Chapter 11
Eleven
Dare
Standing in the middle of the echoing hallway, I watch Talia’s retreating figure as she practically sprints out of the mansion.
I let her go, feeling as though she will come around.
Maybe Talia will be mad for a couple of days.
But money motivates her. Like all the other women I’ve ever known, she will eventually fold and take my money.
I look to my left and find Clive standing there, hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing on the door.
I jerk my head toward the entrance to the house.
"Can you send one of the chauffeurs after her and offer her a ride home? Otherwise, I think she’s actually stubborn enough to walk the whole way despite the weather. "
Clive bows his head and wordlessly bustles off toward the driveway.
No sooner do I watch Clive disappear do I hear a low rumble of the pocket doors to Remy’s study opening.
"Dare! Gather all the family. Tell them all that I need to see them now.
I expect that they will all be waiting in my study in an hour.
I have an announcement to make that I think everyone will find important. "
I feel a flutter low in my belly. It may be something like anxiety—a feeling of uncertainty that I usually don’t have.
I narrow my eyes and push the feeling down, pushing my shoulders back and tensing my jaw.
I believe that a person is exactly whatever they want to be; if I want to be confident and ruthless in my business dealings, then by wanting that I shall be.
It doesn’t work for everyone, I find. But it works for me.
I make my own destiny.
A while later, I’m sitting, drumming my fingers against the dark leather of the couch when Burn arrives with Daisy on his arm. I straighten my posture and cut a glance toward them as they enter. Burn scowls at me. Daisy looks at me, her eyes brightening and a smirk forming on her beautiful lips.
She sashays over to me, her hips swinging, her long hair a dark mass that wraps around her nearly like a cape. She comes right up to me with a hand on her hip and stops to pose and toss her hair.
"Hello, Dare." Her eyes twinkle with a dark kind of mystery.
I struggle not to express my true feelings, which are anger and annoyance at her presence.
"Daisy," I say with a nod. "Don’t you have lives to ruin somewhere else?"
She smiles, showing me a hint of her teeth. "Come on now, Dare." She touches my arm, which is honestly almost painful. She rejected me. Doesn’t that mean that she doesn’t get to pass off such friendly gestures anymore?
I study her, not giving her the satisfaction of knowing that she is having any effect on me. I tilt my head to the side and give her a once-over with a glance.
When I don’t say anything, she gives me a little smile and turns, stalking back across the room to where Burn stands with my Uncle Felix, talking about something dastardly, no doubt.
The big surprise is my father showing up.
He comes into the room, his suit rumpled, his graying hair sticking out oddly.
He looks around the room with a watery blue-green gaze, his smile wobbly.
He’s drunk, as usual. But he seems like he’s only just begun drinking.
Usually on any given day, he starts off jovial, then a few hours later he turns morose, and for his final act, he’s like a toddler that’s gone too long without a nap.
He is a man that’s furious with the world and is not afraid to let everyone know it.
"Burn!" he exclaims. He ambles over to his favorite child, giving Burn a rousing clap on the back.
I look away because otherwise I will sneer at this show of filial love.
Burn gives my father a bland smile and slides his arm around Daisy, using her like a shield.
"Dad," Burn says cordially. "I didn’t really…"
My father’s eyebrows fly up in surprise. He raises his arms, looking around the room as if puzzled. "Do I not belong? I would think you would be glad to see me."
Burn’s grip tightens on Daisy’s waist. He forces a smile and says, "Of course. Welcome, of course."
My dad laughs; the sound is hard and calloused. “Thank you for your approval of my being here in my own father’s home, son.”
He claps Burn on the back again, making Burn flinch.
Before he even bothers noticing what effects he just had on his child, his gaze swings around to me.
A large group of my cousins, aunts, and uncles come in, their faces lighting up as soon as they lay eyes on my twin and his perfect fiancée.
I glare at Burn, wishing for a second that I were not part of this family.
My dad is looking me up and down like he is deciding whether or not to even greet me.
He smiles again, the expression colder now than it was only a moment ago when he was looking at Burn.
I’ve always been the disappointment, the one who disapproved of my father and his drinking so strongly that I was rigid, even as a child.
"Dare, I didn’t realize that you would be joining us."
I arch my brow. "Joining who? I have been here for the better part of two weeks. I think that you are just now joining the family now that Remy might announce some kind of asset splitting in his will or something."
Dad looks at me with disgust. "No. That is not why I’m here. Or not the only reason, anyhow." He fusses with his tie, a dark blue piece of cloth that has seen better days and is wrinkled beyond imagination. He makes a sound, flapping his hand dismissively.
"You always were such a little brat. You know, if it were not for me, you wouldn’t even be alive. Your mother wanted to abort you, and I protested her decision. If I hadn’t stuck my neck out for you, you wouldn’t be standing here right now."
I roll my eyes. "Tell me something I haven’t heard you drunkenly rant about five thousand times, Dad. Seriously. I can smell the whiskey coming off you in waves. It’s unpleasant to be around.”
He shoots me a black look and wags his finger at me.
"You know what you are? You’re no fun. And on top of that, you have a bad personality. I have no idea where you got it from. Must be your dead mother."
I bare my teeth at him. "You better walk away now, Dad. Besides, I purposely sat on the other side of the room from the bar cart. I figured that if you showed up, you would be too busy pounding bourbon to bother with me.”
For once, the truth is laid bare between us. It feels electric at first, but the feeling quickly goes stale. My father sniffs and walks away, making a beeline for the bar cart now that I’ve brought his attention to it.
I stand up, and my Uncle Felix crosses the room, frowning as he watches my father pour himself a drink from a crystal decanter.
"That was quite a showdown," Felix says.
I give a tiny shake of my head. "He was asking for it."
"No doubt. That always seems to be his idea of family bonding. He probably thinks he is doing well."
A dark kind of laughter escapes me. I look at Felix, leaning closer so that my voice will not carry. "Any news on the drilling rights?"
Felix just shakes his head and puts a finger to his lips. "Later."
I run my tongue over my teeth, screwing up my face. "Any idea why we are gathered here? Remy didn’t really give me any clues."
Felix shakes his head. "No. But I have a bad taste in my mouth, like I am not going to enjoy whatever Remy has to say."
"Shit, I always feel that way too. And more often than not, I am right."
My uncle laughs and looks away. I am left wondering what Remy’s announcement could be about.
Could he be announcing something related to Talia in some way?
It seems unlike Remy to react to talking to someone of her low stature for just a few minutes.
But I can’t shake the fact that Remy told everyone to gather just after Talia ran out of the house.
Clive enters the living room, looking around and then carefully dropping a bow. "Mr. Morgan is ready. He asked that only the men of the family gather in his study."
Out of the corner, I see Burn comforting Daisy, who looks rather unhappy. He grabs her hand and kisses her knuckles, smiling at her. "Darling, when you’re finally a Morgan, when we have tied the knot, then you can protest all you want."
Her face twitches, and she leans in close, whispering her displeasure into his ear.
He nods and kisses her knuckles again. I try not to gag as I exit the living room, following Clive and my Uncle Felix as they make their way to Remy’s study.
Remy is sitting behind his giant desk, his brow furrowed as he watches us all filter in.
There are maybe twenty people that enter the space, the room is no bigger than twenty by twenty.
My father and uncle drop into the seats before the desk, leaving the rest of us to stand awkwardly.
I take up a position near the window where I like to stand.
My brother takes his usual position by Remy’s desk, sitting on its corner.
The little fucker, I think.
The view out the window, which affords the best view in the entire house, just below, the ground that the house is situated on falls away, giving a glimpse of the town of Harwicke below.
Remy drums his fingers and waves rather impatiently until we are all in the office, then motions for Clive to close the pocket doors.
It all seems pretty ominous, and I have that feeling again, that flip-flop in my stomach that indicates some anxiety. What is he going to announce, exactly?
He coughs when he looks at us. "Family…" He gasps and he coughs again, the sound ragged.
"Family is all that matters. And not this namby-pamby, neo-liberal bullshit either. I mean, your blood in your veins is identical to mine. I want you to remember what’s most important when I consider who should inherit the company. "
Everyone straightens at once, their eyes widening. Whenever Remy says anything remotely like inheritance, you can be damn sure that the sycophants and followers in my family are ready to listen.