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“See you all in a year.” I gave them a half wave as I backed away. “Hopefully, you three destroy each other before then.”
“We’ll see you a lot sooner than that.” Eli’s haunting gaze promised nothing but my misery. “Watch your back, Kat.”
“Your threats mean nothing when you still listen to your parents like good little boys.”
Without waiting for their response, I turned my back on them and walked toward Everly. My words were much more convincing than my thoughts at the moment. They knew I was in Michigan. Going to school only three hours away from here. It was the truth that they couldn’t hurt me. But I had a feeling this might be the first time they’d disobey the rules and come after me anyway.
Maybe I really should have gone to Europe like my mom wanted.
CHAPTERFOUR
“Yesterday was a nightmare,and now your parents want me over for dinner on a Friday night?” West asked as he followed me into the huge foyer of my family home. “We don’t have dinner with the parents unless it’s Sunday. Something’s going on.”
“It can’t be any worse than finding out River is coming back,” I grumbled, agreeing with him. My parents wouldn’t have called this dinner unless there was a reason for it.
We strode across the white marble floor, heading toward the formal dining room. I only came here outside of family dinners to see my mother. If it wasn’t for her, I’d avoid this house like the plague. I fucking hated coming here. I pushed open the large doors, only to go still when I saw who was sitting at the table.
“What the fuck?” West hissed under his breath, stopping next to me.
River leaned back in his chair, shooting us a grin as my father gave me a warning look. Ice flowed through my veins as memories from six years ago surfaced.
“Elias, I expect you to behave,” my father, Richard, said sternly before taking another sip of wine. “River is a Ward, and you will treat him as such.”
“After what he did, he shouldn’t be part of this city anymore,” I forced out through clenched teeth. “He almost got us killed.”
“That’s not up to you,” Richard responded, annoyance creeping into his voice. “Sit down.”
That was my father. I stopped calling him dad years ago—at his request. It was business. He didn’t want people thinking he was soft on me because I was his son. Even though he’d never been soft to me a day in my life. He had me because it was expected of him to produce an heir. As a founding family of Braidwood, our bloodline had to continue. He made it very clear early in my life that he’d never wanted a child.
West and I sat down stiffly on the opposite side of the table from River. Like us, he was dressed how our parents expected us to when we were home. Suit, tie, and presentable in every fucking way. River kept his gaze on us once we sat down. A muscle in his jaw clenched and was the only crimp in his usual easygoing attitude.
“What is he doing here?” I asked, not taking my eyes off him. I still couldn’t believe he was back for good. It was taking everything not to lunge across the table and beat the fuck out of him.
“I invited him,” Richard answered. “I wanted to make it very clear before classes started that there will be no fighting between the three of you. We do not air our dirty laundry in public for gossip to be circulated.”
West stayed quiet, learning years ago that was always best in Richard’s presence. He had a shorter fuse than I did. At least I knew where I inherited it from. My eyes darted to my mother. Her face was tilted down, looking at her empty plate. She was submissive in every way to my father. She feared him, like the rest of the city did.
Her father had been a wealthy businessman in Japan, and she met Richard when they were here on business. My grandfather was impressed with Richard’s importance and prestige in this city. When Richard asked for my mother’s hand in marriage, he eagerly accepted. I was sure he was rolling over in his grave now.
“Emiko, did you not tell the chef when we expected to eat dinner?” Richard directed his question at my mother.
“I did,” she said in a hushed voice, not glancing up. “I will go check on it now.”
She’d moved to the states when she was an adult, but her English was perfect, thanks to the years of classes Richard made her take. Yet, he had never made a move to learn her native language. I’d been learning Japanese since I was old enough to realize it was a way to communicate with her without Richard eavesdropping.
My mom stood up, her waist-length black hair swaying around her. She was the opposite of him in every way. He was tall and solid. Much to his dismay, I reached his six-foot-four height my senior year of high school. It made it harder to intimidate me when I could look him straight in the eye. Not that it had ever stopped him from trying. His black hair was cut short like mine, and he had a thick goatee.
My mom was small. She barely came up to my chest. Dainty and quiet. The only time I’d ever heard her raise her voice was to protect me from Richard’s wrath. I didn’t need protection anymore. She did. Which was why I came home more often than for the obligatory Sunday dinners.
Before my mom left the room, the chef hurried in with a large tray of food balanced in his hands. Sweat perspired on his forehead as he moved toward Richard first.
“I am so sorry, sir,” he said in a hurry as he placed the food on the table. “I needed to remake the pasta—”
“Don’t let it happen again,” Richard snapped, ending the conversation before it began.
The chef set the rest of the plates down, his hands trembling slightly. River’s grin was now a frown as he barely kept the dislike of my father off his face. He’d been gone so long, I wondered if he had forgotten how it was to live under their control again. Though his mom was a hundred times better than Richard. She actually cared for her kid.
“As I was saying, there will be no disagreements at school,” Richard said as my mom sat back down. “Is that understood?”
