DINO
“Where is the blushing bride?” Sal, my cousin, and my current keeper asks me as Adrien’s assistant greets us in the foyer of the main house.
“Miss Hawkes is…indisposed. She will hopefully be along later for dinner. She sends her apologies,” says Adrien’s EA, Jules, I think she said her name was.
Sal gives me a look. “The bitch fucking hates you, alright.”
It’s a week before our wedding, and my family is arriving in droves at Adrien’s estate, and Viola was meant to be here to act as hostess, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Why am I not surprised?
I clench my jaw and force a smile for Jules. Viola not being here, acting like we’re not ex-lovers or even ex-friends, reinforces my story that Viola stabbed me in a fit of rage after seeing me kill Kris in cold blood. But it still fucking hurts. Just when I thought my heart couldn’t be ripped from my chest, because there’s nothing there to rip out, she does a number on me.
I grip the dice inside my pocket as I consider going to fucking find her. But then the darkness passes, and I’m able to release them.
It’s funny how life fucks you up the ass. I would have given anything to marry Viola before, and I still would. But now there’s a vast fucking canyon of death and destruction between us. Part of the agreement between Vice and Harper-Black is the sanctioning of this damn union. My family is superstitious, as well as religious as hell. Viola was my brother’s fiancée, which means either I agree to marry her or suffer the damn consequences.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I say gruffly, as Jules leads into the depths of the house.
They give us one of the wings in the main building on the estate, enough rooms to house my mother and her current husband, most of our immediate family, and my men. There was no way we were going to set foot in this fucking death trap without everyone and his dog. The Vices are notorious for having trust issues, regardless.
I’m on the balcony in my room having a smoke, when there’s a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I say to whoever it is. It’s probably Sal. The bastard hasn’t left my side since I took over the family business. No doubt, my uncles aren’t yet convinced I can fill my father’s or my brother’s shoes.
“Nice fucking place this,” Sal says, as he strolls in.
I give a shrug. The plush carpets, gilded walls, and luxurious furnishings don’t do anything for me. The last time I was here, Viola was treated so fucking poorly…
No, stop thinking about her.
I’m just as bad. I tied her to the bedpost and fucked her like she was nothing to me. I deserve to have her hate me.
Sal comes out onto the balcony where I am and takes in the view of the estate. I have a clear view of the river and the woods from here. And just below is the garden where the house staff is busy erecting marquees for the big event.
“Lola’s room is clean and the boys are checking the rest. I’ve come to make sure there’s no funny business going on in yours,” Sal announces, taking out a handheld scanner, and showing it to me.
I give him the nod and let him do what he needs to to make himself feel better. I wouldn’t put it past him to plant a few of his own devices while he’s at it.
“Lola wants us all to have dinner tonight,” he says to me from inside, as he’s finishing. “With the Harper-Blacks.”
When I don’t bother to respond, he comes out onto the balcony. “Kards, you shouldn’t piss your mother off, or your father—”
“He’s not my fucking father,” I say abruptly.
“Riccardo has been like a father to you all these years,” Sal corrects, his blue eyes completely focused on me.
Ric has, and I have called him dad in the past when it suited me like when Lola was fucking out of it and the schools needed to speak to a parent, but the reality is Lola married Liam’s brother the second his dead body hit the ground. Kris and Lola planned it from the start knowing too well the tradition of marrying your dead brother’s wife would get them both what they wanted—someone they could manipulate.
“He wants you there. He hasn’t met Adrien’s daughter yet, and like him, we’re all fucking intrigued. Kristian kept her locked up good and tight when he announced it to the family. We are all dying to meet her,” Sal carries on.
No one knows that Viola killed Kristian. No one was there apart from me. I took the blame because I’m the only one who could have killed my brother and not have any backlash. My family also bought the story that Viola turned on me because of what I did to Kris. Again, it’s the only way they would accept what she did—a crime of passion, an act of revenge. Either fucking works.
Adrien knows exactly what happened and that I lied to save her. He came and reminded me as I was lying in the hospital bed, in no uncertain terms, that he didn’t give a fuck about her. All he cares about is getting his hands on our business. And so, I have no choice but to go along with what he wants, because if my family ever finds out what she did to Kris, they’ll hunt her down, brutalize her, and bury her with the fishes.
And me along with her for covering it up.
So here we fucking are.
About to get fucking married.