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With enough money,you can own anything, anyone, you want.
It seems my father believed that till his dying breath. I haven’t gone to see her, even though I was tempted to last night. Jordan came to me after showing her the bedroom and told me he thought she was intriguing. I can tell my brother is interested, but she was given to me. A gift my father thought I needed right before my twenty-fifth birthday.
I can’t deny she’s beautiful. There’s something intoxicating about how she holds her own with me. I figured she would cower, but she didn’t. Most women either fall at my feet or they run in fear. The whispered rumours amongst the students have always been part of my life. But then again, none of it is fiction, I am the cruel bastard they call me.
When the rest of the Princes arrived came home with her yesterday, I wanted nothing more than to go to Brielle and introduce her to her new home. But I refrained, I didn’t allow my curiosity to get the better of me.
Yes, she’s beautiful, but she’s come into my home as a stranger, one that I don’t trust. I wasn’t lying to her when I said I would make sure she knows who her father truly is, but that will come with time.
She’s overwhelmed at present. I can tell from the glimpses I’ve caught of her. There’s a nervous energy emanating from her. I’ve learnt to read people all my life, and I can see it in her. She needs to be clearheaded when I finally reveal to her the information I have about her father.
I can’t allow my father’s gift to distract me from running this place. I have to make him proud. Forcing me to bring her here is frustrating. My father died when I was twenty-one and Jordan was nineteen. He knew I’d chosen never to marry. My focus has always been on taking over the family business. Once I’m named Boss, I’ll be able to leave the island. I’ll make sure Jordan takes over my responsibilities here, and I’ll return to the Italian mainland.
I know the history between Dad and Brielle’s father, and I wonder if this was done purely out of revenge. If I’m to run the family, I’m going to need a wife eventually, but it still doesn’t explain why he choseherin particular.
Women have always been my downfall, my distraction, but that’s in the past now. Dad used to tell me that one day they would bring about my demise. The moment I hit sixteen, some pretty girl or another always swayed my focus. Father saw that—he noticed my attention could be easily stolen. But all that changed when he died, and I came here to run the university. I finally realised the truth. Yes, women are a distraction, but my best friends, the Princes, are my strength. The men I trust with my life. And then there’s Kai and Val—we’re much more than friends. We share everything between us, and now we have a woman in our lives. She will be owned by us all.
I hit send on the message to let them know I want to meet up this afternoon. I cancelled last night’s meeting because I couldn’t bring myself to talk about work. But I have pressing matters to consider—the first being the hiring of new professors. I haven’t spoken about Brielle to Kai and Val since we brought her home, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it. She may be mine, but that doesn’t mean shit, because she belongs to the three of us. And I can tell they’re taken with her.
I settle behind my desk and pull up the signed contract from Hamilton. The terms are clear, I’m to marry Brielle before I can take over the family. I want to be Boss by my twenty-fifth birthday, which gives me three months. Ninety fucking days of learning about her before I sayI do.It’s archaic. There must be more to this stupid contract than meets the eye.
My office door opens, and Jordan saunters in. Dressed all in black, he settles opposite me, leaning into the chair as if he’s exhausted.
“What?” I ask, turning my full attention to my brother.
Only two years younger than me, he has the mind of a killer and a body that’s honed as a weapon. I can fight and hold my own, but my brother is second to none. I’m more business-minded than he is.
“Have you gone to see your little doll yet?” He smirks, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair, his fingers poised in a steeple as he rests his chin on the point.
Shaking my head, I glance at the contract once more before I say, “No. She can wallow in the comfort of her bedroom. I need to find out why Dad planned this shit.”
Jordan settles back in his seat, watching me through narrowed eyes. “Maybe he wanted his eldest son to make some babies and live a normal life,” he suggests easily, which grates on my nerves.
“I’ll never have a normal life,” I bite out, frustration ebbing and flowing through me, a river of annoyance that my brother could even utter those words. “I’ll always be the head of the family. There’s no stepping away, taking a holiday from it, and there is no denouncing my name. For the time being, the university is my focus, and some random little girl who thinks she’s going to be a queen at my side will not make me love her. She will always be the traitor’s daughter.”
“You need to get some pussy, brother,” Jordan laughs. “It’s obvious you’re wound so fucking tight. You cannot run shit while you’re acting like this.”
“Acting like what?” I push to my feet, leaning over the desk with my palms on the smooth wooden surface. “I’m trying to be responsible. To make sure we have a legacy to leave behind one day.”
This time, my brother rises to his full height. He meets my stare, dead on, and I know this is an argument we’ll have again and again. We have always butted heads about how to live our lives. He doesn’t understand the responsibility, but even though we may argue, I love him and I would die for him. And he knows this.
“Who will care about the legacy when we’re gone?” Jordan challenges. “After us, there’s no one else,” he tells me. “I love you, but sometimes you can be such an arsehole. Don’t allow the privilege of running Black Hollow to turn you into Dad.” He throws the insult at me without a falter to his tone or a glint of guilt in his eye, and then he turns and walks out of the office.
Besides Kai and Valen, my brother is the only other man I completely trust with my life. Emilio and I are best friends, but my relationship with him is more complicated because he’s a Saviatti. I can’t trust that he won’t turn into his father. I’ve learnt that blood is strong, and if someone comes from a certain gene pool, they’ll eventually follow in the footsteps of their parents.
Jordan has. So have I.
And when it comes to Kai and Valen, they’re the same. Their fathers both run enormous organisations, and my friends are the spitting images of their parents, both in looks and how they live their lives.
I have tried to change some aspects of how I live my life. My father focused solely on work, whereas I have allowed myself to care for both Kai and Val. And since the day we took that last leap into our unconventional relationship, I haven’t looked back.
Slumping in my chair, I blow out a long, deep breath, and even though I don’t want to admit it, I know Jordan’s right. Our father was far more focused on the university, making sure the students graduated with honours, than loving his family as a father should.
When my mother died, I think perhaps dad was almost relieved. Their fighting only got worse over the years. When she married him, she didn’t realise he would always love Black Hollow more than he loved her.
The mafia came first. That was his life.
And if I have to be honest, as much as I want my father to look down and be proud of me, I don’t want to turn out like he did—focused and alone. Sighing, I push to my feet, leaving the contract open for when I return. I’m caught between wanting more from life, but also not wanting to open my mind to more.
