14. Reese
CHAPTER 14
Reese
“Reese! Where the hell have you been? Mom’s been looking for you.” Jennie walked out of our family’s mansion. The open windows let out music as people laughed and came and went.
I barely heard any of it. My jaw was tight as I checked my phone—messages from the security firm, updates on the new patrol schedule.
Not enough. It still wasn’t enough.
All I could think about was her.
How the fuck did they get to her? She was hurt. Hurt, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Whoever the fucking coward was who laid a hand on her, they were gonna pay. Nobody’s gonna get away with hurting Laurene.
Sudden change of heart?
“Something held me up,” I grumbled, and Jennie hooked her arm in mine as we walked in.
Her expression softened, but I could tell she wasn’t happy. She lifted the hem of her gown with one hand and held a champagne glass in the other that she held it out to me.
“Drink. You’re going to need it,” she said.
I snatched the glass without thinking. Everyone loved Ashbourne parties; they were legendary. With my surprise engagement, I knew the gossip mill would go crazy.
“What’s wrong?”
I looked at Jennie. “Hm?”
“Mrs. Haddington just pinched your butt, and you didn’t react.”
I turned, looking over my shoulder to see the older woman grinning at me and giving a little wave.
“I can’t believe we still do this every year.” I scanned the familiar faces.
“It’s what Conrad loved,” she replied softly. “He always looked forward to these parties.”
He had been the life of the party, the one who loved being in the spotlight. I could almost hear his laughter mingling with the clinking glasses and soft jazz playing in the background.
“This is how we keep his memory alive. We have to celebrate the good times.”
I turned to her. “You think he’d want us to do this? To pretend everything’s fine?”
“I think he’d want us to be together. To remember him.”
“Reese!” Mom called out.
I instinctively straightened and looked to see her approaching with Nina close on her heels. “Shouldn’t you be with your fiancée, Reese?” she asked. “Why have I been chatting with her by myself for the past thirty minutes?”
Laurene walked in as I was about to respond. The crystal chandeliers lit up her sequined red dress, which shimmered as she walked.
Makeup and hairspray covered the bump on her head. I knew it was hidden, just like everything else she kept secret. I wondered if she was still hung up on our kiss last night—a kiss we shouldn’t have had.
The moment I climbed into that bed next to her, I knew I was making a mistake. I shouldn’t have been there. Shouldn’t have let myself get so close to her again. But I couldn’t walk away .
My life was all black and white, no in between. It felt like a switch had flipped so quickly with a phone call, and now I wasn’t sure how to act around her.
“You made it.” Laurene looked from Mom to Nina to Jennie, then at me. She smiled, a little unsure but sincere.
For so long, thoughts of revenge, of confronting her had fueled me, but here we were. No flare of anger, no bitter words. Just a strange feeling of acceptance.
I reached out my hand and Laurene took it, and I felt something within me slide back into place.
“You look incredible,” I murmured. “Absolutely stunning.”
She smiled softly. I stared at her, trying to find the girl I used to know, the one who broke my heart so beautifully.
Was she really a monster?
“You two look great together!” Mom said. “The guests are quite eager to see the two of you. I’ve had twenty people inviting me to afternoon tea this week.”
Jennie chimed in, “I’m so excited for the bridal shower! You’re gonna love it, Laurene. We have it planned for this weekend at the resort.”
Right after she finished, I felt someone behind me.
“Harold,” Mom greeted him. “Where have you been?”
“Just got back from Vegas.” He nodded, glancing between Laurene and me. “Reese. Laurene. You’re both standing and no blood spilled, so everything is going great, hm?”
Hearing “blood,” Laurene squeezed my hand, drawing closer.
I began to reply, but a loud clank stopped me.
We turned toward the noise. Laurene gripped my arm tightly, her eyes wide as she looked around us. Near the entrance, a tray of crystal glasses lay shattered on the floor. A server stood frozen in front the wreckage, his eyes wide with shock.
“For God’s sake,” Dad muttered, his face twisted in disgust. “Maybe we need to start firing the invalids. The tax break from hiring them isn’t enough. ”
I felt Laurene stiffen beside me.
“Dad,” I said. “You don’t have to be an ass.”
He looked at me, his face unreadable. “If those people can’t handle the job, they shouldn’t be here.”
“I’ll go take care of it,” Jennie said, and gave me a look before she hurried over to the server.
Without missing a beat, Dad turned to Laurene. “I trust you find the evening to your liking, Laurene?”
“Yes, everything is lovely.”
“Lovely? I expect more than ‘lovely’ for an event on this scale. We spent good money on this for you. Or has your taste declined slumming it around in Germany?”
I clenched my jaw, and Laurene’s hand tightened in warning. Dad’s eyes flicked toward me then, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
“Paris, Mr. Ashbourne, I was living in Paris,” Laurene said slowly, and I bit my tongue for her.
“Ms. King, I trust you understand the importance of our partnership here.” His tone oozed with false congeniality. “Your family’s connections and resources are invaluable assets to us. We’re not just here to piss around on hors d’oeuvres.”
“Harold,” Mom hissed.
“Are you fucking drunk?” I snapped.
Dad’s eyes flickered, narrowing into slits. He straightened, adjusting his jacket like the accusation slid right off him. “Watch yourself, boy.”
“You’re pathetic.”
His jaw tightened. “Excuse me?”
“You’re talking to my fiancée . Stop making an ass of yourself while ruining my mother’s party. Watch your mouth.”
“How dare?—”
“Respect her, or I’ll make damn sure you regret it.”
The room seemed to still for a moment, the air thick with tension. Dad stared at me, his expression icy, but I didn’t back down .
Mom shifted awkwardly. “Reese, let’s not?—”
“Mr. Ashbourne, I am not oblivious to the context surrounding us being here tonight,” Laurene said. “ We know what our job is.”
“I hope so. Maybe you’ll be useful, unlike my foul-mouthed son here.”
Laurene’s grip on my shoulder tightened, but it was too late. That barb hit its mark.
“You’re gonna continue to be a dick here?”
Dad looked at Mom. “Pauline, this boy of yours. This is why he shouldn’t be CEO?—”
“I’ve told you several times I don’t want this fucking company. But you never actually wanted to do the work, did you? You just want to stand on the sidelines and throw your criticism at everything I do. That’s your style, isn’t it, Dad? Nitpick and bullshit ?”
I hated that I still cared. That I still wanted to prove myself to a father who could never see me for who I really am. But I was done fighting for his approval.
“You think standing here spouting off makes you a man? You think it earns you a seat at the table?” Dad glared. “Let me remind you, Reese, you’ve done nothing to earn the respect you’re demanding. You’ve coasted on this family’s name your entire life. And now, suddenly, you want to act like you’re a man of importance because of this… arrangement with Laurene?”
I felt my fists clench at my sides, the blood pounding in my ears. “You don’t know shit about me.”
“Those military schools did nothing for you.” He scoffed, stepping closer, his frame towering over mine. “You’re a liability, Reese. Nothing can fix you. What have you contributed? What have you ever done that actually mattered?”
“I think both of you should cool down.” Laurene tugged my shoulder back. “This isn’t a conversation for now.”
“Exactly,” Mom added, hands wringing. Nina put a hand on Mom’s shoulder .
“What have I contributed?” I repeated. “How about the fact that I’m still standing here, even after you tried to get rid of me at every damn turn? After you shoved me aside for Conrad and Jennie for years? After you undermined me for with employees? Talking to investors behind my back?”
Harold scoffed, stepping closer. “You were a useless kid. You never listened, and frankly, I’m tired of trying to make you into something acceptable. You think because you’ve managed to stay out of the tabloids for a few months, suddenly we forget the hell you put us through—especially after your brother?”
“Yeah, I was reckless,” I shot back, my voice rising. “But maybe if you’d given a shit about what I wanted—about me —things would’ve been different.”
He shook his head. “All your life, I’ve waited for you to prove me wrong, to show me you were worth the sacrifices, the name I gave you. You just never amounted to the man I needed you to be. I knew from the second your mother gave birth to you that you wouldn’t be useful.”
“You miserable piece of shit.” I took a step toward him. “You act like I was some burden you had to deal with, but you made me this way. Can you even fucking acknowledge that?”
“You should’ve been the one to die, not Conrad. Conrad was ten times the man you’ll ever be. He understood what it meant to be an Ashbourne.”
Something inside me broke at that. The last fragile piece of hope I’d held on to—some sliver of belief that maybe, deep down, he gave a damn about me—was shattered.
“If I’m so worthless, why don’t you go dig up Conrad? I bet the worms haven’t gotten through all of him yet.”
Dad grabbed my jacket, yanking me forward. People were yelling—some scared, some shocked.
“You can’t talk about your brother like that!” he yelled, his face close, reeking of booze and anger.
“Or what?” I felt the adrenaline coursing through my veins .
“Harold!” Mom’s voice was a desperate cry. “Don’t you dare!”
“You little bastard,” Harold growled, his face inches from mine.
“You better get your hands off me before I forget you’re my father and beat the shit out of you like you deserve,” I said calmly.
“Harold, let him go,” Mom pleaded.
“This isn’t helping anyone,” Laurene told me.
The guests at the party turned their heads, their murmurs growing loud. I could feel the weight of their stares, a hundred eyes burning into the back of my skull. My heart raced, and the room felt like it was closing in.
“Look who’s causing a scandal now?” I taunted her.
Laurene’s hand cupped my face, turning my attention toward her, blocking Harold out of my line of sight.
“Is this worth fighting for?”
Harold hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Laurene. “This is none of your business, girl. Stay out of this.”
“It is now,” she said firmly. “Let him go.”
She was the only one who saw me—not just the disappointment I’d become, but something else.
Harold’s hand still gripped my collar, his face still twisted in that mask of pure fury. But then, he shoved me back, hard enough that I stumbled, barely catching myself. Laurene was immediately by my side.
“You’re nothing,” he spat, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage. “You’ll always be nothing.”
I stood there, breathless, and for the first time in ages, I wasn’t angry.
“Get out of my sight,” he muttered. “Before I do something we both regret.”
With a final, disgusted look, Harold turned on his heel, shoving his way through the crowd. As if he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. The people around us parted, murmurs filling the air as his back became smaller and smaller.
“We need to salvage this,” Mom said, her voice urgent as she motioned between Laurene and me. “Dance. Start dancing.”
Nina snapped her fingers at the band. Music played, and without another word, Mom hurried after Harold, Nina rushing behind her.
Laurene stopped me as I was leaving. “Reese, wait.”
“Please—”
“Dance.” Laurene didn’t look away, her gaze locked on mine. I felt like an animal at a circus. “Dance with me.”
“Why?” I shot back, my anger flaring again. “What’s the point?”
“Just…be with me for a minute.”
The sincerity in her gaze chipped away at me. I hesitated, my anger warring with the pull I felt toward her.
“Just focus on me.”