He smiled like a child waiting for someone to ask. Pathetic, really. But I needed answers. Anything to make my head less cloudy and my heart stop racing.
Arthur sniffed, hands clasped behind his back, pacing like before. “See, there was a reason I left your mum—so I could focus on myself, the way I’d always planned. I never lovedSuzie. She was a quick fuck that turned into the worst mistake I’d ever made. Soon enough Harriet arrived, and two years later… so did you.” His pacing stopped, hands slipping into pockets. “I fucked up. I lost sight of what I wanted, and while you were too young to remember me, before I could love you, I ran.”
“To do what?”
His head tilted. “The exact same thing Marcus Romano decided to do.” He stood before me. “Holland Solutions was my baby before you and your sister ever existed. We were… God, we were the best. We provided the highest-level security to society and politics. For Christ’s sake, we had Tony Blair under us at one point.” His face reddened, index finger pointed at me. “We were on our way to a global clientele, Cora. And then…” He turned to glare at Oscar before looking back at me. “Romano got one of our most high-profile clients, and slowly, we lost everything.”
Quiet conviction settled over him. His eyes closed, then opened, locked on me. “Within a year, I was worse off than when I started. No money, no life, just the realisation that this was all I’d ever wanted—and I’d do anything, by any means, to get it back.”
I winced. “Is that what this is about? I was stolen from possibly the best night of my life with the man I love because his company was better than yours? Is that why I’m here?”
He shook his head. “You were never supposed to be here. You were just supposed to keep him busy.”
Oscar moved closer, clearing out his throat and mirroring his brother’s shadowy movements—the only difference being I felt safe in Marcus’.
“The stalking plan was easy. I knew the guilt eating him alive would make him invested, and I was right. It was nothing personal—just a way to keep him off my back while I passed everything over to this one.” He nodded at Arthur.
I shook my head. “He’s your brother. How could you? Aftereverything?”
Everythinghit his ears, and for a moment, I swear I saw that same look Marcus gave me whenever the word“Lana”passed between us like a fragile teacup.
Oscar’s eyes narrowed before it fully formed; the power in them was all I could see. “I did this to help him.” His head shook. “When our sister was attacked, I saw him change. He became obsessed with making everything in our lives perfect, building a fucking empire to feed his ego trip. He turned this awful thing into our entire lives, and I was done letting him pretend he could save anyone.” He looked at Arthur. “Your dad sniffed me out first. Undercover at a bar, next to me at Knicks games, until we became friends. Then he drew the truth out of me—and that’s when he told me his plan.”
Arthur smiled. “I wanted to be on top again.”
My eyes narrowed right at him. “To feedyourego trip?”
“To make every decision in my life worth the cost.” He wandered, face stony. “And when I had someone on the inside, all I needed was to drag Romano away from what was mine. I knew what I did about his past, and I knew you’d wearhim down so he had no energy to even notice his company crumbling. Then you made him fall in love with you, and suddenly… you became the answer to making his company mine.”
“Ours,” Oscar interrupted. “You mean ours.”
Dad didn’t budge immediately. He kept his eyes on me in a way that told me every dark thought circling his thick skull. Then, a heartbeat later, his attention drifted to Oscar. “About that…” My heart sank, and I watched Oscar’s face shift. “Now don’t get me wrong, without you, none of this would be possible. But for this to work, I can’t have another slimy Romano creeping after me.”
Oscar shook his head, skin as pale as the moon watching over us. “No.”
Wickedness slicked across Arthur’s smile. “I’m afraid so.” He clapped a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “But genuinely, thank you. For everything. Come to me if you ever need a reference or… anything.” He walked back toward me.
Oscar’s face reddened, arms wide with betrayal. “You can’t do this!”
Arthur spun. “I can do anything now.” Before I could scream, the gun was pointed at Oscar. “Thanks to you.”
I’d never heard a gunshot before. If you haven’t either, I'll tell you it’s the scariest sound to exist.
I considered ripping at my ties, slicing my wrist just to cover my ears. The shot reverberated, soaring off the sky, deafening me. Oscar clutched his shoulder, the blood seeping through his white shirt, almost perfectly matching his tux.
I don’t know why I screamed. Oscar had betrayed me, betrayed Marcus, and what I'd just watched was pure karma. But I couldn’t stop it.
“Are you crazy?” I yelled, hands shaking behind my back, knees nearly buckling. “What are you thinking?”
Arthur stood over Oscar as he fell against the brick wall, groaning as he slumped. Slowly, Arthur walked back to me, gun still in hand. He lifted a hand, brushing my tear-streaked cheeks. “Why don’t we wait for our guest of honour before question time?”
“No need.”
A deep voice sounded behind me. I spun, my dress twirling around my feet.
And when I saw him, my heart sighed.
Marcus glanced at me for a second, then over my shoulder at my dad. In a heartbeat, his look shifted from admiration to pure anger.
