I roll my eyes and hang up, heading through to the kitchen where several people are. The caterers are setting up for the wedding tomorrow, while the planners guide their staff into where things need to go.
The wedding will take place in the Garden room, it’s located in the west wing of the manor house, a sprawling space made up entirely of windows that look out onto the forest that hides the lake. The reception will then go ahead in the Grand room attached to it which is currently being converted to house the many guests that will be in attendance.
I don’t just have the council to appease with this wedding, I have the press too. I have no qualms in telling the world that little Olivia Lauder is now mine.
The wedding is to be witnessed by every council member, old and new, the record noted in the Farrow archives and the tick box checked that I am fulfilling old traditions which will further secure my seat.
I don’t bother checking on the status of things, instead I head to the drawing room. I had an office upstairs, but I’ve always preferred this room above all else.
A fire is always going inside, warming the space through the harsh winter and I guess I spent so much time in here as a kid, it’s become my sanctuary, second to my bedroom.
Except when I push open the door, I find I’m not alone.
My grandfather, Abe, sits in my chair, the old fuck drinking from my decanter. What is it with the people closest to me taking my things!?
“Get out my chair,” I grumble to my grandfather.
But he just grins, the lines in his face sinking in deeper as he does, “Malakai, my boy. Is that anyway to speak to your pops?”
I roll my eyes and despite my demand for him to vacate my chair, I perch on the desk, staring down at him. How does he look older already when I only saw him a few days ago? There’s a milkiness to his eyes, a papery thinness to his skin that wasn’t there the last time I saw him.
“You missed poker night.”
“I was busy wrangling the press. They caught wind of your upcoming nuptials.” Despite the age clearly lining every inch of him, the glint in his eyes tells a different story.
“Oh, I wonder who told them about that.” The press was needed but only one or two, not the army my grandfather has likely tipped off.
“Who knows,” He shrugs innocently, “So, where is she?”
“Who?” I tug at my shirt sleeves.
“Olivia!” He stands abruptly, “I need to welcome her to the family!”
I stifle my laugh. I can only imagine how that might go down.
“She’s out, pops, wedding dress shopping with her friend. She’ll be back later.”
I talk about her like there isn’t a single thing wrong between us but realistically, we didn’t know each other, and I didn’t plan on knowing her further than how I can rile her up and how to get her in my bed. My grandfather doesn’t need to know that though. He’s a real love kind of guy, always has been. My grandmother had been his first and only his entire life. She passed some years back now, but I’d grown up knowing them together. He worshipped the very ground she walked on.
Sucker.
“Well, I’m sticking around,” He shrugs and lowers back in the chair with a groan, “No point heading back tonight when I need to be here bright and early. Will I still be walking her down the aisle? She has nofather, right?”
I stifle my wince. I had a hand in her father’s death, even if I wasn’t the one to pull the trigger.
It started when Regina’s uncle wanted more in his business. He owned a long line of luxury hotels and had expanded but the Lauder’s were in his way. He wanted their business too. At the time I needed a wife, and agreed to help him take down his competition. It gave me more places to run my money through anyway.
But as it turned out, Olivia’s father was feeling the pressure and had hired one of my own guys to take out the competition too.
Funny how the world works that way.
But things went wrong, Olivia’s father died, and her sister witnessed it.
That’s how I ended up with sweet Olivia in my grasp.
“Yeah, pops, you’re walking her down the aisle.”
“It doesn’t seem right to walk her down when I haven’t even met the girl!” He tuts, drinking from his glass, “We will all have dinner tonight.” He declares.
