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I can tell by the way Livvie bites her lip that she’s surprised, but she doesn’t let on. Instead, she takes a seat on a round ottoman on the other side of me, crossing her ankles and staring up at her father with prim obedience.
“We have some matters to discuss,” Nero says. “I’ve asked our women to remain because these matters concern them, too.”
Oooh, what a feminist.
Nero sips his drink. “I believe it’s best to be plain, so I’ll get right down to it. Don’t let my youthful exterior fool you – I’m not a young man. The expert surgeons of Emerald Beach have had their work cut out for them keeping this mug looking beautiful.” Nero swipes a finger lovingly across his cheek. “Recent events have made me increasingly aware of my mortality, and what my heir will make of the Lucian legacy after I move on.”
Here we go again.
The closest thing to being immortal is shaping a legacy. That’s why the Triumvirate is so concerned with blood. Men with power over everything in their lives except death trying to outdo themselves in the only competition that still has meaning to them, the only game where they might actually lose.
“I have always been a family man, as you know. I have many children who are scrapping it out amongst themselves to earn my favor, to be declared the rightful heir to my empire. Every single one of them is an imbecile.”
I dare a glance at Livvie, who’s holding back a snort of laughter. Not all of them.
“I refuse to leave my legacy to an imbecile, which leaves me with a problem. I’ve been wrestling with the decision of my heir for some time.” Nero steeples his fingers. “And then Elias Hart came to my attention.”
Claudia’s fingers gouge my thigh. “What?”
That’s my name.
Why is he saying my name?
Nero’s eyes hit mine, and when he sees my expression, he bursts into laughter. “My boy, don’t look so flabbergasted. You’ve been on my mind for some time. When Walter Hart was sent to prison, it was a blow for the Triumvirate – he provided a valuable service we have greatly missed. I followed the trial with great interest, and it was there I was first introduced to you. The Golden Boy of Stonehurst Prep: that’s what they call you. Straight A student, student council member, track star, bound for some fancy Ivy League college and a corner office. Clever, resourceful and, like your father, with the imagination to dream big. I simply had to meet you.”
This is insane. I must be dreaming. That’s the only possible explanation. Any moment Nero’s going to turn into a T-Rex and I’ll wake up with sweaty sheets and this will be nothing but a terrible nightmare…
“So, after the trial, I introduced myself to Darlene.” Nero smiles across the desk at her. It’s an indulgent smile, the kind you give to a favorite pet. The kind of smile that probably had my mother on her knees for him. (Gross.) But today, even she is too shocked by events to succumb to him. She throws her drink at him.
“You spent all that time wooing me – all those parties, the boat trips, the nights in your private island – to meet my son.” She jabs a frosted nail at me. “Him? But he’s so… so honest.”
Sticky gin dribbles down the front of Nero’s suit.
“Exactly.” Nero’s smile fixes on me. “Eli is honest. He’s affable. He has that all-American smile. He’s the kind of person you trust implicitly, and that makes him the ideal heir to my empire.”
Um… what the actual fuck?
A lot of things happen at once. Dad grins from ear to ear like I’d just been offered a track scholarship or a thoroughbred horse or an enormous monster truck. Darlene’s on her feet, screaming at Nero. Livvie drops a glass, which smashes glittering shards across the rug.
He can’t be serious.
Nero holds up his hands for calm, and the gesture is so mundane and yet somehow manages to convey all the power and menace of his position. Everyone freezes. An eerie silence blasts the room. “The more I’ve observed of Eli’s work over the last few months, the more I’m convinced he’s the perfect heir. He’s loyal to a fault and always takes the time to think things through before he acts. He has a strict code of honor. And he won’t hesitate to be ruthless when his family is in danger. If only he had been born of my loins!” Nero claps his hands over his cheeks in mock dramatics.
“Very well, I thought, if he cannot take over the family, then at least he could be my tribune, my trusted advisor. Perhaps he could even teach one of my sons to not be so fucking stupid. But that means I had to bring him into the Lucian fold. At first, I thought to do this by marrying Darlene. But then Eli declared his loyalty to Claudia August, and so I set about trying to form an alliance between our families, but she refused me. But Cali’s ascent to Imperator has set a precedent that allows Imperators to adopt heirs who are not blood-related. This is fortuitous to all of you.” Nero slides a leather-bound booklet across his desk and flips it open. “I have a proposal.”
“What is it?” My father leans forward. Saliva forms at the corners of his mouth.
Nero addresses my father. “Eli will marry my daughter Olivia and inherit my empire when I die. He will take the Lucian name and I will officially adopt him as my son. In exchange for this, I will pay you the compensation outlined in that contract, and set you and Darlene up with the funds to rebuild your funerary business. This is with the caveat that of course you’ll be available to the Triumvirate when we require your services.”
He holds out the booklet – my marriage contact – and Dad takes it. His fingers leave sticky circles in the leather.
So this is what he was planning. All this time we thought he was after Claudia when really… he wanted me.
I can’t wrap my head around it. Everything Nero said is insane.
“You can’t be serious.” I glare at Nero as I roll up my sleeve to show the August mark on my wrist. “I can’t be your heir. I’ve already sworn my loyalty to the August family.”
“I don’t see this as a problem,” Nero says. “As long as August and Lucian are in harmony.”
