6. Miles #2
“That’s fucking bullshit!” I growled.
Dante didn’t even blink. He shifted in the chair, lazily adjusting the cuffs of his shirt, his expression unreadable. “Is it?”
“Where the fuck is Carlus?” I turned sharply toward him, reaching for my phone to call him.
“Employees have been risking their lives every day, and Whitmore Ventures has turned a blind eye to it all,” the worker continued.
“We’re not asking for much, just basic safety measures, but they’ve refused to listen.
Currently we have a coworker in the hospital, and Miles Whitmore and his construction manager are hiding it. ”
Of course, name me.
The screen cut back to the anchor. “The worker’s claims are now being investigated by authorities, and his lawyer is preparing a lawsuit against Whitmore Ventures for negligence. We’ve reached out to the company for comment but received no response.”
My phone rang. Ma.
“Serena,” I said, the name slicing out like a blade. “It must be her fault.”
“Ah.” Dante nodded slowly. “How could I forget the petty fighting you and the Kings have been doing for years? Haven’t decided on a winner yet?”
I ran a hand across my face, trying to prevent myself from blowing up.
“Let’s change the channel, shall we?”
He grabbed the remote and pressed a button. The screen showed a protest outside King Developments office. It was intense: tons of banners and signs protesting pollution, and massive crowds chanting and holding signs saying things like “Protect Our Planet.”
“Our top story tonight is an environmental protest is underway outside King Developments’ headquarters. Activists are rallying against the company, alleging its role in environmental degradation linked to several recent projects.”
The anchor continued while putting a photo of Serena on the screen.
“Activists have recently mobilized in response to leaked documents that suggest the company has been engaged in shady practices for the last several years,” the anchor continued.
“Funny how these things play out, huh?” Dante tilted his head before sucking his teeth. “You’re both having a bad day.”
The screen showed images of polluted waterways, deforested areas, and the leaked documents.
“These revelations have sparked a wave of scrutiny and backlash against the company, highlighting their disregard for environmental protection.”
"I didn't, but should have," I said. Dante clicked his tongue. “Thanks for letting me know, but you gotta go. I obviously have shit I need to handle.”
“People have told me they saw you and Serena fighting at the auction hall this afternoon. And at Laurene’s baby shower a week ago. And before this at a dozen of other places around town.” Dante’s eyes widened. “You’re not happy about this?”
I stood up, and Dante did the same, his gaze darkening.
“She’s the one who’s been sabotaging me . Don’t I get to be the victim?”
“And what’ve you done in return?” Dante cut in. “You’ve been fighting so long you forgot the town’s watching.”
“That’s bullshit.” I waved him off. “Did you have this conversation with her too? Or you didn’t ’cause you on they payroll? You’re here as their lackey?”
He stepped closer, slow, calculated. “You two got more power than you know, Miles. And you’re wasting it. Burning down the empire your families built for what? Pettiness? She hurt your feelings? You can’t take rejection?”
I laughed bitterly. “Don’t act like you care now. Where were you when all this shit started?”
Dante’s smile faded.
“I care about the wreckage. The donors. The headlines. The way your drama’s making me look like I don’t have control over my city anymore. Now was not the time to fuck up.”
His voice dropped a notch.
“Now I’m taking control.”
I looked at him, confused. “What the hell does that mean? You mean Yvonne King is actually going to let you do your job?”
“I have plans, Miles. Big plans .” Dante waved his hands like he was pushing back a curtain. “Because of you two, who I suspect planted these stories on each other?—”
“I didn’t do?—”
Dante shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck who did what.
I’ve just lost a deal that was going to bring a huge festival to Lush.
A multimillion-dollar, three-day extravaganza.
So much money was coming here.” Dante’s faced balled up into anger.
“And now they’re pulling out. Why? Because no one wants to be tied to a town in the middle of a public war with two prominent families.
They looked into our history, and guess what was the first thing they saw? ”
I swallowed and looked down at the floor.
“Yeah, you know. Your father’s fucking face. Conrad Ashbourne’s death. Nobody wants to be tied to companies destroying the environment. Or workers getting hurt, unfair work conditions. Sabotage between founding families. We look like a fucking daytime soap opera.”
“Then, buddy, you need to put on your big-boy draws,” I said. “Go talk to Yvonne. We all know she pulls your puppet strings.”
Dante looked like he wanted to strangle me. There was a knock at the door.
“You should answer that.”
I glared at him, then slowly headed for the door.
“Ma?”
She rolled my pops in, both looking grim—but that wasn’t even the worst of it. Yvonne and Vincent King were right behind them.
“Why are you here?” I asked them. It was only the grace of respecting my elders that I didn’t snap on Miss Yvonne’s ass like I wanted to.
Yvonne glared at me. I shut the door and turned around to face my parents and the Kings standing awkwardly, with Dante in the middle like a ringmaster.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s really get down to business.” He nodded. “I’m giving you all forty-eight hours.”
“To do what?” Yvonne snapped, looking around my place like it was a trap house.
“Get my money and the festival back.”
“We can just as easily cut a check,” Ma said.
Dante shook his head. “That’s not enough for me.”
“What do you mean, it’s not enough?” I said.
“I need security that this petty little feud is not going to affect Lush or the business I’m conducting as your leader. Excuse me for not trust either of your words.”
“You have a lot of nerve!” Yvonne glared at him. “I’m the reason you’re in this position, don’t forget that.”
“Never, Mrs. King, but don’t you forget that nobody in this room’s position is secured forever. Legacy or not,” Dante stated bluntly, and he looked over at us. “We all can fall from grace, which I’m sure individuals in this room understand.”
“Stop the games. What do you want from us?” Vincent said.
Dante gave a short, humorless laugh. “I need the Kings and the Whitmores to bury the hatchet.”
Yvonne snorted. “That’ll never happen. They know what they did.”
“We have nothing to say to them.” Pops nodded.
“That’s not going to work for me.” Dante adjusted his cuffs like he was bored. “See, if you don’t do what I ask, I’ll start talking. And trust me, when I talk, people listen . Journalists, prosecutors, board members.”
He leaned forward slightly, voice dropping into something colder than a threat.
“Both families have blood under their nails. You’ve been here for generations, and I’ve got access to archives. Land stolen, contracts forged, bribes paid, witnesses vanished. I don’t even need it to stick—all I need is to get people questioning.”
He looked at Yvonne. “Or I could shut it all down. State audits. IRS. Code enforcement. Environmental violations. Things you didn’t even know were violations.” He chuckled. “One phone call, and the Kings and Whitmores will be too busy putting out fires to notice they’re already burning.”
“I’m a King ,” Yvonne snapped and glaring at Dante. “My ancestors built this damn town. Who the hell do you think you are? You getting too fucking comfortable in office, Dante.”
“Your ancestors are dead, Yvonne,” Dante’s voice was a whip. “They’re not coming back. And if they were smart, they’d tell you to sit down and listen . Because this isn’t about what your family built. It’s about what I can destroy . ”
“You’re bluffing,” Yvonne said, though her voice wavered ever so slightly.
“Am I?” Dante shot back, not even flinching. “I just want to make Lush a better place. That’s why I was elected.”
Yvonne fell silent.
Dante took a deep breath and looked around the room. “I’m talking about an arrangement. A merger. Permanent. So you both can’t fuck the other over.”
I blinked. “A merger?”
“You end this goddamn feud right now. And I’m not talking about some fake handshake and a smile. What’s something in this town that can ensure that between both of you?”
We all looked up at each other, and it was like the air got sucked from the room.
“A marriage,” Vincent said reluctantly.
But then, all eyes turned to me.
“Fuck no.” I shook my head, the anger rising in my chest. “You think I’m just going to marry into their family like nothing happened?”
“You will, son. For all our sakes,” Pops spoke up.
“Then who will I marry? Gigi?” Please don’t say it. Don’t say it.
Yvonne looked at me. “Serena.”