Page 3 of Love, Honor, and Ink

She sank into the leather seat and nodded toward Justin, not bothering to say hello. If she could get through his meeting without speaking to him at all, she’d be happy.

Maybe not happy, but at least not wanting to dig her eyes out with a spoon. That was always a plus.

“Arianna, the King family has owned and operated King’s Weddings since its inception over fifty years ago,” her father began.

A history lesson. Great.

Apparently, Xavier was going to take the long way to get to his point.

“Yes, of course,” she said, not knowing if he actually wanted her to speak. From the way his eyes narrowed, she figured she’d made the wrong choice.

Crap.

“As I was saying, the King family has spearheaded this wedding planning establishment. While my mother, your grandmother, started with a vision of dainty weddings that fit the feel of couples and small venues, since I became president, we’ve grown into the billion-dollar company we are today. We provide services to the top-tier community and the cream of the crop. We handle hundreds of A-list weddings a year, and we only have room to grow. We’ve become the destination for high-end clientele around the globe, who want to come to Colorado and know our unique beauty.”

Arianna stayed silent during her father’s speech. It wasn’t like she hadn’t had a hand in every piece of what he’d explained. Since her mother had died when Arianna was three, her father had done his best to make King’s Weddings exclusive. Her father’s only responsibility—beyond taking credit—was ensuring that King’s Weddings didn’t “stoop” to provide services to those…less fortunate.

That would be one thing she changed right away.

But first things first. She couldn’t get ahead of herself like she had been doing all morning.

“As you’ve no doubt heard, I’ve decided to step back from the company. I’ve done this for long enough that it’s my turn to find new avenues.”

She held her breath, trying to not make any sudden moves.

“With what I’ve said before in mind, it’s only natural that in my absence, I worry about how the company will take root before continuing down the path I’ve paved and provided.”

What the hell?

Arianna frowned before forcing a neutral expression on her face. She hadn’t been able to hide it fast enough, though, because her father caught it.

“Don’t frown, Arianna, it’s not becoming. I’m not going to beat around the bush. I don’t trust you. You might have thought you did your best in the years you’ve worked here, but you’ve slacked. You’re not as good as you think you are. I want the top. I want diamonds, while you are tainted glass. I want spun gold while you provide me with rust. I don’t trust you to follow the precise path I’ve laid out for you. You are my daughter, and you will listen to me. If I don’t believe that will happen, well, then I must take matters into my own hands.”

Arianna blinked, unable to comprehend his words as hurt cascaded through her body, the crashing waves of torment and pain she hadn’t thought she’d feel at his callousness overwhelming.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her throat too tight to say much more. She would not cry in front of this man.

Not ever again.

“You’re not a King, Arianna. Oh, I might have made a mistake with your mother long ago, but you’re not of my blood. Not in all the ways that matter. You may have the look of my mother with that blonde hair of yours and her green eyes, but you’re nothing. I’ve decided to sell King’s Weddings to Honor’s Designs with the caveat that they keep our name and ditch theirs. Honor isn’t a suitable name. Who the hell cares about Honor?”

Arianna sprang to her feet, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. “Our rival? You’re selling us to our rival?”

“Not us. They won’t be taking you with them. They want nothing to do with you. Seems like there’s a theme,” he said. He didn’t sneer, but it was close. God forbid the man show any emotion.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I put my life into this company. I’ve done more for King’s than you ever did, and we both know it.”

Her father narrowed his eyes again. “Sit down, Arianna. There is a second option that you haven’t let me voice. It seems your impetuous nature is just the tip of the iceberg of where they went wrong with you.”

They.

Not him. He hadn’t raised her.

Arianna sat down, her body shaking. She wasn’t sure her legs would be able to carry her at all at this point. This monster in front of her couldn’t be her father.

She’d seen signs of the way he was acting now—his cruelty, his disgust—her whole life, but she hadn’t thought it could get this bad. How on earth had she missed this?

“The second option is sitting right next to you.”

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