I barely held myself still. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened the other day. Kasmine couldn’t see us like this ever again. She might never forgive me if she does
“You’re going to be the man everyone talks about after tonight, baby,” she whispered. “This will change everything”
She paused, then added, “And I’m glad I’m the one beside you when it does”
I didn’t respond.
Because in the comer of my mind, all I could see was Kasmine and I finally having the life I always wanted.
But, one more plan had to be set in motion.
“June?” I called, and she hummed a response, her hands still straightening out my sleeves as she tilted her head upward to look into my eyes. “There is something else I want you to do for me!
Her eyes lit up, hopeful, like a child catching the glint of a long-awaited gift. She thought I was about to hand her the future she kept fantasizing about. The one where she played queen beside me.
-I want you to make a press appearance tomorrow,” I continued, “Talk about tonight’s deal. About what your father did.”
Her face brightened with the kind of pride I hadn’t earned-and didn’t want
“I need you to make it clear that this move had nothing to do with us getting married,” I said, slicing straight through the balloon she’d been inflating “Tell them that Mellors made this decision because I’ve earned it. Not because of the engagement. It’s about my work. Not the ring. Not the fucking engagement. Just. My. Work.”
Her smile faltered. She blinked once, slowly, her lashes fluttering like the wings of a bird that had just realized the cage was still locked
“My business stays separate from my personal life,” I continued, “I don’t want anyone thinking I used this marriage as a fucking elevator to get where I’m going. This win is mine. Do you understand?”
A beat of silence.
For a second, I thought she might protest, but the look in her eyes shifted, the wheels turning in her mind… I saw uncertainty slipping into her features like a draft under a door she thought was sealed.
“That’s… what you want?” she asked softly, like maybe she wasn’t sure anymore what part she was playing in this grand performance.
“Yeah,” I said, “Make sure the press lows. This isn’t aboin us. This is about what I’ve built. What I bled for. Nothing else.”
She hesitated-of course, she did. This wasn’t the fairy tale ending she had been dressing herself up for.
I know she thought I’d ask her to make a press appearance announcing the role she played in helping me solve my crisis.
Funny.
But like every time before, she swallowed it. She never argued. She folded herself into the lines I gave her.
“Okay,” she finally said, nodding, “I’ll make sure it’s clear. It’s not about us. It’s all about your hard work”
“Good,” I said in an even tone, “I want this to be clean. You understand?”
She stepped closer, her hand lingering on my arm as if seeking comfort, but I barely felt it.
“Go downstairs,” I told her in a quieter voice, “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
She didn’t say anything more; she just gave me a smile that I knew she thought was comforting before slowly walking away.
KESTER
I headed downstairs to join the others who were already chatting away at the dining
The table reeked of discomfort.
My maternal uncle, Greg, was there-of course. Along with my father’s cousins, Ralph and Vincent. The kind of men who wore expensive suits to hide the mediocrity clinging to their bones.
Everyone I despised seated neatly around the table like soje perfectly plated disease.
Especially Uncle Greg
The man reminded me so much of my mother. Same passive-aggressive smirks. Same polished speech. Same Hazel eyes. The woman I hated. The woman I still, fucking Dragically, loved. A contradiction I hadn’t learned how to overcome yet.
And what the fuck was Karina doing here?
Family dinner? She wasn’t family. She was an asterisk in this gathering.
She wasn’t family for fuck’s sake!
Jorja, bless her diplomatic little heart, had that signature ‘ignore-it-all-and-smile’ expression smeared across her face like it was waterproof. She was clearly committed to enjoying her evening, even if the house was on fire- and Karina was holding the match.
This was my father’s doing. Of course, it was. He had a knack for opening our doors wide enough for snakes to slither in
A few hours ago, I had replaced Karina’s new favorite wine. The one I kept for her two days ago was empty. She surely loved it.
I know she must have attempted to look for the exact wine to buy for herself, but fuck me if I wasn’t smart enough to make sure the wine had no label.
She seemed happy. Overly, unnaturally happy. The kind of happy that switches on and off like a faulty light bulb. Dim one moment, practically glowing the next – She looked pale sometimes, and other times, she looked all energetic and pumped up.
I couldn’t wait for the puzzle I was carefully building beneath her feet to finally fall in place.
My phone beeped beside me again, and I picked it up. It was a worthy distraction from this uninteresting dinner I was being forced to have with people I could call strangers.
It was from Alfred
Alfred: Alpha, it is done. Kex fell for the bait. They are set to sign the legal contracts in five days.
My lips curled around a smirk as I picked up my glass of whiskey, raising it slightly in a silent toast to a bloodless war. Another win.
Me: How much are we looking at?
Alfred: Our guys made him strike a mouthwatering deal of a hundred and fifty million.
I scoffed, taking another sip of my whiskey in silent celebration.
A hundred and fifty million. For phantom technology-a fake Elvis prototype drawn up in just enough detail to look irresistible.
Kex was about to cut open his chest and pour his last dollar Into a grave I dug with a handshake. He was about to bleed out, and he wouldn’t even realize he’d been cut. Not until he was already too far gone to crawl back
Me: Good. Keep everything smooth until the deal is closed. I don’t want a ripple before the storm.
Alfred: Yes, Alpha. No trace. No trail.
This wasn’t just about money.
It was about power and payback
And watching Kex unravel piece by piece would be the real celebration.
I drew in a deep breath of victory.
Victory tasted good on a night this stale.
Two wins in a night wasn’t bad. Not bad at all.
But the one thing that would’ve crowned it all was missing.
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