Two house attendants appeared almost instantly.
He nodded toward Emily and Lil Z in my arms.
“Pick whatever room y'all prefer, just not mine,” Ares instructed.
The attendants gently led them toward the hallway.
The seamstress finished pinning a fabric sample against my shoulder before quietly stepping back.
“Nous avons terminé pour le moment.”We're done for now.
She and the other woman gathered their things and slipped out of the room.
When the door closed behind them, the room felt different.
Zay pulled a chair out slowly.
“Sit.”
I didn’t argue.
I sat.
Ares leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed.
Zay rested his elbows on his knees. “I heard you were thinking about turning on me.”
I frowned.
“That’s not necessarily true.” I looked over at Ares and frowned. I knew he had told Zay that.
His expression hardened slightly. “Yu-Yu, everything I’m making you do right now is going to save your life. I told you that a million times.”
I stayed quiet.
He continued.
“I’m not making you marry Ares because of Dad’s bullshit politics.”
Zay’s voice lowered.
“I’m doing it to put you in position.”
“Position for what?” I asked.
“To replace your dumb ass momma.”
My stomach twisted.
“I don’t want her place,” I said immediately.
“You don’t have a choice. Her side of the family holds a lot that I need, and you are the only one who can step into rooms with them, without your momma.”
The words landed heavily between us.
Zay leaned forward slightly.
“You want to get rid of her and Dad, right? Remember you told me that years ago?”
