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I followed her into the kitchen and went to get a water while she went to see who had come through the gate.
“Trev is here already,” she said, calling out from the area where the security screens were. “What the hell? The gala hasn’t even started.”
I smiled. Trev was a rebel. He looked for trouble. I took a bottle of water from the fridge and waited for our visitor to make it inside. At least he would entertain me, and maybe I could think about anything other than Blaise and his date. Being with Trev was easy. He was nothing like Blaise. The two Hughes brothers could not be more different if they tried.
The sound of the door opening and closing brought a smile to my face. I hoped he was planning on staying.
“Costume change,” Trev said as he walked into the kitchen, dressed in a tuxedo and carrying a long, fancy-looking box.
I frowned at the box, not sure what he meant. “What are you doing here already? Causing trouble?”
He wagged his eyebrows. “Oh, you have no idea. And the best part is, I’m just following my dad’s orders.”
Confused, I looked at the box he was holding.
He held it out to me. “Go get changed, gorgeous. Garrett Hughes has commanded it. And we here in the family do what the boss says, and Blaise ain’t the motherfucking boss yet. Even if he acts like it.”
“Oh shit,” Gina said, her eyes wide. “Fuck, why can’t I go watch this?”
I stared at the box, then Trev. “What is it that he commanded?”
Trev’s grin looked almost evil. “Dad wants you at the gala. I believe his exact words were”—Trev cleared his throat and lowered his voice—“ ‘Trev, take the dress and go get Madeline. She is family and Eli’s granddaughter, for fuck’s sake. She will mingle within our circle. If your brother refuses to obey me, then you get to do the honors.’ ” When he finished, he shoved the box at me. “Go get ready. We have a gala to get to.”
“Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn, this is gonna be good,” Gina said, sounding almost giddy.
I took the box from Trev. “I’m supposed to go to this gala with you … and Blaise doesn’t know I’m coming?” I needed clarification.
“Oh, yeah,” he replied, looking mischievous.
“Garrett wants me at this gala, and Blaise knew that?”
Trev nodded again.
The fact that my not being there with Blaise was all his doing and not his father’s made his taking another woman that much worse. Part of me had held on to the belief that he had to take someone else. He’d said as much. But Garrett hadn’t ordered that. Blaise did not want me there with him. This wasn’t about my safety. Blaise was ashamed to be seen with me.
Well, fuck Blaise Hughes. I was good enough to screw, but not to be seen with in public. I’d show him. I could dress up and look just as fancy as his date or anyone there. Just because I had grown up poor didn’t mean I couldn’t compete.
“This won’t take long,” I told Trev as my hurt began to turn into a much more powerful, ugly thing. Revenge.
“Oh, wait,” Trev called out as I turned away. I looked back at him, and he held out a bag. “Shoes and jewelry,” he said.
I took the bag from him.
“You want me to do your makeup? And cover up that bite mark?” Gina asked hopefully.
I rarely wore makeup. I nodded. “Please.”
She clapped her hands together. “This is like Cinderella, except instead of having the handsome prince fall in love with her, she’s going to slap the devil in the face.”
Trev burst out laughing as I headed to get dressed.
Eleven
Madeline
“Stop fidgeting. You look fucking incredible. I gotta hand it to Dad. When he wants to make a statement, he fucking makes one,” Trev said to me as he took my hand and slipped it through the crook of his arm.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself. This could get ugly, but I doubted it would in public. “He won’t kill you, will he? Or me?” I asked Trev, not sure exactly how worried we should be about Blaise’s reaction to this.
Trev chuckled. “No. He won’t kill us. He’ll want to fucking strangle me, but he won’t. Dad won’t let him.”
“But if he kicks me out, can I sleep in the pool house?” I asked.
Trev laughed again. “You’ll be fine. Blaise won’t kick you out. He should have brought you tonight. This is payback. Enjoy it.” He paused and scanned my body. “Because there isn’t going to be a woman in there that compares to you.”
That was sweet of him, but it didn’t help my nerves. I had been set on revenge at the house, but now that I was here, I wasn’t so sure. I shouldn’t be here. Blaise didn’t want me here, and now that I knew he had defied his father by not bringing me, it was an issue. One we had to deal with, just not here. We needed to do that in private.
