Page 12 of Lush

Mama pulled a gold-embossed envelope from her purse, itsgleam almost mocking the harsh sunlight. With a sense of dread tightening in my chest, I took it from her hands, fingers trembling as I opened it.

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent King and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Ashbourne

request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children:

Laurene Elizabeth King and Reese Christopher Ashbourne

A wedding invitation.

My wedding.

Scheduled for next month.

“We can’t forget to invite the bride, can we?”

CHAPTER 2

Reese

“We’ve gota potential game-changer with a ranch for sale in Fresno County.”

“A ranch, huh?” I swirled my whiskey. Sunlight poured in, making the distillery grounds look golden and warm—a stark contrast to the business meeting in front of me.

Nathan dropped a file onto the table. “It’s got the water rights we need. Plus, we could grow our own spices and botanicals quicker. Cuts down on supplier costs, gives us more control over the flavors.”

“Water rights. That’s something.” I glanced at the file.

This business, this legacy, belonged to me now.

When Conrad first invited me into the business, I was suspicious. He never did anything without an angle, never offered something without expecting a bigger return. But against my better judgment, I said yes. And for a while, I actually liked it. Working at the distillery gave me purpose, something real. Something that wasn’t just fighting to prove myself. Now it was the only thing I had control over in my life.

Six years. Sixgoddamnyears since she’d walked away, and I still felt the loss like a punch to the gut.

Despite everyone in town hating me, Ashbourne Distilleries,the west coast’s largest liquor manufacturer, was mine. I had a few other ventures to my name—clubs in Las Vegas, Miami, and LA, each a testament to the Ashbourne flair for luxury and entertainment.

Bottles of rare whiskey shone on the glass shelf in front of me, representing our family’s success. What I rebuilt in the rubble. Older members on the board had said I was reckless, too aggressive with expansion. But numbers didn’t lie—production was up, profits were climbing, and every gamble I took paid off.

Still, my father and his cronies wanted to claw back control, drag things to how they used to be. Even with all my awards, I still couldn’t outrun her.

“We’re looking at a return immediately if we buy it.”

My mind drifted. Fists flying, his grunts—he fought like hell, but so did I. Blood mixed with salt water in my mouth, the weight of Conrad’s body as I dragged him onto the shore.

“Reese?” Nathan’s voice yanked me back. “What’s your take?”

I took a sip from the glass, feeling the burn. I’d just sunk a small fortune into importing a rare South American herb. I thought it would make or break our next release.

I needed more. More money. More success. More…everything.

“This ranch? They’ll sell. Desperation breeds compliance.”

Desperation had turned me into this—a man consumed by anger, hellbent on revenge, willing to destroy anything in my path to get back what was taken from me.

“Another win. That’s what we need,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “Get me the ranch.”

My mind was already whirling with what we could do with that property. After Conrad’s death and our parents’ retreat into their bubble of grief, my older sister, Jennie, and I took the reins, dragging the Ashbourne legacy kicking and screaming back to the top.

Jennie and I built beyond the bottle. Resorts and hotels, high-end fashion boutiques, a chain of gourmet restaurants. An empire so powerful it’d make the Kingstremble.

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