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I run a hand through my hair and look up at the ceiling. “I get it,” I tell her, defeated. I do understand it, but I’m starting to lose hope that things will ever change. I used to think I was the luckiest one out of my siblings. Dion never speaks to his fiancée, and my other siblings don’t even know who they’ll be marrying yet. I was the only one that was lucky enough to fall in love with the girl my grandmother chose for me long before we even got married.
Yet lately, this doesn’t feel like a love match anymore, and I’m not feeling very lucky. Everything feels mechanical and forced, and the excitement we should feel regarding our upcoming wedding is missing.
“She isn’t coming, is she?”
I look up to find one of my younger brothers, Lex, leaning in the doorway. His expression is carefully blank, but his eyes betray his annoyance. My first instinct is to stand up for Hannah, but I don’t have it in me today.
“Nope.”
“It’s going to be annoying for you to go without a date. You know what the women are like at these types of events. You’ll just get harassed all night long. I wish I could’ve made it.”
I shake my head. “It’s fine. You have an early flight to catch, don’t you? Besides, you hate the entertainment industry.”
Lex is in charge of Windsor Motors, and if I recall correctly, he’ll be revealing our latest electric car soon. Each of us is in charge of a different part of the Windsor empire. I handle our entertainment firms, Lexington does motor vehicles, Sierra handles real estate, Zane is in charge of our hotels, Luca does asset management, and Dion manages all of our foreign holdings. Between the six of us, we run all of Windsor Corp, dominating far more of the market than people realize.
“I’ll be fine,” I tell my brother. “It’s just a fashion show. I’ve sponsored plenty of those. I’ll just put in an appearance and leave.”
Lex smiles at me. “Raven will be there, so you’ll be fine. She’s the star of the show tonight. I don’t know how, but she just keeps getting more and more beautiful. I really wish I could’ve made it.”
I tense involuntarily and narrow my eyes at Lexington. Since when did he think Raven is beautiful? She’s always been like a little sister to all of us. Has the way he sees her changed?
“How do you know she’s going to be there tonight?”
Come to think of it, just recently they went to an art gallery together, just the two of them. Is something going on between them?
He smirks at me and holds up his phone. “I spoke to her earlier today.”
What? She almost always declines my calls, but she has time to speak to Lex?
Lex chuckles at me, his gaze unreadable. “Tell Raven I said hi, will you?”
I nod, knowing I’ll do no such thing. Something about the idea of Lexington with Raven deeply unsettles me, and it isn’t just because of the recurring dreams I have about her — dreams I shouldn’t be having at all.
I’m in a shit mood as I head to the event, unable to pin down what I’m so annoyed about. I should be used to Hannah standing me up by now, but it never gets easier. For years now, we’ve hidden our relationship, wary of the media’s attention. Hannah has always been scared that she’d be accused of nepotism if people found out we’re together, and I get it. I know how hard she works, and having the media’s attention in that way only spells trouble. I understand where she’s coming from, but I’m tired of it all.
The room is buzzing when I walk in and I pause in the corner, my eyes on the catwalk. I rarely even watch these shows — once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, and I couldn’t care less about fashion. Yet tonight, I can’t tear my eyes off the woman dominating the stage.
Raven walks across the catwalk wearing a tight dress that leaves very little to the imagination, and I take a moment to admire her. She works just as hard as Hannah does, if not harder, yet she never lets anyone she loves down. I know how often my sister shows up at her office unannounced, and my grandmother does the same. I can’t help but wonder why Hannah can’t be more like her. They’re sisters, but they’re so different.
My mind drifts back to the time my grandmother first mentioned a marriage between the Windsors and the Du Ponts. Back then, it was Raven they wanted me to marry. I sigh as she turns and walks back across the stage, a sense of inexplicable loss washing over me.
“Mr. Windsor!”
I force a smile onto my face as I turn toward the organizer of today’s event, making the necessary small talk. So much in show biz is about seeing and being seen, and I’m sick of it. I’m tired of the pretentiousness, the fakeness, of living in a world of make belief. I’m craving genuineness.
“Several of your models walked our stage today,” Jonas tells me proudly. “Windsor Media truly is a powerhouse. Is there anything you don’t own? You’ve got your hands on several popular magazines, one newspaper, the fashion industry, and, of course, your production studio. I’m not sure how you do it all. I’m honored you were able to make time to attend my event today.”
I nod and try my hardest to hold a conversation with him, but I keep thinking about Lexington. Is something truly going on between Raven and him? I’m just about to make up an excuse to cut off the ass-kissing that’s been going on for far too long when the conversation behind me catches my attention.
“I’m afraid I can’t.” I tense and turn around at the sound of Raven’s voice. She’s upset, but she’s smiling brightly at the man standing in front of her.
“Excuse me,” I tell Jonas, a hint of annoyance simmering underneath the surface of my polite expression. What could possibly have made Raven upset?
“Just a single date,” the man says. “I’ll pay you more money for it than you earn in a year.”
My jaws lock involuntarily, anger curling my hands into fists. I force myself to relax the moment my eyes meet Raven’s, a hint of relief in her expression. I smile at her, never taking my eyes off her as I slide my hand around her waist, pulling her into me. “There you are, Raven,” I murmur, before turning toward the man standing opposite us.
He looks enraged for a moment, but then recognition hits, and he averts his gaze. “Mr. Windsor,” he says, his tone much more gentle than before.
