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Zeke sits on the other side of her, pulling her into his arms. “What happened?”
“What do you think happened?” Lucas snarls. “Our fucking parents.”
Zeke’s jaw clenches. “What did they do?”
“I’m okay,” Aurelia says.
Her eyes find mine across the room, and as we lock visions, I feel my heart clench. I want to pull her into my arms. I want to tell her everything will be okay. I want to protect her from her parents.
From anything that might touch her.
My fingers twitch, but I can’t go to her. Not like I did after she was abducted.
She finally looks away and gives her focus back to her brothers.
“What happened?” Zeke asks, his voice softening.
Aurelia sighs, sliding her mug onto the table. “I went to a gala tonight. I thought it was just a normal event. There would be stuffy pricks there, but I’ve done hundreds of them before and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.” I curl my fingers into fists as I hear the hurt in her voice. “Charlotte called me into a room. There was a man waiting. Some Lord she’s blackmailing into marrying me. He must sixty, maybe older. He didn’t seem into it at first, but then… whatever she has on him must be dirty.” She glances down at her hands. “She gave him the okay to… touch me. To sample me before he put a ring on my finger.”
Anger rolls through me. What the hell is wrong with Charlotte fucking Fraser? Aurelia is her child. How could she say that?
Sariah bites her lip. She faced her own shit with her narcissistic prick of a father who also tried to marry her to a man twice her age.
Thanks to Aurelia’s brother, Kane, he is fertilising the ground somewhere.
“She can’t go back there.”
“She’s not,” Lucas agrees.
Zeke blows out a breath, rubbing at his temple. “Fucking Charlotte.”
Lucas shakes his head, disgust playing across his face. I understand why they hate their mother. Charlotte is a classic narcissist who is so consumed with keeping power she would sacrifice every single one of her children to ensure she made the right connections.
I’m loyal to the Firm—or rather Zeke. I couldn’t give a fuck about Charlotte or Anthony. If her sons broke away, I would follow them into the fucking fires of Hell. They have earned my loyalty.
Charlotte and Anthony have not.
“You can stay with me and Bailey,” Zeke says to his sister. “I’ve got an extra bedroom. It’s yours for as long as you need it.”
Aurelia closes her eyes and takes a steadying breath. “Thank you.”
“You’re our sister, Aurelia. We’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
Lucas moves to the back of the sofa, placing his hands on his wife’s shoulders. No doubt he is remembering her plight not so long ago. Sariah grasps his hand, drawing on his strength.
“Kane already told Charlotte you weren’t to be forced into a marriage. She knows we won’t allow it to happen. She’s playing with fire forcing this fucking issue,” Lucas tells her.
Aurelia’s eyes fill with anger. There are no tears. She’s pissed off more than anything else.
Good.
I want her to hold on to that anger.
It’s what will keep her strong.
“She’s determined for me to marry. She’s not going to stop until she’s forced me down the aisle. I’m not marrying some crusty old guy!”
As she gets more animated, Sariah grabs her hands and gives her a warm smile.
