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Letting me know I’d messed up.
I just didn’t know how bad until he grabbed my hand to pull me to the front of the common room and then dropped to one knee of front me.
“That whole…not wearing my ring yetthing?” he said, pulling a black velvet box from his pocket to lift before me. “Let’s fix that.”
SEVEN
NALANI
It would go downin people’s memories as “romantic.”
A Christmas day proposal, in the middle of doing community service?
Orion was… calculated.
I’d certainly give him that.
He was also incredibly obnoxious to me and so was the ring he’d put on my finger—probably five or six carats worth of undoubtedly flawless diamonds. One big one in the middle and a halo of smaller diamonds around it, set into a platinum, diamond pave band.
It was beautiful.
Righton the line between classy and gaudy.
Fitting for the future wife of a billionaire.
Itreallyhadn’t struck me until then. I’d been thinking about this whole thing solely in abstract terms. Yes, I’d weighed out my options on paper and all that, I’d thought through future implications, considered contingencies.
But the actual factual reality was that I was about to become this man’swife?
I’d been—somewhat purposely—avoiding that.
And now I couldn’t.
The rest of the event passed in a blur of congratulations and admiration; both of the ring, and of Orion, who’d turned the charm up to full blast. I barely even reacted to his announcement of a new charity—pledging a cool million in housing assistance and grocery vouchers for families in need, because of course he was doing that.
I just applauded and smiled, like a good little wife.
And then my aunt pulled me aside.
Away from prying eyes and nosy ears, and she didn’t even say anything. She justlookedat me, until I tossed up my hands.
“It was the only way to keep Daddy from losing the store,” I admitted, voice cracking. “He fucked us over, while Mama was…dying,” I said, shaking my head. “And thenheshowed up.” I waved my hand in the general vicinity of where most people were gathered, referring to Orion. “With this… fucked-up lifeline. And I had to take it.”
Aunt Lucy sighed, lacing her fingers through mine to squeeze. “Are you sure? Is it about money? Because—”
“Daddy deprived us of the chance for it to bejustabout money, and… I’m having a hard time believing it wasn’t on purpose,” I said, putting my thoughts into actual words for the first time. “He could have asked me, or Soren, oryou. He could’ve taken loans, anything except what he did.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Which was?”
I blew out a harsh sigh, not even wanting to say the shit out loud. Not toher. But I couldn’t keep avoiding the truth. “He sold the land and the building.”
“No he didn’t.”
A wry smile spread over my lips. “Yeah, Auntie. He did. But don’t worry,” I assured, squeezing her hands like she’d done to mine. “I’m getting it back. It’s in the contract Orion and I signed; ownership comes back tomeand we’re getting Daddy off the board. Soren and I agree, he’s not the best choice to make decisions anymore.”
“Heneverwas,” she huffed, shaking her head. “I did my best to warn Rena he didn’t have her best interests in mind, but she was so damn stubborn.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What made you feel that way about him back then?”
