Page 15 of Lush

“Pushed out of what?” I leaned forward. “The country club newsletter? The charity circuit?”

“That’s the kind of thinking that’ll get us buried,” he snapped, his voice low and venomous. “Dante Castillo. Yvonne won’t tell me the truth, but that bastard… I saw him in LA talking to Jonathan Rhodes. And what happens months later? New developments, new money pouring in, renovations left and right. And we’re not part of that deal? You don’t find that suspicious?”

I shook my head. “Some celebrities, influencers, and a few techies move into town. It’s nothing to lose your mind over.”

“This town was built onlegacy. And now it’s being whored out to the highest bidder. These new types are flashy, crass, and reckless. They’re parasites, feeding off what families like ours created. Soon Lush will be…” Dad’s gaze fixed on the glass in his hand. “It’ll be like Monte Carlo when the cruise ships dock. So, Yvonne and I agreed. The deal is reinstated.”

“What deal?”

He smiled. “You’re marrying Laurene King.”

I blinked slowly and shook my head. “No.”

“You are.” He took a measured sip of his drink, savoring it. “You should be grateful. You don’t see the way Yvonne’s scrambling, how desperate she is. She’s hiding something—something big. We’re gonna find out what. The Kings have ruled over Lush for long enough. It’s our turn now.”

“Laurene left, remember? We don’t even know where she is.”

“She’s back.”

The room seemed to tilt.

The one woman I wasn’t supposed to have. But still, I remembered our secret moments: how she whispered my name,the sensation of her nails scratching down my spine, and the sight of her eyes rolling in ecstasy as I brought her to the edge.

“She was your brother’s fiancée, but arranged marriages are simple. No emotions involved.”

No emotions? I almost laughed. Her engagement to my brother had just been another chapter in the blood feud that defined this town. The Kings and Ashbournes didn’t collaborate; we warred.

“After what she accused me of? You want me to marry her?”

He let the silence stretch just long enough for my pulse to throb in my ears.

Heat crawled up my spine. “You think I wanted that fight? That I wanted my brother”—my throat burned—“dead?”

“I think,” Harold said, slow, deliberate, “you let your jealousy do the thinking for you. And that costmyson his life.” He set his glass down with a sharp clink. “And what did it cost you, Reese? Nothing.”

I forget the specifics, but the town was practically built on our family’s feud—starting with Augustus King and Reginald Ashbourne, two ambitious men who turned from allies to enemies overnight. A broken deal and a bruised ego were all it took to light a fire that burned for generations of espionage, sabotage, and lies. Then Reginald killed Augustus during a brawl in a warehouse fire.

Accident or not, it didn’t matter. There’s been no love lost between our families since.

“This is my life!” I surged to my feet, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. “I can’t marry her. How am I supposed to stand at the end of an aisle pretending like she didn’t kill my brother?”

Dad shot up from his seat. “Youkilled your brother!”

Everything was always Conrad, Conrad, Conrad.

No one spotted the cracks. No one talked about the way Conrad always expected the world to bend to him, or how he’dtear anyone down who didn’t worship him the same way everyone else did. He used his charm and smile to get his way, and anyone who didn’t cooperate was simply removed.

“It’s your duty,” my father said. Cold. Final.

“I will never marry Laurene,” I spat. “I’d rather die.”

“You’ll be there.” He straightened his suit jacket. “You have nochoice.Yvonne and I discussed it. Teaming up is the best way to ensure tradition survives.”

I crushed the lit cigarette in my hand, the ember burning my skin. The thought of facing Laurene again—hearing her voice, breathing in her jasmine scent, feeling her soft touch—made my heart race. Had she changed her scent over the years?

“Be there tonight,” Dad said, looking at his watch. “You’ll be there, and you’ll conduct yourself accordingly.”

I got closer and glared at him.

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