Athena was sixteen but well on her way to being a genius. She did ballet like Mom asked, but I’d seen her report cards and heard the praise teachers heaped on her, and she had a brain that could one day rival Alton’s. “I missed you, too.” Her voice softened and she relaxed in my arms. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were dating Alton Bouchard. He’s won New Gothenburg’s Outstanding Businessman Award ten years running. Do you know how incredible that is?”
I released her so she could step back, and the excitement in her eyes had my heart hurting. “No, I don’t.”
She rolled her black-rimmed eyes and laughed. “Of course you don’t. That’s so like you, Noah. You get lost in your art world, and yet you manage to pick up the sexiest, most intelligent man in New Gothenburg, and have no idea who you’re dating, let alone marrying.”
“I’m sorry?” Guilt twisted up inside me as I stared down at the dimple in her chin.
She grinned, flashing me the braces Mom had demanded she get because “all stars need to have straight, perfect teeth.” Shrugging, she said, “I was teasing you. Tell me, though, when did you start dating him? Why didn’t you tell me? And then you get engaged and youstilldidn’t tell me? I thought we were close.”
“We are. It happened so quickly. We met, fell in love, and then he was asking me to marry him.” The lie tasted poisonous on my tongue and I swallowed around my shame. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d lied to Athena. We told each other everything, commiserating about life with the parents we had. If only I could tell her what they’d done this time, but I didn’t want her to feel bad. I smiled. “Alton’s great.”
She giggled and shoved my shoulder. “I bet he is. I’ve read stories about him on internet forums. He’s outstanding.” She paused and checked around us before leaning in to whisper, “I want to major in business.”
“I bet you haven’t told Mom that yet,” I said with a wince. Mom had always seen herself in Athena and wanted her to do what she never got to—go on to dance professionally. But what both our parents failed to see was that we weren’t them.
She shook her head, a brown ringlet bouncing against her face. “I’m leaving it to the last possible minute. It worked for you, didn’t it?”
“Barely. You remember how Dad and I fought.” I’d thought he was going to kick me out of the house. My gaze slid to our parents again where they were conversing with one of the men Alton had pointed out at that... game. They were laughing, and the man was saying something to my dad, which had his face twisting in irritation, a slight change that most people wouldn’t be able to recognize. But I could. I knew his expressions well.
Athena winced. “Oh yeah, that was a horrible night.”
For everyone.I sighed. “Thena, you know I’m going to tell you to do whatyouwant, but be prepared for Mom to fight you the whole way.”
“I wish it was easy for us.” She nudged me with her shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her tight against me and kissing her cheek.
“Me too.”
“Speaking of one of the devils,” she murmured.
I glanced up to see Dad heading toward us, mouth pursed thinly. He stopped to say hello to someone and give them a fake smile before he was back on track and finally reached us. His brows dipped in disapproval at Athena, who heaved a sigh and gave Dad a withering smile that would have rivaled Mom’s as she left, her dress cascading behind her in a waterfall of silk.
Dad huffed. “She’s too much like her mother.”
“She’s nothing like Mom. Or you.” I glared at him. “What do you want? I’ve done what you asked. I married the man, and I’ll be his fuck toy for six months.”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” he growled out, low in his throat. He threw a smile toward a woman I didn’t know who fluttered her fingers at him. “I’m still your father, boy.”
“Are you?” I hated how teary I sounded, but I kept my composure. “No father would sell his son off like a whore.”
He glared at me and grabbed my wrist. “Grow up, Noah. We’ve all made sacrifices. This is yours.”
A cleared throat had Dad stepping away, and I was relieved to see Alton. Even though he was a terrifying man with dubious intentions most of the time, he felt safer than Dad. At least he’d mostly told the truth of what he wanted—revenge on my dad. The fucked-up part was that I could easily see why he would go to these lengths to get it.
“Edison, are you tormenting my husband?” Alton flashed him a charming smile and stepped closer to me, curling his arm around my waist and dragging me against his side.
Dad gave him his “business” smile, the one he used for men he didn’t like but had to be nice to. “Alton, of course not. We were having a conversation.”
“Certainly you were. While I have you here, I’d like to let you know I’ll be coming into the office tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Dad frowned and touched his suit, fiddling with a button there.
“Yes. Now that Noah and I are married, your business is mine, too. Well, we both know it was never yours.” Alton talked with the confidence of ten men. I could see why he’d been so successful.
Dad laughed. “I think you may be confused, Alton. It doesn’t work like that.”
“It does. You see, I did a little digging and found something very interesting. You aren’t the owner of the Divine Conglomerate. Noah is.”
Dad stepped back, surprised. He glanced at me, then back to Alton. “I don’t think I understand.”
