Katarina quirks one single brow, before she turns back to me. “If I can come, I’ll tell you what you wish to know.”
That makes my mouth snap shut. It only takes a half second and I’ve decided. “Ken. Kat is going to need a dress.”
CHAPTER SIX
Katarina
We pull up to Grandmont,and I give myself two seconds to stare.
I’ve been in palaces that shine less than Win’s estate.
It’s the fact that it has clearly been renovated. Every stone polished to perfection, every tree, shrub, and window perfectly lit despite the deep dark of the midnight sky.
And then there is the elegance. It’s neither too much nor to little. It’s just right.
“Nice digs,” I say with a smirk, intentionally using slang. If I had gum, I’d blow a bubble right now and then let it pop.
I know I’m being a brat, goading Win, but it’s just…so much fun.
His face when I called him an ogre was priceless.
And besides, he holds way too much power in our relationship. Making him think I don’t like him will shift some of it back my way.
Which is easy.
Because I don’t like him. He’s arrogant, surly, and attempting to be my newest jailer.
I’ve met a lot of handsome men, looks do little to sway me. Win is hard and uncompromising. I’d add unfeeling, except, I’m very clearly getting under his skin, so perhaps there is a bit of emotion there after all.
“Thank you,” he responds, his glare firmly in place. “It’s cozy, but it’s home.”
Did he just make a joke?
I find myself smiling, despite my better judgment, and my newfound plan is set to irritate. “I bet the ballroom is…intimate. Much smaller than Triston’s.”
“You’ve seen Triston’s house?”
I was supposed to have my reception there. But as Win has introduced me to Ken as a family friend and not as his almost sister-in-law, I’m assuming we’re not discussing my connection to the family. He didn’t give my full name or even my actual given name.
No one calls me Kat.
I briefly consider letting the “cat” out of the bag, but I decide against it. Much as I like goading him, I’m guessing he’s got solid reasons for keeping my identity shrouded. Whether those reasons are to my advantage or not, I don’t know.
So, at least for now, I’ll follow his lead. “Once. Yes.”
The car pulls to a stop, Ken remaining seated as Win climbs out of the car. “Dukes exit first,” Ken whispers to me in this smug voice, that tells me he thinks I don’t know.
I’m aware of royal rules. I might be the daughter of a glorified gangster, but he’s kept me alive for a reason.
I’ve been groomed to marry a man like Win.
It’s why all the scars have been confined to my torso. In a dress, I’m flawless.
To be clear, my father doesn’t dream of me marrying a man of title for my benefit. It’s for his. He wants the validation of joining his family to royalty, as if that would mean he belonged. As if it would increase his own significance.
I’ve never understood why he thinks like that. For me, it’s about what you do, not about who you know.
I step out of the car, Win standing next to the open door.
