45. Roman
ROMAN
I ’m in the ballroom of Old Main, the front-and-center building of Verona University.
My eyes flick over the room, people in overpriced outfits and million-dollar jewelry blinding against the crystal chandeliers overhead.
There are round tables with black cloths interspersed throughout the area, a makeshift stage at the front, a clear podium at the center, and a row of chairs behind it.
The Calloway Enterprises logo is emblazoned onto almost every single thing in the space, and there are stock photos of smiling faces handing out food to those in need plastered like movie posters on the wall.
I don’t find Frederick in the crowd, but I do find Juliette, and my heart shoots into my throat, my stomach drops out, and every single inch of my being aches to go to her.
To take her hand in mine and walk out of this place.
To disappear into a world we can make ours, the way we whispered about up on that cliff.
My chest feels hollow knowing that’s not possible now.
I can’t leave. Not yet, at least. Not until I know my sister is taken care of.
So, I don’t go to her. I just stand here, in a room full of people who wouldn’t give a shit if I fell to pieces right in front of them, watching the only thing I’ve ever wanted move through a world that won’t ever let me love her freely.
Will she resent me?
The thought tangles in my chest like barbed wire, so I push it aside, closing my eyes for a moment to breathe through the pain. When I open them, I focus on why I’m here, and the conversation I had with my father after we learned that Frederick was playing us both.
“Go to the gala, Roman,” my father demands. “Smile for the cameras. Let him think nothing’s changed. I just need some time, give me some time to make this right.”
I hesitate, searching his face for the truth, because honestly, I don’t trust him.
“Why do you even care, after everything?” I ask.
His look strips away any power, any pride, any anger. And suddenly he just seems like a man with a failing body and a son he never really knew how to love.
“Because I love you.”
I scoff.
“It’s the truth,” he says. “I’ve done a lot of things I’ll have to burn for after death, and that’s my penance. That’s on me . But you…you’re the type of man I always wished I was.”
His eyes grow watery, and I force my face to stay blank.
He doesn’t get a reaction after all this time.
“I’m sorry, son.” His voice is strained. “For everything.”
A smack on the back of my shoulder brings me out of my reverie, and I turn to look at Benjamin, who gives me a grin. “There you are.”
I raise my brows, because why is he looking for me?
Benjamin laughs. “Don’t give me that face. I’m bored to death schmoozing with all these people.” He leans in. “We’ve certainly caused some tension in this town, huh? It’s fucking vibrating .”
I grimace. “Don’t sound so happy about it.”
Rosalie saunters over and links her arm through his, her face angled down, half hidden by the fall of her hair, and she doesn’t make eye contact with either of us.
“Hey Rosalie,” I greet.
She flashes me a look, and a smile, but then looks at the ground again, as if she’s trying to hide something away. I’m about to ask if everything’s all right, but Merrick walks up and beats me to it.
“You look like you’ve just trudged through a thunderstorm,” he says, tilting his head. “Everything good, baby girl?”
Rosalie stiffens. “Just tired.”
Benjamin doesn’t even glance at her. Just sips his drink and scans the crowd.
Merrick catches my eye, his smirk fading.
Juliette moves into my line of vision behind him, and my breath catches in my throat.
She’s always beautiful, but she looks the part of Rosebrook Falls royalty tonight in a sleek black dress with a high neck and no sleeves.
She spins around, and her back is entirely exposed, a line of crystals draping from the nape of her neck down her spine and ending just above the hemline, which rests at her hips.
Blood rushes through me, arousal pinning me in place. Jesus Christ. How the hell am I supposed to stay away from her all night when she looks like that? There are a hundred different people here, and I don’t give a single damn about any of them, my eyes stuck on her like glue.
She’s talking to a group of people but twists around, glancing over her shoulder, her gaze locking on mine. It’s only a moment, but it hits me like a gut punch.
For a heartbeat, I let myself believe that maybe this could still work.
That she’s still mine, and I’m still hers, and our entire lives aren’t commandeered by people whose greed for money and power overshadow empathy and love.
“Sweetheart.” Merrick nudges me with his shoulder. “You’ve got that tortured, broody look on your face again.”
I break out of my trance and blink at him. Shit, how long have I been staring at her?
Merrick has a knowing glint in his eyes. And I consider telling him everything, because I want to have somebody on my side I can trust.
But can I trust him?
Sighing, I run a hand through my hair. “Just don’t like being in these stiff-ass penguin suits.” I pull at my cuff link to get my point across.
“Well, whatever ails you, I don’t think you’ll be able to solve it here.”
My chest aches, knowing he’s right. He steps in closer, slinging his arm lazily around my shoulder, and moves me farther away from our group. “Then again, if it’s love you’re looking for, it seems you may already think you’ve found it.”
My heart stops in my chest. How the fuck does he know that?
I quirk a brow. “Merrick, I’m not in the mood for your riddles.”
He chuckles. “Just be careful, Roman. I told you I’d always have your back here, and I mean it, so when I tell you that throwing away whatever it is you’re about to gain, all for a girl you lust after… It’s not worth it.”
This feels like an important moment. My eyes flick to Juliette’s again, like I can’t help but seek her out, and my stomach flips just from the sight of her.
“Why do you think I’d be throwing anything away?” I ask, suspicion rattling through my bones.
He shrugs. “Just a guess.”
“What if it isn’t lust?” I ask him.
He chuckles. “So, you’re a lover, Roman? You fall to the whims of it as easily as others?”
I quirk a brow. “You don’t believe in love?”
He shrugs. “I believe in a chemical dependency that our brains create, and I believe in hurt feelings and missed opportunities once it wears off.”
He waves his arm toward the Calloways. Toward Craig and Martha, who both look stiff and polished on the other side of the WayMont Ballroom, but do not look like they enjoy each other’s company, and then toward Paxton Calloway and the strawberry-blond woman on his arm. Polished. Perfect.
But none of them look at each other the way I look at Juliette.
“Agree to disagree,” I say to Merrick.
Merrick leans against the edge of the bar and dips his chin. “There’s a lot of love here in Rosebrook Falls. Love of money. Love of notoriety. Love of…greed. But love of another person over everything else? I think you’ll only find disappointment.”