AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whatever,” I say and pull Lacey with me as we pay for them. Whatever his problem is, is just that - his. He doesn’t need to be an ass to Lacey and I.
Walking around the ballroom, I'm surprised by how many people are actually here. There's way more than the two hundred guests here. If I were to guess, I'd say there's at least double that. Each and every one of them are clinging onto every word Mom and Harrison say. A waitress walks around with a tray of champagne in her hands, and I can't help myself, my arm reaches for a glass, and I bring it to my mouth. This party is boring as hell.
"Where did you get that from?" Lacey asks coming to stand beside me, where I was hiding in the corner, hoping and praying that no one comes up to me and congratulates me on having such a wonderful stepfather. "I want one." She pouts as she searches the room.
I point to the woman walking around with a tray in her hand. "The waitress is handing them out, be quick about it though. If Mom sees us with them, she'll have a heart attack."
She nods quickly before making her way over to the waitress. My eyes find Mom. She's in the middle of a conversation with some women. They remind me of Stepford wives. They’re standing with their back straight, their movements robotic as they sip their drinks or laugh. This party isn't about a celebration, it's about flaunting their wealth, and I'm dying to escape. Looking back to Lacey, she’s talking to Barney, a drink in hand, her eyes narrowed. Barney sure knows how to piss her off.
"Ugh." Lacey groans as she comes to stand beside me once again. "He's a jerk, there's something seriously wrong with him."
"What now?" I ask, finding this highly amusing even though she calls him a jerk, she wants him.
"He apologized, and I accepted it, but his cell rang and just like that," She clicks her fingers, "he's back to being an ass. He's giving me whiplash."
A hush of silence falls over the room, and I glance up to see what's got everyone so quiet. My eyes meet the deepest brown set of eyes that I have ever seen, ones that haunt my dreams. My breathing stops as I stare at the man that I've not been able to get off of my mind.
"Mia?" Lacey questions, "Are you okay?"
"It's him," I whisper, my hand reaching out to grab a hold of hers. "It's my mystery man." I peer at her, and her eyes are on him too.
Her mouth pops open, "But Mia, that's Hudson."
I gasp, as butterflies swarm in my stomach. What the hell is he doing here? “Fuckity fuck,” I mutter as he walks towards us. That’s the man that I slept with. My mystery man, the one that I’ve had deep dark fantasies about, is my stepbrother.
Seven
Hudson
"Son, tell me you didn't," Dad says as I sit beside him on the bench.
When he called and asked me to meet him here at Golden Gate Park, I knew that he was going to start his shit.
"Didn't what?" There's no mistaking my tone. I don't like being questioned, especially from my own father.
"The fire, the body. It was a fucking cop. Christ." He shakes his head as h
is fist clenches, "Tell me something Hudson, was I wrong to hand the reins over to you?"
"Fuck no." I fire back, "What happened last night, it was my way of regaining control of the men that had begun to wane. The men that had put their trust in you, the men that believed they'd retire when they were too old, just as you would. The men that don't believe that I'm capable of the job. Don't sit there and make assumptions. You know nothing. Nothing. I was in shit creek because of your rash actions, and now I'm finally fixing it."
He intakes a sharp breath, followed by another, and another. He's calming himself down, not wanting to say something he'll regret. People wonder where I get being a hothead from? My dad. "Son, I know that things with Tina went a lot faster than any of us had imagined, but she's the only woman that I've loved."
I bite my tongue; he treated my mom like shit for years, always cheating on her. Making her out to be the reason as to why he was stepping out on her, that she was the reason he was acting the way he did. I hate him for the way he treated her but he's my dad, he was my boss, there was nothing I could do about it. The shit he says about how he and Tina are in love pisses me off, if she's the only woman he loved, then why the hell was he stringing Mom along for so damn long?
"Tina gave me an ultimatum. It was her or the organization."
I let out a bitter laugh, "Nice, Dad, you chose her over your family." I spit the word out, and he doesn't react. "Is there a particular reason you wanted to meet? Because it sure as hell wasn't to talk about what may or may not have happened last night."
"Will you be at the party tonight?"
Of course, he's checking to make sure that I'm going to be there to see my new stepmom and step-sister, God, I can't think of anything worse. "I've said I'll be there, so I'll be there." I stand, "Are we done?" I need to meet the men and get a status update of what went down last night after I left them.
He sighs as he stands, "Yeah, we're done."
I shake my head. He doesn't get what a mess he handed me when he passed on the crown. It was a poison chalice, one that I'm still trying to find an antidote for. "I'll see you tonight," I say and begin to stride towards my Bentley. He doesn't say anything and I carry on walking, not surprised that he's silent. He chose to leave this world, he needs to remember that. Climbing into the back of the car, I just settle into the seat when my cell begins to ring. Seeing Jagger's name on the screen makes me wonder what the hell Carina's done this time. Every time he calls me the bitch has fucked up in one way or another.
"What’s she done now?" It's my way of a greeting. Martin begins to drive, his hands tight against the wheel. Seems it's a day for everyone to be in a pissy mood.
