8. Harmony
Harmony
“You're finally here,” my brother calls as we walk toward him through the party-goers.
Jacob says it just loud enough to make sure we know he’s annoyed that I'd avoided him the entire weekend.
Thankfully, we’re up in the Grace paddock, on a balcony looking over the Vegas Strip. It really is gorgeous lit up at night.
The area is exclusive enough that there are no cameras apart from phones.
I’ve already taken a few selfies with friends to send to my PR manager for my socials. Once I had this meeting with my family, I could finally relax.
Nat and I peeled away from the crowd after an hour of catch-ups and champagne to get ready for the inevitable.
“Does my hair look okay?” she whispers, sweeping her sun-blonde locks over her shoulder to expose her chest that every single person we pass ogles.
“God, I didn't think Jacob would be so tall.”
“You look stunning,” I say. “Half the alphas here have already asked for your number. I just don't know why you want him out of all of them.”
“You just don't get it. You'll understand when you match with someone.”
“You've never met him before.”
“But I just know,” she says as she squeezes my arm.
She squeaks as Jacob swans over, pulling me into a hard hug.
“You're cutting it fine,” he says.
“Am I? Or am I saving us both grief by only giving you three a few minutes to chew me out instead of an hour?”
He pulls back to give me a pointed look, and I reply with a cheery smile.
“Jacob, this is Nat. You must remember her from my last movie. You know, the one you definitely watched because you're such a supportive brother?”
And he doesn’t miss a damn beat. His chest puffs as he turns on his full alpha charm.
“A pleasure,” he says smoothly, kissing her on the cheek, and she squeaks again, her face dyed bright red. I’m amazed that she doesn’t release her sweet lavender perfume.
Jacob chuckles as he throws her a wink, but I don’t see any reaction from him that shows they matched.
When Maddock and I first saw each other after I presented, it was so intense that he had to catch me as my knees gave out over how good he smelled.
All of Jacob's charm vanishes as he meets my gaze.
“Ready?” he asks.
I snort before I turn to Nat. Like I’ll ever be ready for a meeting with my dad and my oldest brother.
“I'll be back in five. Wait for me, yeah?” I ask her.
She nods too enthusiastically, her eyes shining as she pants over Jacob.
I honestly don’t get it, but I said I'd help her out as long as she starred in Slipstream Seduction with me.
Nat was one of the few people who backed me up during the Ross incident, and I want her with me for this. She’s the best support a girl could ask for.
When they first offered me the role, I wanted to say no. I was still being branded a stalker because of Ross, and I didn’t want my family to get caught up in it.
I almost quit acting because of how harshly the media treated me after what Ross did.
Poor Ross McLean, the young rising actor, bullied by Harmony Grace, the action star. What a tragic story for him. The press loved it even more because his omega was terminally ill, and Ross said he only acted on screen because he wanted to support his mate.
Which is total bull, but people ate it up, and I became the bad guy because apparently I was so in love with Ross that I needed to separate them by stalking him and trying to harm his omega.
Even though the real result was studios dropping me and handing all my roles to omegas Ross said he felt ‘safe’ with.
I don't even know how people cooked that kind of stuff up. But it’s been my reality for four months, and I chose to run away after endlessly trying to defend myself.
I have to remember that my real fans will stay with me. I just have to trust that I’m still popular enough to act. Even though this entire movie screams ‘nepo baby’.
Jacob throws his arm around my shoulder like nothing has changed. But he's as tense as I am as he guides me toward the main balcony area of the paddock.
Even though he’s only four years older than me, he’s been through so much more.
He got into F1 at nineteen, won his first year, and he was set for a second world championship win when a crash broke both his legs and shattered his hips.
It had taken him a year of surgeries and rehab to recover, but people still notice the bow and hop to his walk.
And that crash, that fear as I watched them pull my brother from the car, that was another reason I quit racing.
Jacob and Maddock were the ones who raised me behind a wheel. One of them accepted that I left, and the other never understood.
And now the other two people in my family who never supported me turn as Jacob calls out to them.
“Hey, Dad! Look who’s here!” Jacob calls out.
The pair stand at the edge of the balcony, each with a scotch in hand, watching the racers line up on the track below.
Nerves stab me deep in the heart, and I suck in a breath as Dad and my oldest brother, Viktor’s, identical piercing glares bore into me.
“At least say hello. You don’t need to do any more than that,” Jacob says through tight lips.
“I’m only doing this for you,” I grumble.
They are mirror images of each other. Just like Jacob and I took after our mum, Viktor inherited all of Dad’s sharp features. Each step towards them feels like I’m moving closer to two enemies instead of my actual family.
“Harmony,” Dad says, his voice sounding too strained. “How good to see you again.”
His hug is stiff, and there’s no sincerity in his voice. But people are watching, especially the beta Dad hired to direct the movie. He hovers beside Dad with an expectant look on his face, so I guess it’s time to perform again.
“Hi, Dad,” I say, refusing to sound dejected.
If I’d become an F1 driver like Jacob and Maddock, I would never have had to feel like this.
“I didn't expect you to come to another Grand Prix again,” he says coldly.
I have to plaster on my own fake smile. It doesn’t matter how famous I become, I’m always going to be a child to him.
“Of course I did. I wouldn’t want to miss this one. It could be a big year for Grace.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just looks at me like he doesn’t believe a thing I’ve said.
Of course, it’s been three years since I turned up for a race. At least as far as he’s aware.
I still attend them in secret when I can. But with my perfume, it’s hard to get around anywhere. Especially when the races are one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. I risked taking scent blockers to visit a race once, but I was sick in bed for days afterwards.
“How are you?” I ask them gently. The last time we saw each other was two weeks before Christmas.
The only thing Dad and Viktor care about other than racing is looking good as a family. I think the fact that I became famous instantly after I left F2 is the only reason Dad still pretends to care.
Instead of replying, he just narrows his eyes, takes a sip of his scotch, and turns away from me to the cars.
Or vaguely attempts to pretend to care.
Viktor stares for just a second longer before sighing deeply. Ours is probably the only family in the world where being successful in something other than driving is actually a disappointment.
I can’t stand the sting that hits me, and the apologetic shrug from Jacob doesn’t make it any better.
But I won’t let it bother me. The engines are already revving, and that’s what I’m really here for. All I need to do is gently escape and hang out with Nat as we watch the race from the other side of the paddock. Well, while I watch the race and she tries to sneak glances at Jacob.