Chapter Nine Scarlett / Evan
SCARLETT
I swipe a flute of champagne as a server walks past, downing it all in one gulp.
I have never needed liquid courage more than I do right now. Being alongside important people and half of my family isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my night after the week I’ve had, but I didn’t really have a choice.
I’ve got to start ticking off these things on the list one way or another and this gala practically fell into my lap.
I’ve learned over the years that a lot of these kinds of events are full of people who want to flaunt their wealth and show how much money they can give to charity without doing any actual charity work.
My family are one of the few that get involved with every charity they donate to, making time to spend it with people in need, and fostering relationships with charities they expect me and my siblings to continue supporting.
I love seeing how passionate my parents get about these sorts of events. How important it is for my mom to get involved with causes that mean something to her, and to actually see her work reflected not only in statistics, but in real people’s lives.
Another thing I’ve picked up on is that if I spend enough time with my brothers, I can avoid getting dragged into boring conversations about my future or information about Voss I’m not allowed to share.
Arthur is sucking up to CEOs somewhere, while Junior, Leo and I stand guard over the canapés—a very important job we’ve thrust upon ourselves.
“How’s the whole treasure hunt thing going?” Leo asks, picking off all the salmon from the potato cakes. Junior and I share a look, but neither of us says anything.
“It’s going great,” I tell him.
“You’ve not done anything yet, have you?”
My shoulders drop, and I readjust the black dress I picked out specifically for tonight.
It’s a simple strapless formal dress that pools into a long skirt.
The silver eye makeup I did complements the earrings my mom got me for my birthday last year, and the heels add a few inches to my height.
Just like the pantsuit I wore to meet my parents, my outfits are my armor.
They give me that extra edge of confidence that I sometimes feel is fading inside me.
“I’m trying,” I tell them. “And me being here is proof of that.”
Junior nods. “So that’s why you’re doing the speech?”
“I am so lucky I didn’t have to do a speech,” Leo says, shaking his head and letting out a low whistle.
I sigh. “You guys seriously can’t tell me anything? Not even what was on your list?”
“Against family policy,” Junior says.
“Fuck the family policy. I’m desperate.”
I watch my brothers share a look before Junior nods at Leo.
Leo grips my shoulder, and gestures for us to follow him.
We weave past loud conversations and excited hands waving around before we stop in a quieter area of the room.
I look expectantly at my brothers, waiting for them to explain themselves.
“Okay, when I first got my list, I asked Alex for help,” Leo starts, and I nod eagerly.
“I thought it wouldn’t matter since he was my big brother, and Dad hadn’t explained the rules to me properly yet.
But when he found out, he took us both to the woods and he left us there for three days.
We were starving, could barely form sentences, and we were close to eating a rabbit when Dad came back for us.
He told us he was just teaching us a lesson for helping each other after he’d told us not to.
” My mouth drops open, horrified. “It was all over the news,” he continues, nodding solemnly.
“But Dad got Rachel on it, and she covered it up with the press immediately.”
Junior rubs Leo’s shoulder like this is a story he’s heard a million times before. I know he’s been adamant that I shouldn’t ask for help from my siblings, but I hadn’t thought my dad would do something that crazy.
“You’re serious?” I ask, just to make sure.
They both burst into uncontrollable laughter and they’re lucky we’re at an event because I would absolutely be tackling them to ground if we were anywhere else. I don’t know why I expected them to answer me seriously.
“You should’ve seen your face,” Leo wheezes, wiping tears from his eyes. “I really wish we could tell you, but I don’t want Dad to actually leave us in the woods to fend for ourselves.”
“You two are idiots,” I mutter, stealing another canapé before walking past them.
I’m glad they find my situation so amusing. At least it’s bringing someone joy. My parents must also enjoy watching me struggle because they don’t seem surprised at how little progress I’m making after the cannoli incident.
I come to a stop in the crowd as people block a table, all surrounding my parents, as they talk about their plans for the next quarter.
My dad’s face is beaming with pride, Arthur standing beside him with an equally proud smile.
My mom catches my eye, giving me a quick thumbs-up and I flash her a smile.
I know she’s counting on me tonight. She thinks the speech is going to be a piece of cake, and it should be since I spent all night rehearsing in the living room with the girls.
I take one last look at them before turning in the opposite direction to head out the hall, when I spot Evan and his dad across from me.
What the fuck is he doing here?
Calahan and Evan Branson are the spitting image of each other.
Both tall and blond, with sharp jawlines and smooth, deep voices.
You can tell they spend a lot of time together just from the way they talk and act with each other.
They look like business partners who go out for brunch together and play golf.
It looks like Calahan didn’t even hesitate to let Evan into the business, and that shouldn’t irritate me as much as it does.
I would probably be exiled from my family for saying this, but Calahan Branson is hot.
In a silver-fox, rich-dad kind of way. I never thought I’d be into that kind of thing, but there’s something about him that makes me stare at him for a little too long.
He commands every room he’s in. It’s probably a confidence thing too.
He knows how much power he has and isn’t afraid to show it.
Oh, and Evan’s here too.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen him at an event.
Usually, his dad and other company seniors take the lead on that.
I wonder why he’s here. Maybe it’s some sort of payback for slapping him.
Maybe he found out about my speech later tonight and now he’s trying to distract me, or wants to watch me humiliate myself.
I’m already off my game. I can’t have him here. Not tonight.
Evan’s gaze snags on mine like a zipper getting caught on something. His eyes pierce me like he knows something I don’t. I can’t be seen speaking to him, never mind looking at him. But he makes his way toward me, and I meet his strides, furiously pinning him with a look until I get to him.
I grab his arm and pull him out of the hall before anyone can notice, shoving him into the nearest closet.
EVAN
A bright light illuminates the tiny space I somehow, willingly, let Scarlett drag me into.
It looks like a facility closet of sorts, shelves packed high with cleaning solution and toilet paper. But I’m not really paying much attention to my surroundings because Scarlett’s here, furious as ever, and . . .
Look.
At.
That.
Dress.
I’m transported to last spring when Voss Couture had a feature in a popular magazine and I opened the second spread to see Scarlett’s face.
She was wearing a simple black dress, a slit up one side, showing off her long, toned legs.
Her hair was down, dark wavy strands covering her shoulders.
She looked magnificent. Elegant. Rich. I wouldn’t say I’m interested in women’s fashion, but I stared at that picture for much longer than I needed to, and I still can’t get it out of my head.
I don’t think I’m allowed to look at her like this. I don’t think I should even be allowed to breathe the same air as her right now. Not like I need it anyway, since I haven’t been able to breathe much lately when she’s around. I don’t know when that started happening, but it really needs to stop.
She has subtle silver makeup around her eyes, complementing her earrings and her big, long lashes.
She’s not wearing a necklace, but I still find myself looking down at her neck.
Her throat shines with a sheen of sweat, and some dangerous part of me wants to put my mouth there just to be close to her.
No.
No, I absolutely do not want to be close to the girl who is part of the family who are my dad’s biggest rivals.
Jesus. What the hell is wrong with me?
I clear my throat, speaking for the first time since being in here. “Care to explain what’s going on here?”
She scoffs. “Me? I don’t have to explain anything. What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my dad owns this pretty big company and—”
“Don’t smartass me,” she seethes. “You’ve not been to an event in months and it’s just a coincidence that you show up tonight? I don’t think so.”
I scratch my jaw, confused. “I don’t know what you think is going on here, but I’m not here for any other reason than to step in for my uncle who couldn’t make it tonight.”
She frowns. “You’re not here to get under my skin?”
Under her skin, no.
On top of it, maybe.
Why are we talking about her skin again?
I clear my throat. “Usually, yes, but not tonight. I’m just doing my dad a favor.”
I thought that would make her less angry, but if anything, it just makes her .
. . anxious. For the first time in my life I watch as Scarlett Voss bites her nails.
I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it, but her gaze drops to the ground as she brings each one of her fingers to her mouth in a distracting pattern.
“What’s going on? You’re starting to freak me out,” I say quietly. I reach out slowly and place my hand on her arm, just grazing my fingers against her until her eyes meet mine.
She shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m just . . . I’m doing a speech tonight, that’s all.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Cool? There are a million people out there.”
“More like a thousand, but sure.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Do you want my help?”
Scarlett’s pink lips pop open, but no words come out. My eyebrows furrow and I flick my gaze between each of her eyes, searching for an answer I’m not going to get.
My thumb grazes against her skin again. Heat travels up from my fingertips, shooting along my arm and exploding deep in my chest. My heartbeat quickens.
I know after the other day things shifted slightly, but I didn’t think it got this bad. What was once childish bickering has turned into something . . . more. And I don’t think either of us knows what to do with it.
A part of me wants us both to keep pushing each other. To see what could happen if we stopped arguing and actually got to know each other. And as much as it intrigues me, it’s also making me very uneasy.
Eventually Scarlett shrugs off my arm, giving me my answer when she opens the closet door and storms out.
She manages to avoid me for the rest of the night. Even when she presents her speech, she doesn’t look in the direction of where my dad and I are sitting. I don’t know what she was worried about. It was a good speech, professional, witty, perfect for the tone of the event.
I don’t mind, though. I’m lucky that I’m even in this room tonight and my dad agreed to let me come after he’s all but barred me from the company. He’s said more than once that this is a one-time thing for now, and that he still hasn’t seen me really embracing my college life.
I don’t know what else I’m going to have to do to prove to him that I don’t need whatever it is he thinks I need. I’m more than happy going to class, playing piano in my spare time and trying to put myself out there by going to Miles’s games and working with Scarlett on the project.
That’s more than enough for me right now.
I just wish he could see that.