The officiator is saying something as the burial liner lowers the casket into the ground, and the media representatives surrounding the cemetery go wild – flashing their cameras and capturing pictures of the moment, and of Chase as he all but breaks down in grief.
I roll my eyes and look at Cignette again, and what I see makes a grin spread across my face. She’s smirking at the dug-up hole in which the casket has just been placed, and there’s something about her expression that’s so beautifully aberrant, that it makes a fire burn in the very center of my chest. I don’t know what the hell it means, or why it’s as strong as it is, but what Idoknow is that it’s coming from so deep inside me, that it threatens to consume me entirely.
And if I’m being honest, I would let it scorch the fuck out of me ifthisis how it’ll make me feel for the rest of my days.
The crowd starts to disperse, and I watch as Cignette heads towards the parking area with Maverick. The ceremony’s over, it seems.
Turning away from the cemetery, I push back my hood, then ruffle my sweaty hair and start walking down the street to my Harley.
60.
“What?” I say in disbelief, staring at my uncle. He’s sitting at the head of the conference room table inImperia, surrounded by his team and a few investors. I’m standing next to him, with Mave behind me. I’m glad he’s here with me, because there’s a strong chance I might fall after having heard what Uncle Chase has just said to me.
I was in Mave’s Range Rover, about to head back to the estate after the funeral ceremony, when I’d gotten a call from my uncle. He asked me to come toImperiabecause he had something important to tell me, and even though I’d beenthisclose to saying no to him, I’d agreed.
Now I wish I’d just said no.
“I don’t want you to fight me on this, Cignette,” he tells me with a frown. “Because my decision will not change.”
“You’re sellingLureto strangers, goddamn it! And you didn’t even think of discussing it with me in private before holding a meeting about it.”
Frustration flashes across his face. “Thismeeting, as you call it, is not aboutLure; it’s about my campaign. But because Mr. and Mrs. Goswami are here already, I thought I could finalize everything with them so that the paperwork process can begin. Besides, they aren’t strangers to me. They’re one ofLure’sbiggest investors, so it makes sense for them to buy the company, now that your mother is gone.” His expression crumples at the last bit, but he manages to neutralize it without anyone noticing it.
My hands clench around the table’s blunt edge. “Lureis mine by right. You can’t take it from me like this.”
“It was your mother’s wish,” he says, shocking me further. “She wantedLureto be sold to someone who paid handsomely for it, and she wanted the sum to be used in our charities. But my sister wasn’t the best when it came to handling wealth, so I’ve decided that the money Mr. And Mrs. Goswami have agreed to pay forLure, will be transferred to your account.” He shifts in his chair and moves closer to me. “You’re anAdler, sweet pea. You’ve got money beyond comprehension. You don’t need to run a company. Hell, you don’t even have towork. Whatever I’ve done over the years, I’ve done for you. You’ve got everything you need; can’t you see that?”
“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” I ask. “Or do you want me to build a temple in your name – withLure’smoney, of course – and worship you like a damn God or some shit for the generosity you’re showing me?”
“Cignette.” His dark eyes narrow slightly, indicating that he’s upset. “You willbehave.”
“Don’t treat me like a child,” I hiss.
“Then stop fucking acting like one!” He slaps the table in hopes of rattling me, but I don’t even blink, which surprises him a little.
“I have a vision forLure. I have things I want to do, to change in it. I wanna run the place; take it to new heights. Don’t steal that opportunity from me,” I say.
“You’ve never really shown any interest in the brand, so forgive me if I don’t take your word for it,” Uncle Chase counters. “I’d rather sellLureand walk away from it with money, than watch it fall, and then beg people to invest in it. Because let’s face it, the brand is struggling, and there’s barely a chance it’ll bounce back to how it used to be.”
I don’t know what to say to that. I’m hurt by his words, but he’s right, isn’t he? I’ve spent so long keeping my voice to myself in fear of enraging my mom, and in turn, him, that my intentions never really got a chance to be seen. I’ve spentyearscowering and sticking to the sidelines, and it’s only since Dorran came into my life that I’ve found the strength I didn’t even know I had. And I know it sounds like I’m firing a gun from over his shoulder, but that’s not the case. Dorran is the catalyst that broke my cycle of cowardice. He awakened in me what has been there from the very beginning: the power to fight for myself, and for what’s mine. Seeing him, listening to him, and understanding the ways he works in, has inspired me to be stronger. There’s nothing wrong with that, in my opinion, but I understand how some might think he influenced me the wrong way, or that I’ve become dependent on him in all the ways a woman shouldn’t be on a man like him.
“Let me at least try to manage the HQ for a few months,” I tell Uncle Chase. “One shot – that’s all I’m asking for.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t have the time for it, nor the energy.Lureis a lost cause, and you’ll do good by letting it go.”
“You won’t budge, regardless of what I say,” I state the obvious, then step away from him. The people around the table pretend to focus on their laptops and files, but I know they’ve heard everything. “If you were going to be unreasonable from the start, why call me here? You should have done what you thought is right, because that’s exactly what you’ve ended up doing anyway.” I turn around, ignoring the eyes that track my every move, and walk out of the room.
I bypass some of the hotel staff on my way out, and stop only when I’ve reached Mave’s car. I realize that my hands are fisted, and the anger I feel is making me dizzy.
I stop in front of the Range Rover and glare at one of its back tires. Digging my heels into the ground, I grit my teeth and ready myself to kick said tire, but before I can swing a foot to do just that, Mave grabs me by the waist and lifts me, then places me a safe distance from his car.
“No,” he says when I sneer at him.
“How could he do this to me?”
“It’s done, Nettie.”
“I know, okay? But how could he fuckingdothis?” I raise my hands in exasperation and exhale heavily. “What the fuck was he thinking?”
