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CHAPTER1
Aurelia
The hall is grand, sickeningly so. There are large columns lining the edges of the room; marble floors and gold inlay on every single item of furniture. It is an illusion, one created to make people believe the wealth and security of those in the room. Even I am dressed up like a doll, made to appear more than I am.
The black dress I’m wearing was hand-picked for me by my mother. It’s modest, but it also shows my figure in a way that will enable the pariahs who want me on their arm to circle me. It makes me available without making me seem easy.
Everything in my life is a show.
Everything is designed to make the next move on the chessboard that my mother has set up.
I am a pawn, positioned only in ways that I can make my family more powerful than they already are.
No, not my family.
My parents.
My brothers don’t care if I never marry. They don’t see me as a way to collect allies. I wish they could get me out of this, but they have to tread carefully. Charlotte and Anthony still have a lot of power within the syndicate. That puts my three brothers in a dangerous position, and I will not allow that.
I always knew I would marry for my family. Just as my brothers did. Naïvely, I never really understood what that meant until the last six months.
My mother has a turntable of suitors she is working through. I have no interest in any of them. My brothers are working on a plan to get me out of the house. They can’t seize me directly, not without coming into direct conflict with our parents, but they tell me they are working on it.
I trust my brothers, but I wish they would hurry up. My mother is growing desperate, and I worry she will force me to marry in secret.
I sip my champagne, seeking out Graham.
He is close by and that makes me relax. My current bodyguard was handpicked for me by my brother, Kane, so he’s loyal to my brother, not my parents, though I’m still wary of him. The last bodyguard I trusted handed me and my sister-in-law over to an enemy syndicate.
I know my brothers would not intentionally put an enemy in my sphere, but Charlotte is a devious bitch. She knows the game and she’s smart enough to outplay us.
I try to ignore the looks that come at me from men twice my age, all hoping to get a ring on my finger. I feel like spectacle, which is exactly what my mother wants. She would love nothing more than to have a room full of suitors arguing over me.
Speak of the devil…
The crowd of people part as my mother steps towards me. Her dress is exquisite, showing off her tanned legs and finishing on a pair of skyscraper high heels. Her blonde hair is scraped off her face in a clip at the side of her head. The silver in it catches the lights as she moves, making her sparkle. That was probably her intention. She likes to be the centre of every room.
Tonight is no exception.
“Darling, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
“No, thank you,” I say, taking a long sip of my champagne. She digs her fingers into my arm, pressing so hard it feels like she’s going to snap my bones. I try to tug away, but her grip is solid and I’m unable to move without causing a scene.
As much as I don’t care about that, I do fear what my mother will do to me in private if I overstep. It might be my father who sits at the head of the table, but I have no doubt it is my mother who controls everything he does.
I have to be careful, at least until my brothers can find a way to get me out of the house.
“You will talk to him. You will be polite, and you will make him feel wanted.” She releases her hold on me, and I resist the urge to rub my arm. “If you do not do as you are told, there will be consequences, Aurelia.”
I give her a death glare, wanting her to know how much her words piss me off. “I’ve already told you, I’m not marrying some crusty old man that you pick for me.”
Still smiling, she leans into me. “You will do what is expected of you to protect your family. All of your brothers married to make alliances.”
“Hardly. Zeke ran off and married Bailey. Luke only married Sariah because he was in love with her. The only person in our family who married because of someone you picked is Kane.” I throw my hands up in the air, feeling frustrated. “You don’t even need another alliance. You have plenty of friends.”
It is true, she does. The marriages of my brothers had, unintentionally perhaps, brought alliances and bonds with other syndicates and gangs. Bailey is the sister of Nox, the vice president of the Untamed Sons. The motorcycle club has chapters right across the UK and abroad. Kane’s marriage to Elena strengthened ties with the Adams syndicate. My brothers have carefully and swiftly removed the threats to our family.
The only one that remains is our parents. They are a far greater risk to our safety than any outside force could ever be.
