Page 125 of Cuts like a Knife
“Eve Wolf said I should let it go .Start over.”
“Yes, but clearly that’s been difficult for you. I can’t believe you talked to Eve about this instead of coming to me. I am your sister. And a lawyer. Why does no one in this family remember that when they’re in trouble?”
“You’re scary. That’s why,” says Claire.
“I am no such thing. You almost got arrested in a T.J. Maxx, Claire. You should have called me.”
“One time! That happened one time!”
As they argue, I want to laugh, but I can’t. I just watch them bicker at each other, marveling at the fact that this isn’t a bigger deal.
They don’t hate me. They aren’t ashamed to have me as a sister. Nothing’s changed at all.
I’m stunned.
“I’ll probably get fired again, you know. From Citidaze,” I interrupt.
“No offense, but it isn’t a very good publication,” Diana says.
“Anyway, it’s only work,” adds Claire. “You’re always talking about like, the evils of capitalism or whatever. You are so much more than your job. I’m pretty sure that’s something you’ve said to me. Now, can you please explain to Diana that I was going through a breakdown and it’s not really fair to expect me to have been able to make perfect decisions at the time.”
“I didn’t say perfect. I merely suggested you could have done better.”
And with that, they’re off again, but moments later, Claire is picking up her cell phone.
“Carl, the Merchandise Retention Specialist has Twitter now, because of me. Because of that whole thing. Look, I’ll pull it up,” she’s saying, when she suddenly trails off. “Holy crap. Lex. Did you know about this?”
“What?”
“There’s a huge article in Sentinel. About Petar Timber.”
“What? No! Let me see.” I reach for her phone, but Claire holds it out of my reach.
“Get your own phone. I’m pregnant. Hang on, I’m just reading the blurb.” We wait for a moment while she reads whatever’s on her screen.
“Holy s—. He’s like … an Anna Delvey-type. A total con. Oh, this is unbelievable. You were just asking me about him. You were just with him.”
“What? What does it say?”
Claire turns her phone in my direction and my eyes scan the paragraph.
From the ashes of the Fyre
Presumed Eurasian billionaire playboy and fast-rising social media star Petar Timber unmasked as Chad Bock, American-born average-Joe and the mysterious “third-wheel” behind the fraudulent Fyre festival. Join Sentinel’s own Charles Atlas on this mind-boggling, in-depth dive into the strange world of influencers, con-artists, and identity theft in this exclusive long-form read.
Read time: approximately 30 minutes
The truth dawns on me. Charles Atlas wasn’t on Exuma to cover Hot Slice. He was following Petar Timber. Or Chad Bock. Or whatever his name is354.
“We have to read the rest,” Claire says, turning her screen back toward her face. “Oh crap.”
“What?”355
“I can’t read anymore.” She flips her screen back to me and I read the familiar message. I’ve seen it many times before.
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“It’s behind a paywall, but by tomorrow, the story will be a million places and we can read it then,” says Claire. “I’m going to go on Twitter. People will be talking about it there.”
