“You need to be very careful,” Grayson says quietly, and he’s never sounded more like our father. “Because if you do anything to hurt my little brother—any of my brothers—I will make you disappear.”
Aaron stands silently next to him.
Frank, for the first time since I’ve known him, looks afraid. Afraid to have all six of Stuart Richmond’s clones staring him down.
He takes a step back. Then another.
“I’m onto you, Graham. I’m onto you. You’re just like your father. You’re going to make a mistake, then you’re mine.”
43
DANI
“This is so much better than Cabo.” Greta toasts us all with her champagne.
“Totally,” Maya adds. “I don’t know who thought Cabo would have been a good idea.”
“It’s so basic.”
“So basic.”
Colette looks more and more annoyed.
“Dani, you planned the best bachelorette party.” Maya nudges me.
“I need you to be my maid of honor.” Greta dollops caviar on a cracker.
“Yeah, Colette really should have made you her maid of honor.”
“I won’t make that mistake,” Maya adds and hugs me. “Maid of honor bestie! I want a surprise destination bachelorette too!”
“Isn’t this an amazing bachelorette?” Colette’s cousin smirks at her. “You didn’t plan one this nice for me, and we’re actually family.”
“Oh, Dani!” Nora turns to me. “Can you and Graham come to the party David and I are throwing next weekend? We’d love to have you.”
“I’ll ask—he’s pretty busy,” I say weakly. “I know you don’t want just me there alone.” I laugh awkwardly.
“Nonsense. Of course, even if you come alone that’s fine. Colette,” she adds, “I know I said you could bring your friend from the FinanceLite board, but we really have to have an even number of people.”
Colette looks furious.
“Let me go see if the train butler can get us some more champagne.” I stand up under the furious glare of Colette.
“She’s plotting your downfall,” Piper tells me after I talk to the train conductor in my terrible high-school French.
“The only reason they’re being nice to me is because of Graham.” I sit down next to Piper.
Even though we took Graham’s huge private plane here, I’m exhausted from the flight—from being “on” and trying to make sure everything goes perfectly so the cool girls don’t hate me and talk shit about me to everyone back home in New York.
We’re in a window-lined train, the Glacier Express, slowly chugging through the snowy Swiss mountain ranges to the next stop on our high-end, superluxe bachelorette weekend.
“They’re acting like I’m their best friend,” I whisper. “It’s what I’ve always wanted since I was twelve years old. To be one of the cool, popular girl-squad girls. Except now I don’t even care—it feels fake and performative, and honestly? I have bigger problems.” I stare out into the icy landscape. “Graham is like… I don’t know. He’s being weird.”
“He’s rich. Billionaires are weird. Also, relationships are hard… So I’ve heard.” Piper digs her spoon into the caviar. “It’s not like I’ve actually been in one.”
“I mean, me neither. Though my brother doesn’t seem to be working all that hard on his. I had to go buy the engagement ring, for goodness’ sake.”
“Once people lose interest in the you-know-what”—we glance at the Girl Squad—“he’ll be back to his normal sexy self.”
