“Her ex,” I correct, my tone harsh. Just hearing him call Eric her boyfriend fucking pisses me off. “And I’m pretty fucking certain she’ll stay away from that fucker.”
Ares glances at me, the edges of his lips tipping up into a smile. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Lex stares at me blankly for a moment. “Maybe, but we can’t really risk her simply keeping her word. You need to take action.” He taps against his screen and grins. “Based on conversations I’ve had with Ares and Luca, I’ve come to the conclusion that the easiest way to win her over is to seduce her.”
I stare at the screen wide-eyed. Is he for real? Luca and Ares both clear their throats awkwardly. “It’s true though,” Ares mutters. “Win over her body and her heart will follow.”
Luca nods. “Yep. So long as she wants you, there’s hope.”
I bury my face in my hands and inhale deeply. They can’t be serious. How the fuck do I get out of this situation? I have every intention of seducing Faye, but I’m certainly not going to sit here and discuss that with my brothers. I’ve already started to wonder whether her eyes will burn the same when she comes for me, but they definitely don’t need to know that.
My doorbell rings again, and I jump up in relief, desperate for salvation. If I’m quick, I might just be able to run out and leave my brothers here. By the time Lex sobers up, he’ll forget about his… plan.
All of my hopes are dashed when I open the door to find Sierra, Raven, and Val staring back at me. My sister holds up a bottle of tequila and grins.
Fucking great. This evening just got ten times worse. The fact that they’re here can only mean that Luca and Ares told their wives what happened with Eric, and they, in turn, told Sierra. Fuck.
“What are you guys doing here?” Sierra asks as she walks into the living room. Raven and Val stare at their husbands, their brows raised. Neither Ares nor Luca can quite look them in the eye. I’m not sure what exactly is going on, but at least I’m no longer the only one suffering here.
Raven walks up to Ares and slides onto his lap, the two of them having an entire conversation with nothing but their eyes. His hand wraps around her waist instantly, and he presses a soft kiss to her cheek. A pang of envy hits me square in the chest at the sight of them.
Val seats herself on Luca’s knee, and he throws her a sweet smile that’s so unlike him that I nearly do a double-take. “Thought you said you were going to Zane’s house tonight?” she murmurs.
He gently runs a hand through her hair, as though he can’t keep himself from touching her. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “That’s what I thought I was doing when I left the office.”
She chuckles knowingly and turns to look at Lex, who smiles back at her sheepishly. I want that. Luca didn’t even tell her what happened, but she figured it out with a few words, simply because she knows him and our family that well.
“I see we all had the same idea,” Sierra says as she sits down on the sofa’s armrest, her eyes on Lex’s presentation. “Good thing we came,” she adds, grinning at Val. “These idiots are clearly thinking with their dicks.” She looks at me then, her expression spelling trouble. “You wanna know how to win Faye over? Ask a woman — or even better, ask a woman who reads romance novels like it’s her profession.”
I hold my hands up and shake my head. “I do not want to win Faye over,” I deny. “I had nothing to do with this.”
Raven stares at me and shakes her head. “Liar,” she murmurs, her expression serious. I can’t hold her gaze when she looks at me like that. Raven has always seen straight through me.
She’s always been as much of a sister to me as Sierra is, and I can’t help but wonder what she’d say if she found out about Hannah. Would she feel avenged, or would she think me twisted and cruel? If they truly knew me, would any of the people in this room want me anywhere near Faye?
“Let’s start with Faye’s interests,” Val says, and I grab the bottle of tequila Sierra brought. This is bound to be a long and painful night. At least the liquor will make tomorrow’s flight easier.
Chapter Eight
Faye
I stare at myself in the large mirrors inside Raven Windsor’s bridal boutique, my heart hollow. There’s no denying that the wedding dress my stylist chose for me is beautiful, but it isn’t me. The intricate beading and heavy lace look priceless, and it’s exactly the kind of thing a Windsor bride would wear.
I should be beyond grateful to be standing here in this dress, but each time I’ve walked into this boutique, I haven’t been able to look away from the far simpler long-sleeved silky wedding gown displayed in the corner. Its sleeves and beautiful deep neckline are made with the same signature Raven Windsor lace and beading, but everything else about it is just luxury silk falling in the most beautiful folds I’ve ever seen. I’d give the world to just try it on. If I’d ever been allowed to come here by myself, I would’ve asked to, even if it’s just so I could pretend I’m a normal bride for a few moments.
Had it been Eric I was marrying, that’s what I would’ve chosen to wear. When I close my eyes and let reality fade away, I can imagine the way he’d look standing at the end of the aisle, his eyes filled with love and surprise as I walk up to him in the dress of my dreams.
My heart constricts painfully as my fantasies melt together with my memories, until that look in his eyes is identical to the one he wore when I ended things — disbelief followed by heartbreak, until it finally morphed into helplessness. He looked at me as though he was hoping it was all an elaborate joke, and I wish it had been. If I could take it all back, I would.
“Raven really wanted to be here today,” Brianna, the store attendant, says as she walks up to me, a regretful look in her eyes. “She wanted to help you herself and be here for every one of your fittings, but her schedule is so packed that we’re having a hard time making it work.”
She shoots Abigail a similar apologetic look, and my stepmother steps in to speak to her, reassuring her that it’s fine before I have a chance to form my own reply.
Truthfully, I’m glad Raven isn’t here. She’s Dion’s eldest brother’s wife, and she intimidates me endlessly. When she looks at me, it’s almost like she sees my insecurities and fears. I’m always scared I’ll do or say the wrong thing in her presence. It’s one of the reasons I’m oddly grateful my father has kept me away from the Windsors for so long.
Every week, without fail, I’m invited to dinner at Dion’s grandmother’s house, but my father managed to fill my evenings with piano, dance, etiquette or elocution classes. I’ve always had an excuse ready to reject their invites, but I’ll have to face them soon. Being around the Windsors will make them realize how unsuited I am to be Dion’s wife, and I’m not sure how to prevent that.
Raven is a famous model and designer, while Valentina, Luca’s wife, is the COO of Windsor Finance. They’re both so powerful in their own right, and I could never measure up. I’m scared standing next to them will make the difference all the more obvious, and I’m not sure how Dion might respond to that kind of embarrassment. Powerful men rarely handle any level of humiliation well.
“It truly is a beautiful dress,” Abigail murmurs. “You’re beyond lucky that the Windsors are buying this for you, you know? There’s a waitlist of two years for a Raven Windsor wedding gown.”
Lucky. I suppose in some ways I am, yet it doesn’t feel that way. The wedding planning has made my family forget I had no choice in this union. Maybe it’s just easier for them to pretend this is all real, that I’m just a girl eager for her wedding day. It’s not uncommon for me to daydream about a different future, so maybe they’re doing the same. Maybe this is just how they’re coping.
Chloe gasps and reaches for me, her hand wrapping around my wrist. “Have you seen this?” she asks, holding up her phone. I take it from her with a frown, my stomach dropping at the sight of the photo The Herald published.
Dion was photographed smiling up at his secretary, Maria, on a beach in Spain. They look happy and relaxed, and based on their swimwear, I assume they were very much not working. They weren’t caught in a compromising position, but it was enough for the media to spin tales about how he’ll follow in his brother’s footsteps by marrying his secretary, and how they can all hear wedding bells.