“Wrong. It wasn’t good. It was fucked up.” I clacked my teeth shut. Tristan and I had never shared what we’d done to Eva, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t start sharing now. That felt perilously close to betraying her again, and I’d jump in front of a moving train before doing that.
Haruto’s expression softened. “Give her time.”
“If I were her, I wouldn’t forgive me either.”
He cocked his head, as if trying to figure me out. “Is that why you’re sucking up to your father all of a sudden?”
Oh, fuck him.
I shouldered past, only for him to shout, “It’s still self-destructive bullshit, Cole.”
Fuck him, fuck his insight, and?—
He grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around. “You’re going to hurt her tonight,” he said. “Again.”
That knife in my soul twisted and twisted and twisted some more. But what choice did I have?
“I know.”
The ballroom glitteredwith Yorkfield’s elite, all of them dressed to impress and eager to be seen supporting children’s literacy. I’d been to a hundred of these events since I was old enough to be trotted out as an accessory for my father, and I knew exactly how to work them.
Delaney’s hand rested lightly on my arm as we moved through the crowd. She looked perfect. Her long, blonde hair curled over a dress that was painted on but somehow still looked elegant. Her jewelry was understated and expensive. And she’d already charmed three board members’ spouses while I worked the board.
“Soda water with lime,” I told the bartender. I could do this sober. Ihadto.
“Cole!” Richard Samson clapped me on the shoulder, his face already flushed from what was probably his third scotch. According to my research, he was increasingly nervous about federal oversight of Carter Industries’ offshore arrangements. “Good to see you finally taking an interest in the business. Your father must be pleased.”
“Learning a lot,” I said, keeping my tone light. “The international side is fascinating. All those regulatory considerations.”
“Regulatory nightmares, you mean.” Samson laughed, but there was an edge to it. “Half my time is spent dealing with compliance issues. Your father’s got the right idea, keeping things flexible.”
“Oh yeah? I’d love to hear more about that,” I lied. “I’m learning as much as I can, as quickly as I can. Should’ve done this years ago.”
Delaney laughed, warm and conspiratorial. “Cole’s been studying the business nonstop. I’m lucky I got him to come out tonight!”
Samson looked over her with appreciation, his eyes sliding up and down her body.Disgusting.“Well, let’s get together for a drink one day when you’re not playing or studying,” he said. “I’ll walk you through the issues in Moscow and Riyadh.”
Two more conversations yielded similar offers. I couldn’tstop the warmth I felt from the board members’ obvious delight that I was on board. My father apparently spoke well of me, no matter how he might treat me in private.
Then, Eva walked through the door on Tristan’s arm, and the air left my lungs in a rush.
She wore a slinky green dress that hugged every fucking curve, her red hair pinned up except for a few curls that fell across her face. God, she looked good on Tristan’s arm. She was glowing, smiling, happy, as his hand settled possessively on her lower back, guiding her through the crowd. He wore a tuxedo, cut perfectly. I’d bought it for him, and he must have had it tailored this year to reflect his broader shoulders.
Everything I ever wanted and couldn’t have.
Both of them.
Goddammit.
The craving hit hard. Not for Eva—though, fuck, I wanted her—but for a drink, for something to dull the razor edge of watching them together, to make the next two hours of dinner and socializing survivable.
I forced myself to turn away, to focus on the board member in front of me, some vice president droning about quarterly earnings.
But my eyes kept finding her—them—the way Tristan leaned down to whisper in her ear, the way they fit together, easy and natural, while I stood here playing the dutiful son with my fake fiancée, serving my father’s empire even as I flailed around desperately looking for a way to destroy it.
“—don’t you think, Cole?”
I had no idea what the man had asked.
