Scandal (The Creed Legacy #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

MERCURY

You know the feeling of a scratchy shirt tag on the back of your neck? Or a bug bite that just won’t stop itching? You try to ignore it, but the more you do, the more it drives you crazy.

That is what LuAnn Miller’s laugh sounds like to me.

It’s high-pitched, off-key, and far too loud for such a small restaurant.

I should never have agreed to this. But when your sorority sisters plan an evening out to catch up, it’s not really a request. It’s a summons, and I’ve had it on my calendar for weeks…and it’s not like I have a lot of options when it comes to social events lately.

Back in college, I na?vely thought that joining a sorority would be a quick way to make friends. The numbers seemed to work in my favor. There was a large number of girls in a relatively small space. Surely, I’d connect with at least a few of them, right?

But I failed to factor in the fact that most girls who joined my particular sorority were, in fact, very different from me.

I was dead set on finishing college with a perfect GPA, two majors, one minor, and the knowledge that I had done so without any help from my very influential family.

My sorority sisters? They, too, were overachievers, but instead of being laser-focused like me, they wanted the full college experience, full of frat boys and beer pong.

I guess I missed the memo that college is supposed to be fun.

Four years later, I’m sitting in a fancy restaurant, listening to LuAnn Miller ramble about her first year of law school and the internship she’s trying to land, still unsure if I understand what the word means.

But I definitely know this isn’t it. This dinner is the opposite of fun.

“First-year students rarely get selected, but I’m hoping to be an exception,” she says with an obvious pause at the end. Her chestnut hair is swept back into a flawless ponytail, and it annoys me how similar we look. Right down to the designer jeans and blouse.

Lauren, a curvy blonde with a serious pick-me complex, is the first to fall for the bait. “You’ll get it, LuLu. They’d be crazy not to pick you.”

“Well, I did wear my favorite low-cut sweater for the interview.” Her lips curl into a wicked smile. “For luck, of course.”

Ew. Gross.

She laughs again, along with a few others at the table. The sound of it makes me want to scale the walls and fling myself out the window.

Aren’t we supposed to be the generation fighting sexism in the workplace, not promoting it?

Trying to tune her out, I look around the table and am surprised when I notice a few of my sisters who look just as uncomfortable as I do.

Clearly, I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to be here tonight.

“Mercury,” LuAnn, who has appointed herself the leader of tonight’s festivities, turns to address me. She’s always enjoyed being the center of attention, after all. “What have you been up to since graduation? Are you dating anyone? Where are you working?”

Everyone turns their heads in my direction. I feel like I’m right back in that stuffy old sorority house during one of our monthly meetings, and she’s just asked me if I have anything to contribute to the conversation.

I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t you just drop out, Merc? Leave the sorority life behind if it wasn’t for you?

I should have. Especially when I discovered the only reason they accepted me was because of my last name.

My family, thanks to my father, is legendary in the music industry and, therefore, legendary in Los Angeles, where I went to school.

His company, the Creed Agency, manages some of the biggest talent in the world.

In a sorority of overachievers and nepo babies, I fit right in.

Or at least, I should have.

But I’m stubborn. Annoyingly so. And once I start something, I find it hard to walk away, even if I hate it.

Even if I’m miserable.

“Uh, no. I’m not dating anyone. And I’m—”

She snorts. “I forgot. Mercury doesn’t date, does she?” Why is she talking like I’m suddenly not here?

“At all.” Lauren gestures with her hands. “I tried to set her up with my cousin once ’cause I thought she might just be too shy to tell us she was into girls.”

My cheeks heat. The way she tells the story makes her sound incredibly magnanimous, but it was actually a bit homophobic.

She was just jealous that some guy hit on me instead of her and thought hooking me up with her cousin would get me out of the way.

Not that I was really an obstacle in the first place.

I decide to change the subject. “I am working as a sound manager at Creed Soundlab and—”

“Your dad’s studio?” Her sculpted eyebrow arches, as if she has any room to talk. Her parents are both lawyers and own a fancy firm in New York. I highly doubt there will be any question about where she’ll end up after law school.

“Yes.”

She lets out a long, exaggerated sigh, twirling her drink with a straw. “Must be nice. Hanging out with hot rock stars all day. Probably doesn’t even seem like work most of the time, does it?”

I gape at her. Does she really think I just sit around all day and flirt with hot guys? Before I can defend myself, to tell her about my twelve-hour days and endless nights alone in the studio, Lin, across the table, perks up and asks, “Wait, doesn’t your dad represent Asher Knight?”

Dammit.

I really hoped to get through the night without his name coming up.

“Um…yes,” I answer honestly. Because what am I supposed to do? Lie? It isn’t a secret. Anyone can look it up and find a list of my father’s clients.

“Has he…” Her cheeks pinken as she fidgets with her napkin. “Do you know where he is? Has your dad told you?”

Once again, all ten sets of eyes turn to me. I gulp down a bundle of nerves.

Have I mentioned I hate being the center of attention? It’s kind of inconvenient when you’re part of the family I was born into.

I also hate gossip.

“No. That’s not exactly something he would go around telling everyone,” I answer sharply. “Even to me.”

“Well, what about your brother?” Lin persists, unwilling to let this go. When I see the black Manic Fanatic bracelet around her wrist, I suddenly understand why. She’s a fan. “Surely he knows a thing or two since he’s in the band.”

The band they’re referring to is Manic at Midnight.

One of my older brothers, Hendrix—I have three—joined almost a year ago when their bass guitarist, Evans, needed some time off.

We all thought it would be a temporary gig, but the band made headlines when they asked him to stay and share the responsibilities with Evans.

Now the band is making headlines again for a completely different reason.

And Asher—their lead singer—is at the forefront.

“He hasn’t told me anything,” I tell her with a casual shrug.

“I heard he’s in rehab,” LuAnn says, interjecting herself back into the conversation. It’s almost impossible for her not to be the center of attention for more than a minute or two. “That’s why no one’s seen him in weeks.”

“What kind of rehab?” Lauren asks. I can’t tell if she’s genuinely curious or just wants to soak in LuAnn’s attentive gaze.

Honestly, it’s all exhausting—their games and antics.

It’s why I never lived in the sorority house. I paid my dues, went to the monthly meetings, and occasionally showed up to whatever social activities I thought I could stand, but that was the extent of my commitment to this sorority.

Some people say Greek life was the best part of their college experience. For me, it was just a social experiment I clearly failed. Because after four years, I didn’t even walk away with a single friend to show for it.

“Sex rehab,” LuAnn answers with a cruel smile.

“You’re kidding!” Lin giggles, covering her mouth with her hand.

LuAnn is practically beaming from the reaction she’s caused around the table. “I mean, it’s not exactly a surprise. Did you see all the women in those photos?”

“Well, he is a rock star.” Lauren shrugs. “They are notorious man whores, right?” Then her eyes widen as she turns to me. “I’m sorry, Merc. I didn’t mean all rock stars. I’m sure your brother is different.”

My brother is different. He’s in a monogamous relationship and is head over heels in love with his girlfriend. I wouldn’t be surprised if he proposes soon.

But it’s still shitty of them to make assumptions about people they don’t know.

Since my dad represents all the guys in Manic at Midnight, I know each of them at least a little. They’re all decent human beings. And sure, a few of them are a bit promiscuous, but so are a lot of people.

Does it make a difference just because they are famous?

“A lot of those photos were old,” I say to my utter surprise. “His publicist leaked them.”

I don’t usually let LuAnn get to me, but for some reason, I find myself rising to defend Asher. We’ve only met a few times, and the first encounter was a complete disaster.

I would never tell any of these women this, but for years, I had a huge crush on the Scottish rock star. It was equal parts lust for his musical talent, his good looks, and yeah, the accent helped too.

When I came home one Sunday evening for family dinner and found him standing in my parents’ living room, I nearly expired right there on my mother’s wool rug.

The photos and videos I’d seen of him over the years didn’t do the man justice. There’s a reason he’s been on the cover of every major magazine in the world. With his height, lean muscles, and chiseled jawline, he’s like an emo rock star version of Harry Styles.

And the day I met him, I froze—like a fucking statue. It’s not like it was my first time meeting a celebrity, either. I’ve been to the Grammys before, dammit. But all of a sudden, I lost the ability to speak—that’s how starstruck I was at the sight of him.

I felt like a child—like an immature child—and it was embarrassing.