Chapter 14
ZACH
Dad’s suddenly announced a Knight family dinner.
I get in the elevator to his penthouse and drag in a slow breath, already bracing myself for what might lie ahead.
I’m not usually that worked up about these things. I leave that to the rest of the boys, but this is so out of the blue that it takes me by complete surprise.
I told my father a few days ago that I’d acquired a majority stake in Stella, and now, on the heels of this dinner announcement, an uneasy feeling sits in my stomach. I want this over with as soon as possible.
The elevator opens directly into the penthouse.
The housekeeper ushers me into the Great Room where we almost always meet first for drinks.
Jett and Dex look up when I walk in, whiskey glasses in their hands.
They don’t yet know anything about Stella, and I hope it stays that way.
I don’t want them tearing it apart with jokes and criticism, reducing it to an impulsive move I didn’t think through.
I’m the youngest and I’ve always been the one they look at like I’m still proving something.
What I plan to do at Stella matters to me. Trying to turn it around matters, and I don’t want that dismissed or belittled before it’s even had a chance to work.
The Italian Knights are standing beside them. This is new, different. A year ago we’d be in two groups, standing apart, but a lot has changed in that time.
The women aren’t here. I don’t blame them.
Dad isn’t likeable or approachable to most people, and he’s caused problems between my brothers and their girlfriends.
Dex still hasn’t forgiven him for what he did to Dani’s father, and Cari has hinted that my dad looks down on her.
She’s joked with Jett that being his former assistant, and now a flower seller, she’s in the wrong social strata for him.
Jett doesn’t like that. Because it’s true, that is what Dad thinks.
And if that’s what he thinks about Cari, who is smart and capable and more loyal than most executives I’ve worked with, then what will he say about Maya?
The housekeeper’s daughter. The girl who lived in the staff annex on the Knight Estate where the boundaries between us and them were clearly delineated.
Boundaries I have never cared about, but which matter so much to my father.
“Hey guys.” I nod.
Dex and Rio are laughing about something. Enzo blinks at me. I think that was his greeting. I can’t tell with that guy. Matteo looks his usual nonchalant self. Like he really doesn’t want to be here.
“What the hell is this?” Jett mutters under his breath.
“You tell me brother,” Dex replies. “Thought we’d have a few months without this torture. Guess I was wrong.”
Matteo yawns. “I’m hungry.”
“Food will follow soon enough,” Enzo assures him.
Dad walks in, looking uncharacteristically soft.
I find it unsettling, because he seems weak and vulnerable, something alien to him.
I worry that he’s not taking his doctors’ advice too well.
Seeing me, he walks over, and my gut hardens.
I hate being singled out and I feel uneasy that he’s always nicer to me than he is to the others.
“Jesus.” Dex groans in a low whisper.
“Thank you for coming,” Dad says.
“Are we going to have food tonight, or is this just drinks?” Matteo asks, lifting his beer bottle to his lips.
“It’s been a while since we had a Knight family dinner that all of us were at.” Dad pointedly looks at Jett, Dex and Rio. Dex scratches the back of his neck. Rio looks at the floor, and Jett holds my father’s gaze.
“You weren’t well. We didn’t want you to exert yourself,” he says, voice cold as ice.
“I’m feeling a lot better now, thanks for asking,” Dad quips, looking around at us all one by one. He lifts his glass. “A toast,” he announces.
My stomach hollows out. We raise our glasses.
“What are we toasting?” Dex asks.
“How about we congratulate Zach for acquiring a new jewel?”
Oh, shit. I didn’t want this news coming out in this way to the rest of the gang.
Dad smiles at me. “I know you didn’t want to make a fuss, but this is newsworthy.”
I want to crawl out of my skin and disappear because I wasn’t ready for this. Jett and Dex exchange looks. They’re both glaring at me. What the fuck did you go and do?
“Tell us more about this new jewel.” Dex prompts, his eyes glinting mischievously.
Dad nods. “He’s acquired a majority stake in Stella.”
“Tell me you’re joking,” Jett growls.
Dex’s eyes widen. “Are you seriously chasing your long—”
Rio thumps him on the shoulder just in time. “Just be happy for the dude.”
I haven’t mentioned Maya to my father, obviously, and he doesn’t know that not only have I seen her again, but that she happens to work for Stella.
“Give the guy a chance, would you?” Enzo remarks, casually. “Let him breathe.”
Rio scoffs. It’s like he senses chaos is about to be unleashed while Matteo plays with his wrist bracelets. These guys never willingly want to be here, and now I’m starting to wish I could be someplace else, too.
“Zach actually came to see me for advice a couple of weeks ago,” Dad says.
Fuck. He’s going to tell them everything.
Beads of sweat start up along my neckline.
I hate it when he does this. The way he pits us against each other.
The way he divides and conquers. That’s why he has us coming to these meals.
That’s why we live in separate apartments when we could all live together.
That’s why the Italian Knights didn’t come to live on the Knight Estate back when we first found out about their existence.
I don’t want to dwell on these things now, but when Dad pulls this kind of stunt, it makes me think about why he does this. He’s also not happy that we’re all getting on better, and how fucked up is that?
“Do you want to tell them about it, Zach?” Dad asks, as my gaze fixates on the tumbler in his hand. Single malt Scotch, neat.
“Should you be drinking that?” I ask. “Won’t it mess with your meds?”
“It’s fine. I’m not going to stop living.” He takes a defiant sip. “Tell them about your plans for Stella.”
I shuffle uneasily. “I didn’t realize you were going to bring it up.”
“Why not? Something to celebrate. Don’t you want to share this news with everyone? It’s a big move for you.”
“Okay, Dad. Sure.” I clear my throat.
“You bought the company?” Jett asks, glaring at me in disbelief.
“A majority stake, that’s all,” I clarify.
Dex stares at me like he doesn’t recognize me. “All for some puss—”
“Shut the hell up,” I snap, my voice deadly quiet. He freezes at my reaction. How dare he refer to Maya like that?
Rio slings his arm around Dex’s shoulders. “Don’t be vulgar. You should be proud your youngest brother is making such daring moves.”
I feel like I’m always in Jett and Dex’s shadow.
Dad leads by example and shows us the ropes, but this is one of the first big business moves I’ve made without consulting anyone.
Jett and Dex make decisions without running them by me all the time, but that’s because the two of them are as thick as thieves.
Sometimes I feel like they indulge me. They still treat me as a kid, even though I’m soon turning thirty.
My gut twists. If I’d known Dad would expose me like this to my brothers, I wouldn’t have said a word to him.
“He was impressed by what he saw at the VIP event,” Dad offers. I loosen my collar, feeling heat creeping along my skin. I wish dinner was announced because I need to sit the hell down, eat, and get the hell out of here.
“Let me get this straight.” Jett puts on his serious tone.
I swear, sometimes, I think Jett all too easily assumes the role of head boy in our family.
He might be the oldest, but we’re not a feudal family, last time I looked.
We’re not the mafia. “You bought a majority stake in Stella, the fashion house? Why?”
“Unbelievable.” Dex mutters under his breath.
Shut the fuck up, both of you, I want to yell, but I calmly manage to answer them. “The business could be doing better. It’s my area of expertise and I’m confident I can help turn things around.”
“Turn things around for whom?” Jett asks.
He’s not going to let up. Neither is Dex. For once I’m relieved that the Italian Knights are here, because my own brothers are being the biggest jackasses.
“Dinner’s ready,” Enzo announces, jerking his chin at the housekeeper who’s been hovering behind Dad for a while. “We should eat before Matteo passes out from starvation.”
“Let’s eat,” Dad suggests, and leads the way to the dining room, but I’ve lost my appetite, and I don’t want to eat a thing. I’m bracing myself for the interrogation that’s sure to follow once this is over.
Yet, once the food is served we, oddly and miraculously, manage to sit quietly and eat.
Even me.
***
The dinner went remarkably smoothly despite my brothers having digs at me.
We all rushed and left, but not long after I get back to my apartment, there’s a knock on the door.
My stomach sinks, because I know exactly who it is.
Those two aren’t going to let this rest. I wish my dad had kept his mouth shut. “What now?” I moan, opening the door and seeing Dex and Jett standing there.
“Are you seriously chasing your teenage crush?” Dex cries, walking in.
“Thanks,” I snap. “You almost let that out of the bag at dinner. I don’t want Dad to know about Maya.”
“Daddy’s proud of you,” Jett retorts. “That’s why we had the pleasure of another Knight fucking family dinner.”
I startle at his vicious tone. I knew they’d be worried. They think I’m making an emotional decision.
“Business is about thinking with your brain, not your dick,” Jett says, standing near the door, arms crossed like he’s fighting to keep himself together. Sometimes, I swear he’s becoming more like Dad than he knows. Though Cari seems to soften his sharp edges.
“Why are you so angry? This is nothing to do with you?” I snap.
“He didn’t sleep well.” Dex winks, causing me to groan, then, as if reading my mind, shakes his head. “Brooke wants a sibling, and our big brother here can’t wrap his head around it.”
“Cari’s pregnant?” I ask in awe. These two moved fast.
“No, and she’d like to keep it that way,” Jett mutters, wiping a hand over his chin.
“Little Brooke’s persistent,” Dex explains. “Her best friend, Tobias Stone’s daughter, is surrounded by siblings, albeit boys, so our boy Jett here needs to procreate fast.” He chuckles.
“Christ” Jett growls. “Stop with the bullshit.
Dex and I exchange glances. Jett’s so soft and caring around Cari and Brooke, but he can be an absolute beast around us, sometimes.
I’ve noticed he’s softened, a tiny little bit ever since he and Cari got together, but I’ve not seen him this wound up for a while.
I throw a questioning what-the-hell look at Dex, who shrugs again.
Whatever is eating my big brother tonight, he seems to think I’m the perfect punching bag.
“You bought a majority stake just to get close to the housekeeper’s daughter?” Jett snaps.
I hate the way he refers to her. “Her name is Maya.” Why’s he being such an asshole?
I’m so sick and tired of my older brothers shitting on me and treating me like I’m a child.
That’s why I only told Dad about my Stella move.
I wasn’t ready for this kind of grilling, and if Jett’s going to be this worked up every time Brooke harasses him about wanting a sibling, I don’t want to suffer his wrath.
I loosen my collar and my tie. “Buy Brooke a pet, if you must,” I suggest, feeling exasperated.
Dex and I exchange looks again.
“Don’t you go giving her ideas.” Jett is too young to be going through a midlife crisis. Surely this can’t be a midlife crisis brought on by a five-year-old who’s demanding a sibling?
“You did it because you want some pussy,” Dex counters.
“Will you shut the fuck up and stop using that word?” My jaw tightens. Fury flows through my veins. Who the hell are these people?
“Did you or didn’t you?” Dex asks. Jett stays standing by the door, one hand in the pocket of his trousers, the other on the door handle, like he can’t wait to leave.
Dex, though, has made himself at home. He’s sitting on my sofa like he’s staying the night.
I grit my teeth, wanting this interrogation over with.
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like? I’ve never seen you move so fast. I take it she’s not a trust fund babe?”
“She can’t be, if she’s working,” Jett says.
I snap my head in his direction. “You’ll be surprised to know that trust fund babes, as you like to call them, do in fact choose to work sometimes.”
I see it so clearly. Their perceived problem. They think what I did was reckless. Emotional and weak, but I refuse to give them the truth, because they’d never respect it.
I know I can help turn things around in Stella, and in doing so, if I can help Maya, too, that would be awesome.
“He’s made up his mind,” Jett says to Dex.
“I’m not a child. You guys don’t need to keep treating me like I’m the youngest.”
“Oh, talking about that.” Dex points a finger at me. “You’re turning thirty soon. Growing up, brother. How about we do something special to celebrate?”
Celebrate? With these two? I don’t think so. “I’ll have a think,” I tell them, just to get them off my back.
But I have no intention of thinking about it whatsoever.