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“Not yet,” Luca snapped, and his gaze turned to Alex lovingly. “But Alex will be my wife soon.”
Women were treated like possessions in our world. From an early age, most of us were groomed to become the wives of powerful men.
People like us didn’t have a choice. Our marriages were arranged for us.
We didn’t marry for love.
We married for power.
Rhys slid his arm behind my back and pulled me closer. My skin felt as if tiny spiders were crawling over me.
I hated his touch.
Luca and Rhys exchanged a few more nasty quips. They had an undeniable hate-hate relationship. No one seemed to like Rhys or his family.
So why did he get to marry me?
I was dying to know why my grandfather had agreed to this nightmare. Either he wasn’t done torturing me and wanted me to suffer even more, or there was something he hoped to gain from the Vanderbilts.
Maybe their silence?
Their cooperation?
It could have been anything. Money never motivated him.
Cole strolled over to the group with Hunter and Brax at his sides. I felt every bit of his anger as he locked eyes with Rhys. His lip curled into a snarl, the rage bubbling beneath the surface.
“Did you run off to cry, Marshall?” Rhys tipped his head back and laughed, his eyes moving from Cole to his friends. “Did your boyfriends make it all better?”
Cole’s jaw clenched as if trying to keep from losing his cool. He wouldn’t let Rhys get under his skin. At least he wouldn’t show how much he affected him.
“Not like it’s any of your concern, but I had business to handle for my family,” Cole said, even though it sounded like a lie.
Rhys grabbed my wrist and raised my hand to let Cole see the diamond. The ring on my finger weighed down my left hand. I felt every ounce of responsibility and everything that came with it.
Cole inspected my finger, and a wild expression danced across his face. If looks could kill, Rhys would have been dead.
His eyes drifted to me for a second, then back to Rhys. “Whatever game you’re playing, Vanderbilt, I will find out. And when I do, this engagement is over.”
“Nothing is going to get in my way of marrying Grace.” He squeezed my shoulder and pushed me in front of him. “This is a done deal.”
I hoped Cole was right about this being a game—because that meant he could win.
“Nothing is final,” Cole said through clenched teeth. “You’re not married yet.”
“When is the wedding?” Hunter asked, his voice deep and smooth.
“At the end of the month,” Rhys commented.
Cole breathed through his nose and stared through Rhys. “You won’t last until then.”
He laughed. “You should know better than to bet on me, Marshall. I always win.”
The conversation ended with Fitzy summoning us to meet some of his wealthy friends. And since I was expected to play the dutiful granddaughter, I clung to Rhys’s side and followed his lead.
ChapterThirty-Six
GRACE
