Page 6 of Hawthorne

“Are you mad, Ed?” I tap on my chest, trying to control the cough that overcomes me.

Great.

It wasn’t enough that she’s invaded my mind, now I have my little brother making fun of me for it.

“I don’t blame you, Vince. She is stunning,” he tuts, and I side-eye him. Don’t I know it. “You going to hit it?” he asks.

The casual way he speaks about it, as if she were someone to hit and leave, doesn’t sit right with me. My first instinct is to tell him to fuck off and not talk about her like that but…it’s not my place either.

“No,” I answer instead. “She’s not one-night-stand material.”

“Really?” he asks, his eyes still locked on me and my body language. “Oh,” he exclaims, in doing so, his mouth shapes in an exaggerated 'o', as if he had just figured out the cure to cancer. All I can do is roll my eyes at his childish antics. “You like her?”

“I don’t know her enough to like her, Edgar,” I answer curtly.

My words come out strong and confident, but inside, I am anything but.

“Didn’t look like it.” One side of his lips quirk up, in that naughty way he’s always done when he’s in on a secret. Though, this time around, it quickly falls as if he has just realised something. “She’s out of reach, brother. You, out of everyone, know that best.”

I nod, looking away from him.I know.

I’ve had my share of women in my life. I’m no saint, but I am not about deceiving them into something that can’t be.

“Unless it is only physical attraction, I’d advise you to stay away, brother. At least, for her sake.”

Thankfully, I will probably not see her again for quite a while because seeing her often would be a…problem.

I nod again, and he chimes in, sporting a smirk, “Of course, you were always the one with the head screwed on right out of the both of us.”

He’s right.

We’ve both experienced a lot, but I’ve always been the discreet one. I have a reputation to keep, as the duke and possible future king. Edgar might become duke if I end up having to “step up”, but if not, he’ll be able to live a carefree life and not worry about this kind of responsibility.

I envy him sometimes. In my eyes, to be able to do that, you must be a lucky bastard.

“Now, let me go back to work,” I state before placing the glass on the desk. “I’ll see you at supper, brother.”

Edgar nods in confirmation before slipping out of my office—once my father’s.

Hawthorne has always been one of the most influential families in the kingdom, and besides the shares we hold from the Crown’s business, my dad still made it his mission to invest in new businesses, something he found to be crucial for the survival of our nation.Renewable energy.

He made it his life goal to make us as oil-free as possible, which he managed. In Monera, the only things moved by gas are cars, and even those are slowly being replaced by electric cars.

The king loved the idea, of course. Reducing the dependability on other country’s exportations was like music to his ears.

And in the last couple of decades, I have invested in quite a few other areas, enlarging the Hawthorne name into several other markets. This job is what has kept me sane for all these years.

After the drinks and conversation with my brother, skimming through the paperwork seems easier now. Even though his words were harsh to hear, they were needed. I accepted my fate years ago. For my mother, my father, my whole family, the whole country…I know what I need to do, and there is no preventing me from fulfilling what everyone expects of me.

My phone lights up with an incoming call, and I frown at the family’s attorney number displayed on the screen.

“Vincent Hawthorne,” I greet right after the pad of my index finger swipes the smooth screen surface to accept the call.

“Your Grace, I am sorry to disturb you,” Harry’s voice sounds from the other side. “Your aunt’s will has finally been released for reading, and I was calling to ask when will you be available for an appointment?”

I have been expecting this call for a week now. Surprisingly, since I was chosen to be her heir, it was only a matter of time.

“I can open my schedule for tomorrow morning,” I say while looking at the calendar on my laptop. “Is that alright with you?”

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