Chapter 35
Istare at the table settings, wondering if the napkins are the color the bride was imagining. She said cinnamon, but are these more a mustard color? They coordinate perfectly with the pastel tulips, freesias, and chrysanthemums Paisley has arranged in vases on the tables. So, if it were me, I would be happy that everything all works together. Our bride Amy is in the bridal suite, and I know she’s seen the bouquets already. Paisley texted earlier to say she loved them, so I have to assume this is all going to be okay.
“Deep in thought, thinking that you picked the wrong guy,” someone whispers over my shoulder, making me jump. Mason laughs light-heartedly, coming around the other side. “It’s okay, I’m still available.” He smiles, all charming, and my skin crawls.
I smile warmly, trying to keep it friendly. “Sorry, Mason, I’m not,” I say point blank. His flirting when he knows I’m with Brody now is getting out of hand. I have seen him around the place a lot over the last month. I try to be polite, tell him I’m busy with work, but he lingers longer than he should.
He clutches his chest. “Completely broken.”
“I’m sure you have plenty of others ready to heal you.” I laugh, playing along. Despite him still pestering me, Paisley tells me he’s made fast work of dating every girl in sight, so I know this is more the player act. Maybe he wants me because I’m the one girl who didn’t give in to his charm. I don’t know, but today after the stress of the last week, I’ve had quite enough of it. All I need is for Brody to see him talking to me and get all jealous again.
“None quite as special as you, but that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about. Parker needs you upstairs. He wants your opinion on tiles for the renovation.”
I look back at him, confused. “Oh, really, me? Wouldn’t Emerson be a better person to give her opinion?” I ask. She’s been Parker’s stylist when it comes to opinions on most of the build. She has a keen eye for interior design, and I think the two of them are working on her house renovations next.
He smiles and offers a shrug. “Normally, but she’s out, and he needs to make a decision now, some demanding supplier.”
I glance around the conference room. It’s all set up, and the rest of our staff are starting to arrive to take over. “I probably have five minutes before I’m needed again. Lead the way.”
I follow him through the hotel and take the elevator to level four, the floor that is closed for renovation. It’s quiet up here today. I was up here with Emerson and Parker last week and the place was a hub of noise and movement, with builders sawing and drilling. But it’s eerily quiet today. Mason looks back at me with a warm smile. “Where are the rest of your crew today,” I ask, starting to feel uneasy.
“All done for the day. Parker lets us do a half day on a Saturday.”
“Is he a good boss?” I ask, trying to make small talk to ease the churning in my stomach.
“The best,” he agrees.
“I’m sure he is.” He’s such a nice guy. We make it to a room at the end of the hall, and right before we go in, he drops his head to my ear.
Goosebumps scatter over my skin. “I’m so sorry, Gisele,” he whispers before shoving open the door to the vacant room. There is no sign of Parker, but Lana grins at us, and I freeze on the spot. Mason shoves me forward through the door. I dig my heels in and drag them along the carpet, but it’s no use, he’s so much stronger than me.
Mason closes the door behind him. My skin prickles with unease instantly. What the hell is going on?
“Where’s Parker?” I ask, my voice shaky, even though my mind is racing with a million other things. Like, what the actual fuck is going on here?
Lana’s lips turn into a slow smile that makes my stomach churn uncomfortably. I feel my pocket for my phone and realize it’s back in the conference room, still sitting on that last table I dressed. “You’re a real sweet girl, Gisele, but you picked the wrong brother, and it’s time my boy got what he was entitled to.”
I blink back at Mason, trying to process what the hell is going on. “Brother?” I squeak.
“You betcha.” He smiles a dark, depraved smile that scares the hell out of me.
“The paper didn’t report the full story, dear,” Lana states, and I flick my head back to her. “How does this sound: Alexander’s affair produces more than one heir to the hotel throne. I reckon I could write them stories the Prescotts publish.” She chuckles darkly.
“How, why…” I stutter out, not able to form a sentence. Mason takes a step closer to me, his eyes fixing on mine. I can see it now, the family resemblance. His hair is a little darker, but it’s there. They are related, for sure. I don’t know how I didn’t see it earlier. I take a step back, not wanting to be caught up in whatever this fucked-up mess is.
He steps closer again, not allowing me the distance I need.
“Emerson and Brody are on their way back here now, and when he gets back, we will have a friendly sit-down to iron out some very important details.” Lana motions to the table and chairs in the center of the room and what looks like a contract of sorts.
“Details?” I stutter out.
“He’s a smart man. Now that he knows the truth, I’m sure he will see this place is as much Mason’s as it is his.”
“Why do you need me?” I whisper, my body starting to tremble.
Her lips turn up at the sides, a sadistic gleam in her eyes. I have only had a few brief conversations with the woman. She always gave me an odd vibe, and now I know why. She’s pure evil. “Collateral. I can see how important you are to him. He will do anything to make sure you’re safe. Even turn over his beloved hotel.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, glancing back to Mason. “You don’t need to do this. You can just talk to him, he’s a reasonable man. If you talk all this over with him so he can see it from your perspective, I’m sure he will.” I try negotiating as best I can, anything to put a stop to their plans.
He closes the gap between us. “That’s why you’re here, sweetheart. To make sure the negotiations run smoothly.” He runs a hand up my arm, causing a cold shiver in its wake. He lowers his nose to my hair, inhaling. “Fuck, you smell good. Should we have a little fun while we wait?” His eyes meet mine. He’s not messing around this time. He’s deadly serious.
Bile rises in my throat, the sickness swelling, coming dangerously close to leaving my mouth.
“Tie her up, Mason. I don’t want her escaping before he gets here,” Lana growls, sounding demonic. The two of them have lost their minds. And somehow, I have been caught in their dangerous web.
Mason pulls me into his body, holding me tight. I struggle against his grip, but his large arms are like a vice squashing my small body. I feel his breath crawling over my skin. “What, Ma? She’s okay, she’s not going anywhere.” He licks along my jaw, and my body shudders involuntarily. How did I get him so wrong? He’s not the sweet man I thought at all. I think back to our date. Maybe it wasn’t a mistake I got so drunk that night, maybe this was some fucked-up set-up all along. I feel sick when I think of what could have happened to me that night if Brody hadn’t been there to take me home.
Out of my periphery I see Lana pull a gun and face it in our direction. “Tie her up, Son,” she yells in our direction, and this time her voice is more threatening. She’s a woman on the edge of completely losing control, I can see it in her menacing eyes.
He glances from me to her. “Ma, you said no one would get hurt, just friendly negotiations. Remember, you said I could keep her.”
She said he could keep me, like I’m some fucking pet. Oh, fuck no, this shit is not happening. I struggle against him, a white-hot sweat sweeping over me as I search the room for a way out of this madness.
“My sweet boy, everything will be fine if they comply. If not…” She looks toward the hole in the wall where a window should be. “Look at that view, Gisele. It’s spectacular, isn’t it?” She smiles at me, all teeth.
“Yes,” I agree, my voice shaky.
“Big drop. Wouldn’t want to fall all that way. Let’s hope for your sake your man chooses you.”
I feel my heart pounding in my ears. This crazy bitch is going to shove me out the window if Brody doesn’t agree to her contract. She can’t do that. This is insane. “Mason.” I look back to him for help.
He drops his mouth close to my ear. “I’m sorry, Gisele. Don’t worry, I won’t let her force you out the window. If things go south, you’re coming home with me,” Mason whispers darkly, and my blood turns cold. He’s suddenly scaring me more than her, and she’s the one with the gun. Lana motions with the gun toward the chair, and he shoves me toward it, forcing me to sit and have my hands tied.
“This business has been in The Alexander family for three generations, and the eldest son always gets it passed on to him. But this time it was split between two of his children. I was in the old man’s will, you know, till a week before he kicked the bucket, then something changed,” he tells me like his story should help explain why I’m being tied up, with my life hanging in the balance. This is all over money, over what he thinks he’s entitled to.
Lana moves to stand in front of me. “When I married Charles, he swore to me Mason would be looked after for the rest of his life. It was his birthright to inherit this hotel along with Emerson and Brody. But someone stopped that from happening.”
I look at her, confused. I know Brody said there were some changes made because of a threat or something. Is this what he was talking about? “And you think it was Brody? Why would he do that?”
“Charles was my soul mate, you know. We met when I was just a seventeen-year-old working in reception over the summer. He was charming and charismatic, older. You know what I’m talking about. It’s what you see in Brody,” she tells me, like somehow our relationships are the same. “I fell in love with him instantly. And within a couple of months, I found out I was pregnant. My parents kicked me out, and I came to him for help. He gave me a job and assured me he would take care of me. And he did. Right up until the day Mrs. Alexander walked in on us in his office.”
I stare back at her in disbelief. She’s the one, the woman Brody’s dad was with the night his mother found them. She’s the reason his mother is dead. My heart aches for them all over again, knowing what they’re about to walk into.
“When she died, grief took him over, and instead of coming to me and letting us finally be a family and Mason have a dad, he pushed me away. I quickly realized how delusional I had been to believe his lies. I was only ever his bit on the side.
“After I left this place, I fell on hard times, and Victor came to my aid. He convinced Charles to send me money every week. He made sure Mason was provided for. It wasn’t until last summer that our paths crossed again. He could hardly believe his luck when I came to stay at the hotel and was looking better than ever. Whereas he had aged terribly, I had taken care of myself. Using the money he was sending me, I made sure my body was kept in perfect condition, with one thing on my mind. Getting revenge on him for how badly he hurt us. I know you’re not a parent, Gisele, but you must understand, a mother will do anything for her child. Anything.” Her crazy eyes lock on mine, and I believe her.
“So, you married him and convinced him to change his will to include Mason?”
“It wasn’t even hard.” She cackles. “I finally had everything I wanted.”
“It was what I was entitled to,” Mason agrees. “Why shouldn’t I have been included in the family business? I was family, after all.”
I look between them. They’re so unapologetic about all the manipulation. They both truly think they’re entitled to take whatever they want. Lana is an awful piece of work. She was sleeping with him for years, knowing he had a wife and kids. Brody’s father was just as bad. It’s disgusting, all of it. It’s Mason I kind of feel sorry for. He had to grow up without his father and a mother so narcissistic she thinks kidnapping and blackmail is normal. Our eyes meet, and he smiles at me, all charming. There’s something unstable about him as well; I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and it’s unnerving.
“You had to grow up without your father, that must have been so hard.” I try to talk to him on his level, hoping it might help my cause. I know I won’t be able to convince her to let me go, but maybe I can get through to him.
“Wasn’t so bad. He was a conceited jerk anyway. Who needs that in their life? I was better off without him,” he grumbles, but I can see his pain. He grew up in the shadows while Brody had the limelight, and the father. That must have killed him as a young boy.
“That’s right, Son, you are,” Lana agrees, kissing him on the cheek.
“So the two of you got him to agree to what you wanted, then you killed him? Was it poison?”
Lana’s eyes rake over me. “I can see why you like this one, Son. Maybe we should keep her.”
I shudder at the idea. What does that even mean?
Mason’s eyes land back on me. “Oh, I intend to.” He smirks, his eyes filled with a dark longing that makes me feel sick. His hand comes to my chin, and he forces me to look up at him. “I will keep you as my little pet, just so he can’t have you. All my life I’ve had to hear how wonderful Brody was. From my father, from my teachers at school, from football coaches, even from total strangers. Everyone in this town loves him. Now it’s my turn to have it all. This business will be mine. And so will you, sweetheart.”
I glare at him, disgusted that he thinks he can treat me like a possession. “You can’t force me to be with you,” I snap, my words dripping with contempt. I might be tied up and helpless, but I will never willingly agree to this.
His hands come to the arms of the chair, and he drops down to my level, staring right into my eyes. I blink back at him, trying not to give away how scared I really am. “That’s where you’re wrong. After tonight, I will have the power to do whatever I want.” He grins psychotically.
My chest heaves, the weight of his words bearing down on me. I need to get the fuck out of here. I wonder where Brody is. I haven’t heard from him since he went into that meeting with his uncle this morning, but surely, he has to be around here somewhere looking for me by now. Or Emerson, she must be worried. I should be running the ceremony as we speak. Someone will notice I’m missing soon.
Lana comes around behind him, placing her hand on his back. “Calm down, dear,” she says in a sweet motherly tone. He releases his grip on the chair and takes a few steps away from me, running a hand through his hair, like he’s stressed. She has a crazy hold over him, even though he’s a grown man.
He begins to walk back and forth across the room. “He should be here by now. What’s taking him so long?” he asks her.
“He’s a little stressed, dear. You have to understand things have been tense since his father’s passing. At the will reading we found out that Mason had been wiped from the will entirely,” Lana continues explaining. “I have tussled with the lawyers over this for months, but it’s now time to take matters into my own hands. Don’t you think, Gisele?”
The crazy bitch is asking my opinion now? What fucking twilight zone am I in? “I think if you sit down with Brody and tell him what’s going on, I’m sure he will consider your requests. Neither he nor Emerson have any idea you’re their brother. They didn’t do this to you. Charles is the one who did this to you both, you should give the Alexanders a chance.”
She shakes her head. “No more chances. I guess his children will pay the price for his mistakes. It might not be fair, but that’s life.” She shrugs it off like it’s nothing.
A commotion starts outside. I can hear voices calling for me and banging on doors. I glance at Mason. His eyes tell me to keep my mouth shut, and he’s by my side within seconds covering my mouth. He drags me from the chair and holds me close to him, dropping his lips to my ear. “Be a good girl now and do as you’re told.”
“Oh, good, your boy has arrived. Now the real fun starts.” Lana rubs her hands together. Her story would have been touching, a little sad even, if she wasn’t now standing here with a gun pressed to my back. But somewhere along the way I think Lana has lost her mind, her son along with her, and I might just end up dead because of it.