Page 68 of Dirty Heirs

“Great,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

The second I walked into the house, my father summoned me to his office, guided by two of his most trusted goons. Around the clock, we had twenty-four-hour surveillance. Ever since my mother’s murder, Dear Old Dad stepped up his security game. He spared no expense to ensure my safety.

“Bring her in here,” Dad yelled, his deep voice traveling down the hallway.

Sighing, I secured the bag over my shoulder and followed his men. Fear rolled down my arms in hot waves as I entered his office. My father was dangerous, cold, and unloving.

The Great and Powerful Cian Doyle sat behind an enormous mahogany desk. He pointed his finger at one of the chairs across from his desk. “Sit.”

No hello or a smile. Dad was never warm and cuddly, not even when I was a child. That role my mother filled. She was caring and sweet and always made me feel special.

I plopped into a chair and crossed my legs, tapping my fingers on my thigh to still my trembling limbs. An awkward silence filled the room momentarily, and it freaked me out.

Dad lifted a highball glass from the desk and sipped the bourbon, surveying me like one of his business associates. “This weekend, you will accompany me to the Beacon Bay Benefactors Ball.”

“But Dad… Mom’s death anniversary is this weekend. You promised we could visit her grave together.”

“This dinner is more important than standing over a pile of bones,” he said through clenched teeth.

A gasp slipped past my lips.

How could he say that about his wife?

My mother.

The ground was barely settled at her grave, and he had already forgotten about her. The decades-long feud between Sonny’s family and mine started over my mom. What was the point of a war with Declan O’Shea if he didn’t love her? If he couldn’t even mourn her properly?

“Then I’ll get Killian to take me,” I shot back.

Killian was the youngest of my three older brothers and always looked out for me. If I couldn’t get my dad to budge on something, I went to Killian for help convincing him.

“Your brother is coming to the dinner with us. So are Sully and Rowan.” He clenched his jaw at the same time as his fist. “Tomorrow night is a special occasion for our family. We all need to be in attendance. And you will sit with Kieran Donnelly at the party,” he said with a cruel smirk tipping up the right corner of his mouth.

My nose wrinkled in disgust as the image of Kieran popped into my head. “No, thanks. I’ll pass.”

He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, both hands now balled into angry fists. “It’s not up for discussion, Ella.”

I shook my head and sighed. “No way. He’s insane. When we were kids, he tried to force himself on me.”

“He did no such thing,” my dad said, and it was no surprise he believed a stranger over his daughter.

“This is not a negotiation. After what happened to your mother, we must maintain a healthy relationship with the Donnellys.”

A marriage between crime families was inevitable. My mother had prepared me for it my entire life. But I never foresaw meeting Aiden… and Sonny. Despite his attempts to ignore me at school, I didn’t hate him. I understood family obligations well and could relate.

“The Donnellys are just like us,” Dad said when I didn’t speak, refusing to look at him. “They make alliances to strengthen their connections. You will do as I say if you want to maintain your lifestyle. In this house, I am the boss. I make the rules. And you will follow them.”

“I graduate in a few months. I can move out.”

He sneered. “With what money?”

“I have money saved from working at The Ink Yard.”

“Is that so?” Dad laughed. “Sean is an old friend. He let you work there as a favor to me. It would only take one phone call for him to forget your name.”

I shot out of the chair as if it were on fire, tears stinging my eyes. “How can you do this to me? I’m your only daughter.”

He reached into his desk, removed an envelope, and tossed it at me. The Rhode Island School of Design logo was stamped on the front. A rush of nervous energy coursed through my veins, both excited and terrified of what was inside. This was my only hope of getting out of Beacon Bay and whatever marriage proposal awaited me.

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