Chapter 6
“Why are you already dressed? The party doesn’t start for another hour and a half,” Malik groans, his focus primarily on the IMAX screen, where the guys are playing Mario Kart.
Malik is currently facing off with Finny in a balloon battle, a slew of curses expelling from them every five seconds.
“Unfortunately, I have a meeting with my assistant, Maria, before the party starts.”
“Ahhh, the prince has been summoned. My apologies, Your Highness.” Malik chuckles with a smirk.
“Shut up.” Asher uses his shoulder to side-check him and bumps him hard enough to knock the controller onto the ground.
Finny launches a green shell straight into him, popping his last balloon.
“Goddamn it, Ash!” Malik shouts as Finny bursts out laughing.
“Whoops.” Ash grins, crossing his arms across his chest. “Don’t be a dick.”
Malik exhales slowly, anger dripping from his words as he says, “You are so lucky I’m feeling nice today.”
“Shut up. You and I both know you’re not going to do shit.”
“Only because I don’t want to right now, you little fuck.” Malik chuckles.
“Be downstairs on time, please.” I address the room, and they all nod in agreement, not giving me any peace of mind for their punctual arrival.
Ash meets my eye and nods, a gleam of sorrow in his gaze. I don’t know if it’s in sympathy for me having to go meet with our father and assistants. Or if it’s because he feels left out.
I nod back at him before retreating from the room, closing the door of our theater on my way out. I wish he could come with me, but he’s lucky he doesn’t have to. Even if he doesn’t realize that.
Trailing my fingers along the wall, I drag my feet down the long hall of our wing, already dreading the rest of the night, wishing I could just curl up in bed and block the rest of the world out.
Maybe even do a little drawing on my iPad—my escape from the world the last couple of years. I’m not Picasso or anything, but I enjoy it, and it’s not like I’m sharing them with anyone, so it doesn’t matter.
It’s just for me. Besides, I’m a much bigger appreciator of art than creating it.
But ignoring my responsibilities, unfortunately, is never going to happen. Not unless our father makes Asher the heir instead of me. But Ash would reject it instantly. He has no desire to run the businesses or be the face of the family.
I didn’t grow up excited for the position exactly, but I knew it was either Ash or me, and I wanted him to get the freedom I never would. He’s my baby brother after all … even if it’s only by three months.
I do like the business side of things. It comes naturally to me. I don’t even think it’s the job lately that’s been so draining. I think it’s just life itself.
I don’t know how to fix it without punching my father in the face until he comes to his senses. But that would just be a temporary solution, and then I’d be left with bloodied knuckles and the same sense of dread I’ve been drowning in all along.
Throwing one door of the wing open, I sigh heavily and head downstairs to meet with my father, Maria, and Katie, his assistant.
This should be about as fun as a dentist appointment.
Just as I imagined, that meeting could have been a text message, telling me who to speak with, when, and about what. We basically covered an itinerary that I could have studied myself, without the look of disappointment in my father’s eyes hanging over me.
Walking out of his office, I come face-to-face with Adrianna, who is dressed for the evening, apart from her mask that’s dangling in her hand.
As an art appreciator, I can admire the work of her dress while simultaneously knowing I wish tonight would never happen and she wouldn’t have a reason to wear it.
“You look wonderful,” I say to her in passing, desperate for some fresh air before the night truly begins.
Maybe even a cigarette. I don’t smoke, but it sounds better than being sober. But I guess fresh air will do for now.
The sun is low in the sky, cascading colors of orange and red across the horizon. It’s beautiful, like art in real life. I already feel calmer after a few deep breaths, the cool evening air resetting my body.
A few staff members—a crew that tripled in size for tonight—are finishing setting up a flower display the size of a car in the west garden, complete with a water fountain that flows gently throughout it. I didn’t even know that was possible.
I’d hate to see the floral budget for this evening. Everywhere you look, there’s an elaborate bouquet or strewn petals or car-sized displays, and that’s not even talking about the decorations inside the house.
This whole engagement party just seems like a waste of time and money since they’re not marrying for love but convenience. We don’t need this grand show to prove to the world we’re a happy family. A staged photo shoot and interview would do just fine.
I watch the staff race around, completing finishing touches on everything in the garden, frantic and stressed. I could go help them. I should. It’s what a good person would do.
But instead, I disappear inside my mind, reciting food in alphabetical order. Then animals. Then names, nouns, anything I can think of, until the sun disappears behind the horizon, and I have no idea how much time has passed.
“I thought I’d find you out here.” Ash’s voice sounds behind me, and I don’t bother turning as he walks up to me in his tux, leaning against the railing at my side that overlooks the west garden. “That bad, huh?”
I shrug, struggling to come back to reality. “It was fine.” I pick at the stone railing. “Didn’t need to happen. I think he just likes feeling in charge.”
“I fucking hate who he’s becoming, D.” Ash exhales.
In my peripheral vision, I can see his head shaking side to side.
My shoulders slump, and I stare ahead, not focusing on anything. “I know. Me too … me too.”
His words pick up pace, and I know he’s getting worked up. “I mean, it’s fucking ridiculous. It’s like he died with her, and some uncanny robot replaced him.” A pause. “What are we going to do?” he huffs. “We gotta do something.”
Asher has a lot of good qualities, one of which is how deeply he feels everything in the world. But sometimes, when he can’t control it, that works against him.
“We will. But tonight is not the night for it,” I remind him. “Not tonight.”
“Fine.” He blows a raspberry. “I need a drink. You want one?”
“Fuck. Yes. But I can’t right now.” I’m barely keeping it together as it is. “Later for sure.”
“Everyone’s ready, and the girls will be here soon,” Ash adds. “Need some backup tonight? I’ll stick with you.”
My chest warms at his gesture. “If I signal you, rescue me.”
For some reason, he gets excited about this. “Ooh, what should the signal be? Like some bird sound?”
My face is flat, but I’m secretly dying inside. “No, you fucking idiot.” A laugh escapes. “That would be so obvious. If I look at you and blink three times in a row or if I rub my chin for at least five seconds.”
“Oh, yeah, because you hand-fucking your chin won’t be weird or noticeable at all.” His head tips back as he chuckles. “But deal. I got you.”
Ash pushes off the railing and takes a step toward the door. “You coming?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m going to stay out here for a few, I think. Then make sure everything inside is ready to go. Guests should be arriving any minute now. And I imagine Dad is still distracted with Adrianna in his office. Or yelling at someone on the phone. Who knows?”
“Who cares?” Asher adds with a smirk. “Let me know if you need help with anything, all right?”
“I will.”
His attention is drawn past the balcony and down to the garden, long enough to keep him in place with a twinkle glimmering in his gaze.
“Who is that?” Ash inhales, completely taken by surprise, looking over the balcony toward one of the side entrances of the house.
I lean forward and follow his sightline, sucking in a breath when I see who he’s talking about.
The prettiest, most genuine smile I’ve ever seen radiates off of a woman’s stunning face, her eyes shielded by her mask.
Holy shit.
“She’s fucking gorgeous,” I confess.
Who the hell is that?
She’s dressed in a gorgeous blue gown and a matching mask. Her long blonde curls with subtle pastel-blue lowlights flow down her shoulders, the sides tucked loosely behind her ears.
She’s accompanied by two staff members—one holding her train, the other carefully leading the way inside. She looks like a guarded princess.
“Yeah, she is,” Ash whispers, clearly as taken aback by her as I am. “Dibs.”
“Bullshit,” I scoff, not sure why I’m suddenly so defensive of a stranger. “We’ll let the lady choose. Maybe she’ll hate both of us.”
“Or want both of us.” Ash winks with a smirk.
We’ve joked about sharing a girl before, but we’re both too possessive for that to ever work. Maybe we just haven’t met the right girl.
The blonde beauty disappears from view, and Ash and I both expel our breath.
“I lied. I’m excited for tonight.” Ash grins.
“I bet.” I laugh.
I push away from the railing, and we do our handshake without effort—something we’ve done thousands of times before. Ash heads back inside, and I’m left alone with my thoughts again—annoying, nagging thoughts that won’t leave me alone.
But then her image appears in my mind again.
That’s one thought I don’t hate in the slightest.
Maybe tonight won’t be too horrible after all.
An hour later, I can’t imagine the night getting duller or more dreadful. Especially with no sighting of the mystery girl.
I’m usually on my A game, ready to be a perfect host.
But tonight, I can feel that storm brewing inside of me—the same one I usually keep at bay, locked away in a chest. I’m scared of it breaking through, nervous about what wreckage it may cause.
“Dean.” My father waves me over from the cocktail table, where I’m standing a few feet away.
I approach, and he grabs the back of my neck, appearing loving to any onlookers, but I know what it really is—a collar, and he’s reminding me how short my leash is.