failed to undo the clasp. Cora laughed against his mouth, pulling away and playfully pushing him down down onto the bed, smirking at him as he glanced up at her.

"Sorry." He said, blushing as he averted his eyes. "I'm usually a lot ... better. Your one is like a Rubiks cube."

"It's fine." Cora said, lifting up the edge of her sweater and the t-shirt beneath it. "I can make it easier for you."

Cora had always enjoyed the rush that came with revealing herself to another person for the first time. The nervousness, underscored by a thin level of insecurity, the excitement, the adrenaline. As she shrugged off her top, letting it fall to the floor, she dared to raise her eyes to his, watching for his reaction. She was amused by the fact that he looked mostly stunned. Sucking on her bottom lip, she hitched her fingers beneath the waistband of her pants and pushed them down, leaving herself in only the white cotton bra and underwear she wore beneath. Part of her cursed herself for not thinking to change before coming to his room, but the other part of her didn't care. She hadn't had room for second thoughts, the decision had been truly of the moment.

She moved forward to straddle him, tilting her head as he pressed his lips to hers again, hands encircling her waist. Cora arched her back as she moaned into his mouth, his fingers traveling upwards, tracing the curve of her spine until they found the strap of her bra once more. She could feel the heat of his body radiating against her own as she began to grind her hips against him, heat rising from her core.

"Fuck." Greg muttered in frustration, quickly pulling away from her lips and craning his head over her shoulder. "Do you have a defective one? Why isn't thi-"

"I can just do it, it's fine." Cora muttered, reaching her hands behind her back to begin unhooking the clasp. A sharp rap at the door stopped her in her tracks, freezing in place. Suddenly she was sent sprawling onto the bed, having been tossed from Greg's lap as he stood up, panic spreading across his face. Cora barely held back her annoyance, mouthing the words "who the fuck?" towards him. Greg shrugged in response, jumping as another round of knocking started.

"Greg! Greg! I need you to open the door this fucking instant Gregory. I know you're in there, I can smell you."

It was Tom. Greg quickly turned back to her, jabbing his finger at the floor. For a second, Cora gawked at him in confusion until her brain clicked, realising what he wanted. With a huffed breath, she dropped to the ground, rolling beneath the bed and instantly taking in a lungful of dust. She clamped her hands to her mouth, barely suppressing a sneeze, as Greg kicked her clothes beneath the bed. Greg cleared his throat before opening the door.

"Uh, Tom? How c-can I help you at this late of an hour?"

From beneath the bed, Cora watched as Tom's slipper clad feet entered the room wordlessly.

"Close the door Greg, you'll let a chill in." Tom snapped suddenly. Cora was struck with how similar Tom's tone sounded to that of an exasperated housewife. Obediently Greg closed the door.

"Sorry." Greg muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed, the mattress sinking down just above Cora. She turned on her side to look at the bump he'd made, hoping that the springs of the bed weren't as ancient as they looked. "So, uh, how can I help Tom?"

"We're in a real pickle, Greg. A real fuck sandwich."

"Fuck san... sandwich?"

"Yes Greg. Yes. A fuck sandwich." Tom snapped. He was beginning to pace, the floorboards groaning beneath him as he moved back and forth. Concern creased Cora's forehead. She wondered if word had gotten out that Greg had spoken to the biographer.

"Wh-why would that be?"

"Because Shiv just told me about this rumour, Greg. See, she got a heads up from a publication that the cruise line story is going to leak. And it's not going to be good buddy boy, I can guarantee you that. We're going straight to the fucking firing line. Ship us right to prison. You know what they do to guys like you in prison Greg?"

"W-wait, prison?"

"Yes Greg, prison. I hope you pack some Vaseline, Greggy, because it's not gonna be pretty."

"But is the article about us?"

There was a pause. Cora swallowed, suddenly aware of how tense her body had become. She had absolutely no idea what they were talking about but it didn't take a genius to guess there was gravity to what Tom was talking about. Cruise line? Leak?

"Like ... " Greg continued before Tom could speak again. "Wouldn't an article, like, target the family and not us?"

From beneath the bed, Cora watched as Tom shifted his body to face directly towards Greg.

" ... Greg, do you have a pillow on your lap?"

She heard Greg clear his throat hurriedly, a nervous stutter in his voice as he answered.

"Uh yeah, I just ... My thighs. They run cold."

"Right." Tom muttered. He began to pace again, this time his movements were slower, more measured. "Well Greg, the reason why I am concerned is because who do you think will be the one to pay the tab? It'll be me. I'll be the scapegoat. And if I go down, you're going down as well, because that's how this works."

"Are you su-"

"Yes I'm sure, don't insult my fucking intelligence." Tom snapped, raising his voice. "If I'm getting fucked then you are getting fucked as well Greg."

"Right, yeah. Got it." Greg muttered. "But there's nothing we can do, right? Until anything comes out."

"Yes, of course. Unless you've got a contact?"

"No, uh, I don't have a contact. I don't even know what paper it- The article is coming out to, so I mean even ... Even if I did, say, have a contact I made in my gen ... general line of work, well, I ... "

"I get the picture. Just stay in the loop with me, alright?"

"Al-alright, I will loop you in. Lots o- Lots of circles and the like. And you loop me in, yes?"

Tom was already at the door, turning the handle and letting in a fierce gust of wind. "Yes, yes. Just keep a low profile. Keep an ear out. I assume all of this shit will blow up at Argestes."

"Of course. Ear out."

Tom left wordlessly, the door closing behind him. After a beat, the bed groaned as Greg stood up, crouching down to look at Cora. She shot him a confused look, reaching out a hand to let him pull her out from beneath the bed. Straightening up, Cora began to dust herself off as she spoke.

"So what the fuck was that all about?"

"Uh ... Can we just forget that happened and just start over? I was definitely enjoying our conversation more than the one that just happened." Greg muttered sheepishly. Cora shook her head.

"I'm not super horny after hearing the words 'scandal' and 'prison' in the same conversation if it's all the same to you."

"No! No of course. I understand. But definitely erase that from your memory."

"Impossible, sorry." Cora muttered, feeling a flash of annoyance. "Aren't you meant to be letting me know when things, you know, happen? Remember our little talk?"

"Yeah of course." Greg replied, rubbing the back of his neck. He sat back down on the edge of the bed as Cora began putting her clothes back on. "I just ... It happened before you turned up and I just kind of, assumed it was buried?"

"Buried? Awesome. Sounds really unimportant." She said, pulling her sweater over the top of her head. "So you wanna explain what it is you've buried?"

"Uh, nothing important. Just ... Tom made me shred some stuff a little while ago and I guess he wanted to just ... Do a follow up about it."

Cora gawked at him, her mouth falling open.

"Who knows you shredded them?"

"A select group of people." Greg muttered. "You don't have to worry though, it happened before you were even here."

"I mean it kind of matters, Greg. I'm on the board. What kind of shitstorm if this article even going to bring up? What were the documents about?"

He swallowed, letting a short huff of hair from his nose. He seemed to be weighing the consequences of speaking further. Cora gave him a pointed look, cocking an eyebrow to prompt him to speak. Quickly he caved, looking down at his feet as he spoke.

"It ... The documents were about a cover up on the cruise lines. Of sexual misconduct."

Cora felt her blood grow cold. She restrained herself from making a remark, something jaded about the fact that Greg had wanted them to forget the whole thing and have sex anyway. Instead she ran her hands through her hair, closing her eyes. He was right, she knew there was no way she could be implicated in such a scandal, but all the same she felt sick at the thought of what this all meant. Was Kendall right? Was she in the muck and the grime now? Would she have to stand beside people who were actively covering up a sex crime? Surprisingly, her mind wandered mostly to Shiv. Somehow the idea that she had any knowledge of a cover up was especially hurtful, stinging of hypocrisy. She knew Shiv, at least she thought she had known her, and this seemed to be beyond her ethics, her sense of morality.

"I have to go ... decompress." Cora muttered, turning to the door. Greg rose, nodding as he moved to open the door for her. She thanked him with a small glance her eyes softening as he turned the handle.

"Cora, can I ask something? Like before you go." Greg said. Cora paused in the doorway, turning back, her lips pursed as she waited for him to proceed. He seemed to weigh in his mind the possibility of not speaking for a moment, his eyes flickering down to his feet. Finally he spoke.

"What's the deal with you and Roman? Just 'cause ... Tom said some stuff and then dinner tonight and yeah. Just wondering. If that's ok. If it's no-"

"We slept together. When we were in college. Or he was and I was ... Gonna be soon." Cora replied quickly, so quickly she didn't even really have time to process that she was saying it. A strange wash of relief spread over her, her shoulders slouching slightly as she nodded. She'd never told another soul, had frankly assumed she never would. She had built so much shame and frustration around the act that she had long ago buried the idea of admitting it to another soul, but in the moment, it left her lips as easily as breathing. She supposed that was the upshot of knowing the worst thing about a person. It gave you a sense that you weren't as bad as your thoughts had insisted you were.

Greg's eyebrows flickered upwards, opening his mouth to speak, but Cora gave a little shake of her head. "So I guess we both know each others trump cards now. If you say anything about it, well, yeah."

"Yeah." Greg replied. "I get it. I wouldn't anyway though, promise."

Cora smiled softly, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. Goodnight Gregory."

[ 𝑨𝑵: hehehe yw (and also sorry to) greg girlies ]