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“Did you know about this?”
“No, but I wasn’t even alive the last time this happened, and the previous heir was obviously very much married.” A picture pops in my head of the girl behind me pointing at the four brothers.
The old man’s voice grows crisp, demanding their attention. “As I’m close to my demise, my eldest grandson will be required to wed as soon as possible. Which is why I’ve tasked him to find his wife this summer. If he fails to do so, the role will be passed down to his next brother.”
The man steps away from the microphone and immediately leaves the stage. He disappears from sight, clearly wanting even less to do with this event than I do.
The whispers pick back up in the room. The girls behind me are filled with bubbly excitement.
“Did you know they’re a part of the Order Of The Saints?”
“Not just that, I heard they’re the Lords.”
That catches my interest. “Please don’t tell me you believe in that? It’s just an old wives’ tale.”
I huff out a breath. It doesn’t surprise me that the ultrarich play at secret society. Aren’t there secret societies in basically all fraternities?But I somehow can’t picture Damon playing at anything.
“You’ve just never been invited.”
“Oh, and you have?”
“Do I look like a billionaire? I dated a guy in it. He would go on for hours about him being Unsainted and how he’d soon be made a Saint. Whatever that means. I had to promise to keep it a secret. I only told a few people, but word must’ve gotten out because he showed up at my place one day, accusing me of ruining his life and how I cost him his ‘Sainthood.’ Apparently, they even did some kind of severing ritual so he can never get back in. He was furious. It was to the point I thought he was going to kill me.
“Then, out of freaking nowhere, Matthias showed up. I swear it was like he was following him or something. Never saw the guy again.”
“Have you noticed the way the men in here look at him? With a mix of envy and fear.”
“All I know for sure is out of the five most influential families, the Everettes are at the top.”
From my experience with Damon, this isn’t exactly a surprise. Something tells me he’d never settle for anything below being the king.
“Do you think this whole forced marriage thing is to gain more power through a merger with another family?”
“Probably. You know how the ultrarich are. There’s no end to their greed.”
“The only thing I know for sure is there’s never been an unmarried Everette patriarch.”
Chapter 4
Misty
Married. Married.
A sinking feeling settles deep in my gut, and the rush of noise with the announcement blurs to meaningless words as Damon steps up to his grandfather. I expect him to scowl. No one tells a man like Damon what to do. No one has that type of control, but instead, he smiles wide, taking the microphone.
“My grandfather honored me with the opportunity to bring in someone new to the Everette family. As he mentioned, I’ve been a bachelor far too long. It’s time for me to settle down and start a family of my own.” He scans the crowd in a sweeping motion as he speaks, as if looking for someone specific.
I tamp down any delusions that it might be me. Whatever happened the other night was clearly a mistake. Maybe he’s just that intense with everyone?
“The future Mrs. Everette cannot be just anyone. She’ll be courageous and fierce while simultaneously kind and giving.” His eyes slide over me, then double back until they lock on mine. “She’ll walk with pride and confidence knowing she has the support of the Everette family.”
My heartbeat rings in my ears, and my breath turns shallow as I fight against the confines of my dress to inhale.
Slender fingers wrap around my wrist, and Mia asks worriedly, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course.” My voice sounds weak even to myself.
She eyes me like she doesn’t believe me.
