Page 3 of My Wild Horse King

I can’t tell what the man’s saying, but the person he’s talking to just got much louder. It almost sounds like he’s shouting.

Grandfather smiles. “Why yes, perhaps his admittance letter was lost in transit somehow. You can send it to my address. I’ll text you the details.”

“What was that?” I ask.

“Yale,” Grandfather says. “You were just accepted to Yale.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” I cross my arms.

“Worried you’ll fail?” He’s smirking now, and it’s irritating.

“It’s not that,” I say. “But Yale sounds very expensive, and you said I have to repay everything but the interest. I imagine I’ll get more bang for my buck at NYU.”

“You’re intriguing, Gustav Liepa.” But Grandfather’s frown returns. “You know, I’ve always hated that name. You have no idea how much I hate it now.” He narrows his eyes at me. “If you change your name, I’ll give you the money for tuition for all four years. You’ll only need to borrow money to cover your living expenses.”

“Done,” I say.

“Just like that?” He raises both eyebrows.

I shrug. “I’ve never loved my name. You overpaid.”

I made him laugh twice in one conversation. At the time, I had no idea how rare that was.

And that’s how I came to be known as Daniel Belmont. Unlike my father, Daniel Belmont makes the smart play every time. He never gambles. He never so much as buys a lottery ticket. He’s smart, he works hard, and he doesn’t cut corners.

It takes every bit of my time and one hundred and ten percent of my effort, but ten years later, I’ve actually built a company that Grandfather’s proud of.

Forget Grandfather, it’s a company thatI’mproud of.

And in two months, Grandfather will finally retire, and he’s going to name his successor, the person who’ll inherit control of his entire estate. A decade ago, I had a snowflake’s chance of being named, but now? I’m neck and neck with my cousin Prescott. I knew this day was coming—Grandfather’s seventy-second birthday—and I’m prepared.

So when my legal team calls and tells me they hear my IPO’s about to go live, I’m ready. My road show presentation is polished, my books and numbers are immaculate, and I’ve got a bombproof team in place.

My mother let my father and her obsession with horses destroy the life she was born into, but I’m about to win it all back and more. All that stands between me and success is taking this company I’ve built public and showing my grandfather that I have what it takes to go all the way. I’ll finally escape my father’s legacy once and for all.

Of course, that’s when my irritating little sister starts calling. I feel a twinge of guilt, but not nearly enough to answer her. I hear she married some rich guy. She’s his problem, now.

She’ll be fine, even without my help.

Because any help I give her just enables Dad. I’m not the bad guy here. I’m the smart one. The safe one. The one who will never, not ever, wind up like the rest of the Liepa family. I’m free of the name, the gambling addiction, and anything else that family ever tried to foist off on me.

Free.

That’s what my cross-continent move was all about a decade ago, and it’s still true today. The only way I stay free of the Liepa plague is to hold my ground and play it safe. Kris will figure things out without me.

She always does.

2

KATERINA

In Russia, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a half dozen princes or princesses. Or at least, people claiming that title. It took the monarchy far too long to apply principles of primogeniture. But in my father’s case, his title was at least backed up with both land and power. My father felt guilty, I think, that my mother died giving birth to me, and he denied me nothing. What I really wanted, however, I never quite got.

In almost seventeen years, my father never once spoke kindly to me. No matter what I mastered, or how I behaved, he never seemed to care. But today, I ripped my brand new gown while visiting my favorite horse, and he’s never had any problem yelling over that kind of waste.

“Someone’s going to notice,” my father’s saying when I reach the end of the hall.

I slide to a stop on the thick rug before he could possibly see me. My room’s at the end of the main hall, but there’s no way I’m marching past him like this. I need my lady’s maid to try and repair the rip before he sees me—before tonight’s ball.

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