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“Nothing… just Mallory will be mad. I need to do this myself.” Then she pulls her lip into her mouth, biting down on it. I take my finger and rub against it, releasing it from her teeth.
I lay my forehead against hers and whisper, “I can’t lose you, Suri. Call me if you need anything. I’m going to talk to Da about the marriage with Kieran.”
She nods and kisses me. “I love you, Brendan.” With those words, she leaves the car and enters the mansion. And I feel as if my whole heart just left the car with her.
I drive toward my father's estate. Kieran promised he would tell Da to pull the marriage arrangement, but he’s an asshole. I’m sure he hasn’t done it yet or I would have heard about it. Well, I don’t give a shit. I’m tired of waiting. It’s time to force him and Da to stop this marriage and take the consequences. I have always lived for the family, but it's time to live for Suri.
Entering the mansion, a sense of calm comes over me. This visit will change everything in my life and even though I should be nervous, I’m not. When this charade ends, I get Suri. No one will come between us, not even my family. I nod to Finn, the man who runs the household for my Da, following him toward the dining room.
Da is sitting at the head of the table reading a newspaper with his breakfast in front of him. Ma is to his left reading the lifestyle section of the paper. No one reads newspapers anymore. I shake my head. My parents are nothing but traditional.
They both look up at the same time. Da has on his mask of indifference. I’m sure he’s wondering what I’m up to now. Ma smiles at me. “Brendan! Good morning, son! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Ignoring Da until it’s time, I smile back at my Ma. The anchor of our family. “Da, Ma, I’ve come here to talk to you about the marriage between Kieran and Suri.”
Both of my parents place their newspapers down and straighten their backs with my words. My Ma looks intrigued, but Da looks downright furious. I place my hands by my side, preparing for a battle if necessary.
Da speaks first. “There’s nothing to talk about, it’s a done deal. Kieran knows his duty.” He tries to wave me off, telling me he doesn’t want to discuss it any further.
I look straight at my Da, growling out, “It doesn’t matter if Kieran knows his duty. She is mine, not his.”
He scoffs at me. “She is not yours. Suri’s family has already agreed to the marriage. If you stop this arrangement, then you will bring the word of this family into question. Disgracing our family’s name and I will not allow that to happen, Brendan.”
I slam my fists down on the table, causing my mother to jump but I don’t allow that to deter me. I can’t show any weakness with him. I grit out, “I don’t care about the family’s reputation. I only care about Suri and she will be marrying me.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ma’s eyes jumping back and forth between Da and me. I can tell that she wants to say something but she knows better than to interrupt.
Silence encases the dining room as we just stare at each other. Only heaven breathing fills the air. My Da grits his teeth and his right eye twitches, that’s how I know that he’s fucking pissed. But I don’t give a shit. I’ve been pissed at him about this nonsense for the last four years.
“Fine, I will end the arrangement between Suri and Kieran, but you will pay the consequences.”
Before even stepping into the mansion, I knew my Da would make me pay. He always makes us pay for our actions. I don’t know what the price will be, but I’ll pay anything. I take a deep breath, nodding. “Spit it out, Da.”
“You will be in exile, Brendan. I want you to think really hard about this. You are forbidden to have any contact with anyone associated with this family.”
My Ma’s face falls with my Da’s words. I nod my head, indicating that I understand. I start to turn and leave with my head held high when I hear Ma’s soft voice, “Brendan.”
I turn around and can see the anguish on her face. She walks toward me, grabs my cheeks, pulls me closer, and whispers, “Is she worth it?”
“Ma, she is worth everything. I’ve been in love with her since the day I met her.”
I can see a sense of peace come over her as she pulls me down and kisses my forehead. “I love you, son.”
I leave the family mansion ready to go get my princess.
Chapter thirteen
Suri
Even though I tried to be strong in front of Brendan, I could feel my anxiety starting to spread through my body. In my head I practiced my anxiety exercises while he drove me home. I didn’t want him to see how much uncertainty I was feeling. He wouldn’t have dropped me off at home and I need to do this. It’s time I stand up for myself. I can’t let my dad and Mallory rule my life forever.
I think back to the night before the gala when she brought up the marriage contract. Honestly, I thought it was a joke. I laughed and told both of them that I was too young to get married. Let alone to Kieran. I didn’t even really know him. Why would I want to marry someone I didn’t even know?
After dinner, my dad called me to his office and sat me down. I can still feel the brick that started to grow in my stomach that night. They were serious. “Mallory and I have been talking and we feel that you marrying Kieran will help strengthen our family and its power. Kieran is the firstborn son and will be a true leader one day. I won’t force you, but I need you to think about the responsibility you have to this family and what it could mean to us.”
Leaving Dad’s office that night, I went up to my room where Mallory cornered me, threatening my safety and my dad’s to make sure I complied. She even sent me reminders over the last four years to make sure she kept me under her thumb.
But what she didn’t know was that her threats only gave me strength. Forging me into someone stronger who knows her worth. Now it’s time to stand up for myself and put Mallory in her place. She doesn’t know that I’ve been gathering information on her. I don’t like confrontation, but the one thing Mallory did was teach me to protect myself. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
