Contractually Yours: An Arranged Marriage Romance (The Lasker Brothers Book 4)
Contractually Yours: Chapter 24

I cast a critical eye on my reflection for the thousandth time. If people knew just how obsessively I’ve been checking my appearance, there’d be another scandal-rag headline saying Lucienne Peery is an absolute narcissist.

But I can’t worry about that right now. Today’s D-day…or R-day. The reception is the first event Sebastian and I are holding as a couple, and I want everything to go smoothly. I’m especially focused on making a good impression on his brothers, whom I still haven’t met.

Although he hasn’t said much about them, I know they’re all very close. He has to be, to have dinner with them—he’s insanely busy with all the work he has at Sebastian Jewelry. I also noticed he frequently texts with them, and is generally in a good mood when he interacts with them.

My hair is curled and arranged so it falls over my shoulders and back in soft waves. A couple of topaz butterfly pins keep it in place, and I’m wearing chandelier diamond earrings and a matching necklace and bracelet. My off-white dress with a thigh-high side slit fits perfectly, and the lace trim adds a lovely bridal touch to the look.

I turn my face left, then right. Should I have gone for darker and more dramatic eye shadow? I have an hour before the caterers and quartet arrive. I can redo my makeup.

On the other hand, I’m not the friendliest-looking person in general. Bianca once said smoky eye makeup can make me look unapproachable, and that isn’t what I want.

Friendly. Sweet. Approachable. That’s the goal this evening.

“What are you worried about?” Sebastian says, approaching from the kitchen.

I pull my gaze from the reflective surface on the dark glass wall in the living room and look at him over a shoulder. “I just—”

A bespoke tux from Italy fits his broad shoulders and narrow waist perfectly, hiding his raw power underneath a layer of civilized fashion. Cool confidence rolls off him in waves, and the arrogant tilt of his head says the world goes around the way he wills it. There’s not even a smidgeon of nerves. He either believes everyone’s going to like him or doesn’t give a damn what people think. Probably both.

“I just want to make a good impression with your brothers.” Then I remember another thing. “And their wives.”

Anxiety rachets up.

He comes over and kisses my left-hand knuckles, right above our “engagement” ring. “You’re fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“My brothers aren’t that difficult.”

“That isn’t what I read.”

He arches an eyebrow. “Did you look them up?”

I nod. “Bianca made a profile for each. Your brothers are intelligent and particular, and they care about you deeply.”

He scoffs. “You wasted Bianca’s time, because I would’ve told you that if you’d asked. And I’m telling you now: there’s no reason to be nervous.”

I don’t know about that. The information Bianca dug up indicated they’re incredibly protective of each other. She wrung her hands when she whispered, “What if they hate you for forcing Sebastian to marry you? Should we try to have a dinner or something before the party? To clear things up?”

“Maybe they don’t know,” I told her, but that’s just wishful thinking and my wanting to delay what could be an ugly encounter. There’s absolutely no reason for Sebastian to hide how our marriage came about. Even if he never said a word, they had to know something was up when we got married so quickly and didn’t invite them to the wedding. But at least his father attended the ceremony. That should make our union look less weird.

“I wish your father was coming,” I say.

Sebastian gives me a strained smile. “He says he’s very sorry about that.”

Closing my eyes, I breathe out, hoping to settle my nerves. “Maybe we can invite him over for dinner instead.”

“I’ll ask, but he’s generally pretty busy with movie stuff.” Something about his tone says he’d really not dine with his dad. Not sure why—Ted is such a sweet, well-meaning man. I would’ve been overjoyed if my father was anything like him.

“I just need a friendly face.” I expel a breath.

“I’m not enough?” His tone is half insulted, half teasing.

“I mean, obviously we’re going to play a nice, happy couple, so—”

Sebastian puts a hand on my waist and spins me around. I gasp, and his mouth fits over mine, his tongue gliding in. I melt into the kiss, the pulsing pleasure of his touch. His large hand supports my back, the warmth seeping in like heated honey.

He presses his mouth on my cheeks, forehead, over my brows and along my jaw line. “You worry too much,” he says between kisses. “And you’re way too tense.”

“I just want people to like me. Us.” I don’t want them to look at us and think you’re wasted on me, like your grandparents and mother do.

“What they like or don’t like is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is you’re my wife.”

“But…”

“If they have a problem with us, they can go fuck themselves.”

I blink, but somehow the crude words fit. He honestly doesn’t care what our guests think.

“And don’t forget, I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

He squeezes my hand. The anxiety that’s been plaguing me since I got up this morning retreats. My belly’s still tight, but my nerves settle a bit. He raises my hand and kisses the back of it.

I go up on tiptoes and kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

“And I brought this for you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box with a discreet Sebastian Jewelry logo on it.

I open it and gasp at a pair of stunning butterfly pins. Beautifully cut blue stones glitter in the shining platinum setting.

“Sapphires and diamonds,” he says.

“Thank you. These are gorgeous,” I whisper, then look up at his handsome face, at his eyes gazing at me like my reaction means everything to him.

“I happened to be in our L.A. flagship store. These caught my eye and made me think of you.” He plucks them out of the box and places them over my hair. “See? Perfect.”

My heart pounds as pleasure warms my body. I look at my reflection. “They are.”

“You are perfect, wife,” he corrects me, then places a sweet kiss on my temple.

I can feel my cheeks heat with delight. I pull the topaz pins out, then stick Sebastian’s gifts into my hair. The butterflies sparkle, like good-luck talismans.

My confidence skyrockets. I roll my shoulders and exhale deeply and slowly. Facing the crowd no longer feels so daunting.

I’m Sebastian’s wife.

Everything will be fine.

* * *

The quartet plays Pachelbel in our converted garage, now a completely decked-out ballroom. The guests arrive, showing their invitations to the security personnel. This reception isn’t the kind people are dying to crash, but I can’t let my guard down with That Stalker and his buddies around.

Sebastian had the Aylster Hotel come to our place and cater the event, which was a smart move. Their team did an excellent job setting up a huge spread of gourmet food and two bars that seem to have every liquor known to man.

Although Matthias wanted to help host the event, I told him to take the weekend off like he’s supposed to. His granddaughter just had a baby, and I didn’t want him hanging around when Sebastian and I already have enough people to make things go smoothly.

There’s no special toast or first dance, since it’s a post-wedding reception. I want this to be more like a high-society party. It isn’t as if Sebastian and I married in the most conventional way, and he might feel weird about toasts and all the rest of it. I would feel weird, since people would probably toast to everlasting love, and that isn’t what we have between us.

Sure, we share the same bed, have great sex and work well together. But that isn’t love. He’s never hinted he feels anything but mild affection for me, and I know better than to expect more. Men just don’t fall in love with me.

Bianca gives me a tight hug. “Relax, girl. This is going to be amazing. I just know it.”

“I hope so. But people always think they already know me. It’s like a preexisting condition or something.” Most of the time I don’t get a chance to show who I really am because people just can’t see beyond the headlines. I know people like that aren’t worthy of my affection or friendship, but it still stings.

“Well, that just makes them dumb.” Bianca pats my arm. “Don’t let them bring you down on a day when you’re supposed to be happy.”

I put on a smile. “You’re right.”

“I know.” She winks.

Laughing softly, I watch her go check some details with the staff. Although she’s here as my guest, she was part of the planning team for the event. It’s just like her to reconfirm every detail. She wants this to be perfect as much as I do.

More and more guests start to arrive. Yuna comes over with an absolutely gorgeous man on her arm. I recognize him. Declan Winters—a former underwear model and now an actor. He’s considered one of the most handsome men in Hollywood, and has a lot of fans for his engaging personality, too. His devotion to his wife is legendary.

Yuna is perfectly dressed in a bright emerald dress and cute stilettos. The pearls on her are lustrous and huge, and she glows like the happiest woman. It’s like she’s the newlywed.

“Lucie!” She hugs me. “Thank you so much! You saved me!”

I laugh. “I guess Liam likes the ice cream?”

“He adores it. Now he wants to know when he can meet and thank his ice cream fairy.” She smiles.

“Awww. He can drop by anytime.”

“We might. And can I bring his twin, too? She wants to have a bracelet designed especially for her tiny little forearm.” Yuna rolls her eyes a little.

“Of course. I’d love it.” I put a hand on Sebastian’s quite sizeable forearm. “By the way, have you met my husband?”

“I don’t believe so,” she says.

“This is Yuna Hae Winters. She’s the daughter of the Hae Min Group’s chairman.”

Sebastian gives her his most brilliant smile. “Very pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise. You run Sebastian Jewelry, right?”

“I do.”

“That’s so cool. Look at you, the most perfect merger of two jewelry empires. Mom was just gushing when I told her about meeting you.” She then turns to her partner. “This is my husband. Declan Winters.”

We say hello and exchange pleasantries. I start to relax under Yuna’s easy smile and friendly chatter. As more guests come in, she lets us go to greet them.

As another heiress, London Bickham, is telling me about her latest trip—she’s convinced we need to take time off and visit Mallorca—Sebastian dips his head and whispers, “Your family’s here.”

I straighten and turn. Roderick and Karl swagger in together. They’re in bespoke tuxedos, again paid for with my money. Roderick isn’t wearing any jewelry except for the wedding band from his marriage to Mom. He never takes it off, and some think it’s because he still hasn’t forgotten her. But I know better. He just wants to remind everyone who his wife was.

Karl doesn’t have the brain to consider things like that, so he generally wears a lot of rings and a necklace. Sometimes he goes overboard and looks like he’s auditioning for a music video. But today, he doesn’t have anything on him. It’s almost like he’s having…money problems.

Which he might, since I cut him off. HR and legal must be after him to claw back the salary the company paid him while he didn’t bother to report to work. Instead of his usual I’m-the-hottest-thing-on-the-block smirk, he’s wearing a slightly strained smile.

There’s no sign of Vonnie, but that isn’t surprising. She still owes me and Sebastian for losing the tennis match. She might assume she could bat her eyelashes at Sebastian, but she knows I’m immune.

Anger swells hotly in my chest. Security should have never let those two through. I made sure to keep my family off the guest list, and they shouldn’t have even received invitations.

Bianca glides over. “Excuse us, Sebastian.” Without waiting for a response, she pulls me aside. “Oh my God. What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know, but I’m having them thrown out,” I say under my breath, and reach for my phone to get in touch with security.

“Wait,” she says, placing a hand on my wrist.

“What?”

“If you do that, everyone’s going to notice. They didn’t crash the party to be dragged away meekly. They’re going to make a scene, and it could make you look bad.”

Damn it. It isn’t just me who’s going to look bad. It could make Sebastian look like a jerk for evicting his wife’s father and half-brother from the party. I don’t want anything to mar the first event we’re hosting as a couple.

“Argh. So frustrating!”

“It’s just one time,” Bianca whispers. “And there’s no way they’re here for you. They’re probably here to ‘network’ or something, so just ignore them.”

I exhale, counting to five. It doesn’t do much to calm my temper, but I need to do what’s best, given the circumstances. “You’re right.”

“I’ll try to keep them away from you.”

“Thanks.”

She squeezes my hand in support, and I nod. Roderick and Karl are coming straight for me and Sebastian. They’re going to insist on an introduction.

Instead of looking at them, Sebastian picks up two flutes of champagne and hands me one. I take it, almost out of reflex, and manage a smile. I don’t really want champagne right now, but it may be useful when Roderick and Karl annoy me too much. I can accidentally slip, and—oops—spill it all over their fancy tuxedos. I’ll have to apologize profusely, but it’ll be worth it.

“Lucie, my girl!” Roderick spreads his arms open, ready to hug me.

I’d rather be covered with centipedes. I step out of reach and stand closer to Sebastian. “Hello, Roderick.”

The overt gesture of aversion doesn’t deter Roderick. On the other hand, if he were the type to care about things like that, he wouldn’t have been able to marry Mom. Grandfather never hid how little regard he had for Roderick. If Mom hadn’t been his only child, Grandfather might’ve disowned her.

“I can’t believe you’re married,” Roderick gushes.

“Guess it’s time to get your believer fixed. Because I did.”

Roderick’s mask freezes for a second. The tips of his lips quiver as he maintains his smile.

God, it feels so good. I laugh like I just made a joke.

Roderick joins in, although his eyes are feverish with calculation. He’s dying to know the exact nature of my marriage. He can’t believe I managed to replace my own mate.

“This is my husband, Sebastian Lasker.”

Sebastian nods. “How do you do.”

“Nice to meet you, son.” Roderick manages to widen his smile, while Karl purses his lips like he has a lot to say about the situation and is trying to sort his thoughts.

“I’m not your son.” Sebastian’s tone is cold enough to frost the flute he’s holding.

“Well, in a manner of speaking, of course.” Roderick lets out an affable laugh. “You became like a son to me when you married my daughter.”

If he thinks he’s going to be able to squeeze anything out of Sebastian, he has another think coming.

Roderick turns to me, probably to give himself some time to regroup. “We’ve been trying to see you—”

Karl scowls. “I don’t know why my employee badge quit working—”

Roderick elbows him. “—but you’ve been difficult to get a hold of.” His smile reminds me of a sewer rat.

“I’ve been busy,” I answer him in my best dutiful-daughter tone.

Karl’s complexion grows blotchier. Why is he so upset about the employee badge not working? Didn’t he realize that revoking headquarters access is one of the first things Peery Diamonds would do when I fired him? Or is he honestly so arrogantly stupid that he thought he’d still have unfettered access to everything?

“It’s such a bitchy thing to do to block me like that. I know you’re greedy, but this is low, even for you.” Roderick takes his arm, but it doesn’t have much effect.

I stiffen my spine. Karl has always treated me like dirt, but he tries to be subtle about it in front of other people. It’s embarrassing that he’s being obnoxious in front of Sebastian. I start to open my mouth to put Karl in his place, but stop when Sebastian wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“Talk to my wife like that again, and I’ll make sure you never talk at all.”

I cock my head to look up at him. If he feels my gaze, he doesn’t show it. His cold eyes are on Karl.

My half-brother’s lips twist. “What did you say?”

“Deaf as well as stupid, I see,” Sebastian says.

“Did you just threaten me? You’re gonna what?” Karl sticks his chest out like an angry rooster and spreads his hands. “Kill me or something?”

What’s up with him? He’s acting like a kid with something to prove. He generally controls himself better, and takes pains to project the indolent playboy in public.

“Killing isn’t the only way to ensure somebody won’t talk.” Sebastian sounds almost bored.

Karl’s knuckles turn white, but he hesitates. Sebastian’s half a head taller, and broader too. And you’d have to be blind to miss the fact that underneath the fancy tuxedo is a ruthless strength. Even without the wealth and power of the Sebastian Jewelry fortune, Sebastian could easily take Karl.

Still, I wonder if Karl’s going to throw a punch, because he looks that furious. My mouth dries at the thought of violence between the two of them.

“Hey, bro,” comes a light voice.

Sebastian keeps his eyes on Karl. “Noah.”

Recalling Bianca’s cheat sheet, I shift my focus to Sebastian’s brother. Noah’s a photographer, an aspiring novelist who’s working on his first book and a social media addict. Still, he’s a billionaire from numerous wise investments, so he can’t be as vapid as his resumé makes him sound. If he were really that silly, he would’ve squandered his money by now.

Disapproval flashes in his eyes as he glances at Karl and Roderick, although it disappears fast, replaced by a mild curiosity and amusement.

“Are we having an Instagrammable family moment?” Noah says, lifting his phone like he’s about to snap a photo.

Roderick flinches, while Karl looks like a cat that just had a bucket of water dumped on him. He doesn’t like to be on social media unless he’s in charge of the content.

Sebastian just smiles, although there’s no humor in his eyes. “It’s possible.”

“Stay out of this,” Karl snarls, sizing Noah up. He doesn’t like what he sees. Noah’s also tall and broad, albeit trimmer than Sebastian. But that still makes Noah the kind of guy you don’t want to pick a fight with. “This is a family thing.”

“Then I should stay.” Noah smiles. “By the way, Lucie, I just wanted to tell you you’re gorgeous, and my brother was lucky to marry you. I still haven’t forgiven him for not inviting me to the wedding”—Sebastian sighs—“but you’re all good. I could never get upset with my sister-in-law.” His eyes sparkle with good humor.

“Thank you.” I’m grateful he’s here, because Karl’s backing down, at least for the moment. He’s still burning with unresolved anger at Sebastian for standing between me and him.

I make a mental note to instruct security at our headquarters to blacklist him and Vonnie not only in our offices but from all our retail locations. I don’t trust him to behave. He’ll escalate, whether he does it himself or through Vonnie. Roderick will stay out of it, since he considers himself above his “children’s conflicts.”

“I can’t believe you only have one photographer for this event,” Noah says to Sebastian.

“I didn’t think it was that important.” I’d prefer to have no photographer. Every time somebody points a camera at me, my chest clenches with dread. If it wasn’t for the publicity angle for the Sebastian Peery collaboration, I wouldn’t have bothered. But our marketing team thought it’d be great to release some of the photos from the event to the Korean media to publicize our marriage—and talk up the wedding jewelry we’re going to be launching in the country.

“We only had a couple of lousy shots from Joey for the main ceremony, so we should have a few good ones from today,” Noah says. “I’m a wildlife photographer, but don’t worry. I’m pretty decent with people, too.” He grins.

“You didn’t bring your camera,” Sebastian says dryly.

“But I have my phone.” Holding it in front of him, Noah crouches down. “Say cheese.”

I step closer to Sebastian and smile. He pulls me close and presses his lips to my temple, surprising me. But I remember to keep on smiling because that’s one thing I’m good at.

“See? Wasn’t that hard.” He flips the screen and shows me the picture he just took. Sebastian’s the definition of an adoring husband, and I’m the happy new wife who’s just a tad shy about the public display of affection. We look like a regular, normal couple who fell in love and got married.

Relief sweeps through me.

“Hey, there’s Huxley. And Nicholas and Griffin,” Noah says suddenly, pointing at a trio of men coming toward us. “Is Griff shielding his wife? My God, we’re at a party, not a war zone.”

Sure enough, one of the men has a woman mostly hidden from view. Wonder why he’s doing that? Did Noah or Sebastian warn them about a possible scene?

I flick my eyes in Karl’s direction. Roderick is whispering something to him, one hand on his shoulder. Karl is listening, but his blazing eyes say, Fuck you, this isn’t over, before he casually walks to the buffet table.

I hope that whatever they put in their mouths is contaminated and they get epic cases of diarrhea that force them to leave early. But of course I won’t be that lucky.

Soon Emmett and Grant arrive with their wives. I’m glad I already looked everyone up, because I would’ve been overwhelmed otherwise. They’re all tall and large, and it isn’t every day I’m surrounded by men who make me feel…almost dainty and girlish. On top of that, their presence is formidable. They know they’re intelligent, wealthy and powerful, and they wield their influence like spears.

Although those spears aren’t pointed at me, they aren’t exactly pointed away, either. Unlike Noah’s, their greetings are restrained. They treat me with a neutral politeness reserved for strangers they don’t plan to associate with in the future. Grant and Griffin seem a bit surprised when Sebastian keeps his arm around me. I can’t decide if their attitude is due to my awful reputation or their knowing the story behind our marriage. He never told me he shared the true situation, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t. Also, they seem close, so they probably suspect something’s off even if Sebastian’s kept quiet.

At least the wives aren’t aloof. Amy is a pretty blonde with even features. She smiles easily, but her sharp eyes miss nothing. She gives me a hug. “Welcome to the family.”

The redhead who came in with Grant wraps her arms around me and hugs me hard. “Yes. Welcome to the family. I’m Aspen.”

Sierra is next. “I’m so glad we have another woman for our girl time.” Mischief sparks in her voice. “Please tell me you like romance novels!”

“You haven’t even read the ones we bought last time,” Amy says.

“Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t buy more,” Sierra says.

“You can never have enough romance novels on your shelves,” Aspen says. “Don’t you agree, Lucie?”

I look for signs of judgment. But the women just smile like they’ve never seen a headline about me. Just like Yuna, they’re open to getting to know me and forming their own opinions. My insides stop twisting into knots and relax. I haven’t been lucky with making new friends or creating the best first impressions, and I’m grateful I’m getting an opportunity with these ladies.

“Absolutely,” I say. “And I’ll be honored to be part of girl time and buy all the romance novels we need for it. And Sierra, I love your company’s products.” She’s the CEO of Silicone Dream, a popular sex toy company.

She smiles. “Thank you! Clearly you have excellent taste and a fun personality.” Everyone laughs, and the ice is broken.

More and more guests arrive to congratulate us on our marriage. Sebastian’s family on the Comtois side is late. Still, the party is in full swing and everyone’s having a great time. Roderick and Karl seem to have disappeared. Maybe they left, since they aren’t going to get what they came here for—to get me to cough up money—without making a scene.

And for once there isn’t going to be anything embarrassing happening or leaking to the press. Although Roderick and Karl were able to sneak past security, I haven’t spotted a single paparazzo. The guests aren’t just friends, but business associates. They wouldn’t upload anything on social media that could damage their relationship with me or Sebastian.

I should be relieved. Grateful, even. But my head throbs from hours of tension squeezing my skull, and my cheeks feel like rubber from smiling for so long.

I put a hand on Sebastian’s sleeve. “I’m going to grab some Tylenol from the pantry. Want anything?”

He cradles my cheek in his warm palm, the gesture protective and husbandly. “Are you all right?”

“Just a headache, nothing serious. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.” He kisses my cheek.

I sense some women around us sigh with envy. I maintain a smile full of warm hospitality as I make my way to the pantry.

Bianca trots over. “Hey, everything’s going fabulously.” She grins. “I’m so relieved.”

“Me too.”

“I can’t believe the number of people who came. By the way, do you know if the Comtoises plan to be here? I haven’t seen them anywhere, and I thought they RSVP’d yes. I’m going to have to check the list.”

“I haven’t seen them,” I tell her. “Sebastian should’ve invited them.” He’s taking care of his side of the family and friends.

“The party’s already halfway over. Maybe they aren’t coming.” She purses her lips. “They could’ve at least called.”

Or maybe they couldn’t bring themselves to congratulate us when they believe I don’t deserve Sebastian. Marie hinted rather strongly that I should just let Preston’s indiscretion go and proceed with the wedding. She didn’t hide her displeasure when I refused.

Pearls and swine. Just recalling the Comtoises’ contempt intensifies my headache, until I feel like somebody is sticking a chisel into the top of my skull.

“Let me go check with catering. I heard some grumbling about the champagne,” Bianca says.

“Thanks.” I give her a smile, hoping she doesn’t notice there’s anything wrong. She’ll fret.

A coolly smooth voice says, “Such a fabulous party.”

My mouth goes dry as I turn and see Gabriella Ricci. How did she get in? She wasn’t invited.

The woman is even more gorgeous in person. She stands, hipshot and haughty, chin raised high and an arrogant smile on her full lips. She knows she’s beautiful and loves to flaunt it.

Now my head pounds harder. But long-ingrained manners dictate I say something polite in response. “Thank you,” I manage, my temples pulsing.

“I know you want to make sure everyone knows you won Sebastian from me, but this is pretty low, even for you.”

“Well, if you didn’t crash the party…” My tone is sharper than I’d prefer. But right now I don’t have a lot of patience, especially when she’s being unfair. I haven’t done anything to counter what she said in the video.

“‘Crash.’” She laughs. “As if.”

“Isn’t that what you call it?”

Her face twists. “You invited me.”

“What?”

“Look, I know you’re jealous, but just leave me out of your marriage, okay? I have lucrative deals with Sebastian Jewelry and his brother’s ad agency. I don’t want to ruin those because of your insecurities.” Her red lips curve slowly into a cynical smile. “Just enjoy what you have while you can. Sebastian’s great in bed.”

Am I supposed to respond to this? I don’t know why or how she’s here, or what she’s hoping to achieve. My head hurts too much to come up with a suitable response, much less decide how I should feel about this. My stomach churns. Is this nausea from seeing her—or the image of Sebastian and her rolling around in bed together?

I turn away and proceed to go to the kitchen pantry. In my experience, it’s best not to engage.

Fortunately, no one else stops me. I exit the ballroom and let the door shut behind me. The noise dies down abruptly, plunging me into blessed silence.

I sigh softly, letting my shoulders droop a little as I roll my neck. The encounters with Karl, Roderick and Gabriella should be as bad as this party’s going to get. But I can’t shake off a feeling that it’s going to get worse. I’ve never been to an event where everything went perfectly. Is this some instinctive dread over the fact that Sebastian’s family hates me enough that they won’t bother to even feign they’re happy about the marriage?

I walk past the arched doorway into the pantry. A bottle of Tylenol is on one shelf. I toss a couple of pills into my mouth, then pull out a bottle from a case of water and wash them down. The water’s lukewarm, but it’s nice after being inside the chilly ballroom.

“There you are.” Karl’s gravelly voice comes from behind me.

Tension returns in full. The muscles at the base of my neck bunch, and my shoulders rise until they almost hit my ears. I turn around and stare at him. “What are you doing here?” I demand. “This area’s off-limits.”

“What? I can’t visit my sister’s home?”

“Half-sister. And you aren’t visiting. You’re trespassing.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a bitch. Jeez, no wonder nobody likes you.”

“Get out of the way!” Irritation drips into me like poison. This pantry has only one entry point, and Karl’s blocking it.

“Make me.”

The taunt is juvenile, but the expression on his face is serious. The amused air of entitlement is gone. In its place is an anger that’s been simmering for a while, edged with desperation.

Dread wraps its little tendrils around my pounding heart. But I do my best to hide my fear. He’s a bully who loves to bluster and intimidate, but he can’t do anything to me. I won. And this is my home.

“Ah, but you can’t,” he says, smirking. “You’re nothing without your husband and your money. You little whore. Why’d you have to cut me off and sic your fucking lawyers on me? Wilhelm made me an executive at Peery for good reason, but you pulled me away and now you’re trying to fucking ruin me!”

“You couldn’t bother to come to work, so of course I fired you and asked my lawyers to get back all the money we paid you!”

“Shut your fucking mouth! I need my fair share.”

“What ‘fair share’?”

“Half a million.” He shakes his head. “Actually, twenty.”

The nerve! “Are you asking me for money?”

“I’m not asking for anything! I’m taking what’s rightfully mine! I’m Wilhelm’s grandson, too! Why should I be left with nothing?”

“What have you done to be a good grandson to him? Drinking? Gambling? Womanizing? Should he have been grateful you managed to not spawn any babies?” Then I stop as another possibility occurs. “You owe the casino.”

His face is so red, it’s almost purple. “It wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t such a greedy cunt!”

I’m sick of this—and him. “Get a job and pay it off!”

He steps forward. “You fucking bitch!”

Pain explodes in my face. Stars burst in my dimming vision. A metallic taste floods my mouth, and I lose my balance and hit the shelves hard enough to make things behind me rattle.

“I’m gonna teach you a lesson.”