“I don’t want her to have it. Not after she disrespected me. If she wanted it that bad, she could’ve just asked nicely.”
“Lucienne.” Mom’s whine is full of embarrassment.
Rodericktsks. “It’s no big deal if your sister wants to put it on for a bit. We’ve been trying so hard to teach you to share.”
I shoot him a look filled with contempt. It’s impossible to hide how much I despise him.
“Why should she share?” Grandfather says.
There’s a sudden silence in the room. “Wha-what?” Roderick stammers.
“Why should Lucienne have to share anything if she doesn’t wish to?” Grandfather turns his attention to me. “You may go and get yourself warm,” he says, as though he hasn’t noticed a man’s coat on me.
I nod, go into my room and lock the door behind me. My heart starts racing, a delayed reaction to the scene I just took part in. The air in my lungs shudders out. If it weren’t for Mr. Coat’s encouragement, I would’ve apologized for inconveniencing everyone. Then I would’ve put up with all sorts of sly put-downs from Karl and Vonnie, all the while pretending I was fine, even as fury and resentment built up like acid.
It feltso goodto lash out! And show Vonnie that nothing she takes from me is valuable enough that I’ll just accept it back with relieved gratitude. Besides, the pearls were a reminder of just how little I matter to Mom. I don’t need a present like that.
Mr. Coat was right. If I don’t respect myself, I’ll be left with nothing.
I walk to the bed, my legs still a little shaky. I shrug the coat off and hug it, burying my nose in the soft fabric, inhaling the spicy, woodsy scent. As I tighten my hold, something crinkles. I reach into the inside pocket and pull out a yellow paper. It’s a credit card slip with a name at the end: Sebastian Lasker.
So that’s who he is.I smile a little, then unplug my phone from the charger and look him up.
My smile falters when Google tells me he’s in line to inherit Sebastian Jewelry, Peery Diamonds’s rival. And when the search engine shows me photos of him with other women in short dresses, something cold and lumpy settles in my heart. Which is stupid. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend or anything.
I toss the phone on the pillow and hug the coat again.Who cares?None of those women got his coat, I think, sinking my fingers into the soft fabric.
Chapter 2
Lucienne
–eleven years later
Theft in and of itself is awful enough. But by your own family? That should come with some public flogging.
As my limo slogs through the streets of Barcelona, I glare at the video that just popped up on my social media feed. It stars Karl, flashing his standard dick smile. The background indicates he’s in a casino, living the life of a high-roller.
His physical resemblance to Roderick wasn’t really obvious when he was a teenager, but now he looks like a replica. The brown hair, the Roman nose that’s a bit too large for his slightly narrow face. His jaw is somewhat narrow, and if his chin receded just a tad more it’d be considered weak. But he has an irritatingly excellent pair of wide-set brown eyes that make up for the other subpar features. Mom often told me she fell in love with Roderick when she looked into his eyes, like that could excuse years of neglect.
I wish Karl had beady, bloodshot eyes that reflected what a horrible human being he is.
“The key to a great poker game—towinningthat game—is having a heart of steel and a face that betrays nothing.” He winks.
Yeah, sure. He can’t bluff to save his life. I’ve seen two-year-olds who lie better. In addition, the casinos know he gets wild and unpredictable after a few whiskeys, which is why they ply him with alcohol the second he steps inside. He loses heavily, but he continues to push his nonexistent luck because he’s convinced that the great win is waiting for him just around the corner.
Karl waves a hand around, a cigar between his fingers, and holds forth about his gambling strategies. Is that a Cohiba Behike? I squint at the screen. Oh yes, it is.
Fury slashes at me. There’s no way he can afford cigars that cost hundreds of dollars with his own money. He doesn’t make enough as a junior marketing executive.
Wanting him to do something useful, Grandfather gave him a position at Peery Diamonds. Karl managed to climb the ladder, although I’m certain nepotism had a lot to do with his glowing evals and promotions.
Regardless, he did what he could because he thought he might be able to suck up to Grandfather and get a portion of the Peery fortune. He even pretended that he wasn’t furious when Grandfather capped his annual salary at two hundred thousand dollars, although it’s two hundred thousand too high, if you ask me. Karl quit showing up for work since Grandfather passed away a little over a year ago. Karl got nothing in the will, and he’s done hiding how he really feels about having to work.
I wish I could fire him, but I can’t exert my full influence at Peery Diamonds yet, even though I’m the CEO. I’mfemale, in addition to being “still too young” and “unmarried.”
That godawful Gwen was right. The laws of Nesovia are on Roderick’s side on every level. Until I turn thirty or get married, I’m not allowed to run Peery Diamonds unencumbered or freely use the trust fund Mom left me when she lost control of her Jet Ski.
Currently, Roderick’s acting as my trustee, which is laughable because he’s about as trustworthy as Judas. Roderick votes as my proxy at every shareholders’ meeting, and he’s been doing everything to screw with me and reward his allies within the company. He even made himself a “consultant” at Peery Diamonds. I have no idea what he “consults” on, since he knows nothing about the jewelry business. In addition, his self-directed generosity knows no bounds, and he’s taking advantage, spending my money lavishly on himself and his twins.
