Page 91 of Hateful Games

Neither of which is an option right now.

Some might say this wedding is perfect.

The festivities are about to begin. The hustle and bustle still running strong while I sit in my suite. The past three months, everything has been about the wedding. Despite me telling everyone multiple times that I’m not interested in the trivial details, I’m stupidly asked questions about food, the music, and goddamn flowers.

What makes them think I give a fuck about any of that?

Shouldn’t the bride be burdened with this shit?

But I forget I have a reluctant and grumpy bride, who would rather burn down the royal palace—our wedding destination—into ashes than pick a romantic song to walk down the aisle.

I’m still breathing, so I’m counting ourselves lucky.

Thank God for weed, brought by my best man Nathan, or I’d be ready to punch a hole through the wall. I inhale deeply, letting it do its job and course through my veins.

Everyone has a vice. Since alcohol is out of the question, smoking it is.

“Did you invite Kian?” Nathan asks with an irritated scowl. To say his relationship with his older brother is simple sibling rivalry would be the understatement of the century.

“My father invited your whole family, Kian included,” I reply.

“He’s not family anymore.”

“Semantics,” I answer, billowing smoke toward the ceiling. “Do you think my dad would miss the opportunity to network or study his competition?”

“So would you, you bastard.”

I smirk. “That’s how you stay at the top, my friend.”

“I heard Dash and Kian are partners again,” he says grimly while taking a puff after I pass him the roll. “The waters are becoming too crowded.”

“Your dad giving you a hard time?”

“The man is grouchy and perpetually unsatisfied.”

“Why don’t you go out on your own like Kian?” I suggest. Better than being miserable by working for a man who’ll run both his son and company to an early death.

“Because unlike what everyone gossips, I do love our business.”

It’s true and shows in his work. Too bad his controlling prick of a father doesn’t see that Nathan has doubled the profits of the company after taking over as the CEO. But there’s only so much more he can do if he keeps breathing down his neck.

A dark and hesitant look crosses his features and I narrow my eyes. “What else?”

“Dad is pressuring me to purpose to Iris and get married.”

“Because it’ll help with the family image he wants to uphold?”

“Pretty much, and the board members are replicas of him,” he angrily says. “I’ve already proven myself invaluable to the company but they still see me as the reckless teen I used to be.”

“So, what then? Wedding bells in the near future?”

“I actually love my girl so I’m going to wait and do it right,” he says smugly. “Besides, Iris still has a year to graduate and then she wants to work for another two years before we’ll even think about settling down.”

“Wow, you have it all planned out,” I taunt. “You’re both like high school sweethearts. If I hadn’t seen you fuck your way through every girl in high school, I’d bet you and Iris would’ve been saving yourselves for marriage.”

He blows the next puff in my direction and I give him my middle finger.

“Where’s Iris, by the way?”

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