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A flicker of genuine hurt and regret crossed Alicia’s features before she masked it behind a tight, polite smile. She nodded at my sister, allowing her to lead her away toward a cluster of people standing near the center of the room.

Strangely, seeing her so obviously upset made a pang of guilt strike through me. I actually felt bad for her, which was a highly unexpected development, but she’d simply wanted to do her job instead of being paraded around like a trophy wife.

“Look who crawled out of the family bunker,” a drawling, arrogant voice sneered from behind me. “I’m surprised to see you here, Holden.”

I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling a deep breath to keep my temper from redlining at the mere sound of that voice. Carter Wainscroft had always been a total shithead. The heir to another legacy powerhouse, his family had made their money in energy, and ironically, he’d never really had any.

The only energy Carter had ever given off was please hit me. Hard.

Tonight, he was holding a velvet mask on a stick, looking at me with a lazy smirk on his lips. Ryan and Wyatt had been standing only a few feet away, but as soon as Carter made his appearance, they anchored themselves to my flanks.

“Wainscroft,” I said. “It’s my sister’s party. Where else would I be? I’m surprised they let you in, though.”

He ignored the jab, still smirking as he took a slow sip of his champagne. “Tell me, are you guys the caterers tonight or was Alex just feeling charitable? I suppose he probably had a few complimentary passes to hand out.”

I snapped my fingers. “Oh, so that’s how you got in.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed. “You know, with your dear old dad getting out of his federal cage soon, I figured you’d all be waiting upstate, ready to help him pack his bags for the big day. I mean, I guess I’m just shocked you’re all still in the city.”

I didn’t even blink, so used to being picked on for our father’s catastrophic failures that he was going to have to try a lot harder to get a reaction out of me. Over the past decade, I’d developed a thick, impenetrable armor against the legacy trash talk. My father was a criminal who was going to be released soon. Dealing with the fallout of his impending release was simply the natural progression of our situation.

Unfortunately, Carter’s haughty gaze drifted past me then, tracking across the floor until it locked on the far side of the room where Alicia was standing with Jane. She was nodding along to a conversation, navigating the sweet-talking of wealthy patrons like she’d grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth.

Carter let out a disgusting whistle under his breath. “Then again, maybe the Thayer name still has some currency after all. Who’s that delicious morsel in the red dress? Because damn, if she’s looking for an upgrade from bankruptcy, tell her to come find me by the bar. I’m more than happy to show her what actual liquidity looks like.”

A blinding wave of fury erupted in my chest and I saw red, stepping directly into Carter’s personal space and deliberately blocking his view of her. He took a stumbling step back, the smirk finally faltering as he stared up at me with the color draining from his cheeks.

“Say that again,” I rumbled quietly, a cool, dangerous warning in every word. “Repeat exactly what you just said.”

“Holden, chill,” Ryan hissed from my left shoulder, his hand clamping onto my forearm with an iron grip. “Don’t do this. Not here.”

“Back off, bro,” Wyatt warned in a low, tense murmur. “The press is right outside.”

I didn’t care about the press, the gala, or doing any more damage to our family name. God knew, it had taken a few hits and we were still here.

If I got labeled as the resident thug, then so be it. I took another step closer, my jaw clenching so hard that I felt a muscle jump in my cheek as I glared down at Carter, so much raw malice coursing through me that it could probably stop my heart—or his.

Hopefully the latter.

“Are you sure you want to talk about liquidity, Carter?” I growled. “Say one more word about the woman in the red dress and let’s see what happens to your teeth. You might just become intimately acquainted with a different kind of liquid for the next three to six months.”

His face went completely pale, that insufferable arrogance vanishing as he finally seemed to realize that I was perfectly willing to lay him out on the marble floor. “Look, Thayer, it was just a joke.”

“That is my wife,” I growled, the word tearing out of me with an intense, possessive finality that shocked even me. “If I ever hear your pathetic mouth open about her again, I will personally ensure that you become a sad little footnote in your family’s history.”

Carter bowed his head, turned on his heels, and practically sprinted to the safety of the crowded atrium. My hands curled into tight, shaking fists as I watched him go, adrenaline roaring through my veins and the rage still burning hot.

“Fuck, Holden,” Ryan muttered as he patted my shoulder. “You really need to work on anger management.”

“Nice delivery, though,” Wyatt said, grinning like he was impressed. “I thought you said you didn’t like her.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring both of them as my gaze cut across the crowded floor. Alicia must’ve escaped from Jane at some point because she was standing only a few feet away, staring directly at me.

Our eyes locked, and from the pale, stunned expression on her face, she’d heard at least the last part of that unfortunate exchange. She’d heard me claim her in front of the entire city, but she didn’t look relieved or even a little bit happy.

Instead, those hazel eyes filled with a profound sadness that crushed whatever sense of victory I’d just felt. Then she slowly turned her back to me and started striding toward Jane and her group again. A knot formed in my stomach, tightening into an agonizing vise as she disappeared into the crowd.

CHAPTER 20