Page 39 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“I’d like to add an amendment. If I may, please,” the Senator says. Now that he’s made the choice, his tone of voice carries the usual authority of a well-regarded elected official. “Six months as a mistress? My daughter is the Swan Queen. If she’s to take my place to pay off my debt, I want her future secured.”

“Well, I’m intrigued.” Santino sits back on the club chair and places his ankle over his knee again. “What are you proposing?”

“I want the buyer to marry my daughter and not just for six months.” He lifts his chin to note his terms are non-negotiable.

Santino laughs. “I suppose that could be a good thing for her, especially if the buyer is some old, old man who’s ready to kick the bucket.” He turns his head slightly toward me as he considers the Senator’s offer.

“If she gets more than needed to cover my debt?—”

“No, Senator. You do not make a profit on this transaction. I have operating expenses, as you can imagine. Mounting an auction, finding the right customers, isn’t an easy feat, or cheap.”

“I understand.” He nods. “Do we have a deal?”

“No, you don’t.” I step closer to the mirror.

“I accept your deal.” Santino smirks.

“Absolutely not,” I yell at Santino, even though he can’t hear me. “That’s not what we discussed. I can’t tether myself to my enemy’s daughter.” I glare at Fisher. “This is not what we agreed to.”

“I was under the impression that the buyer didn’t matter.” Fisher looks at me as if I have suddenly grown two heads.

“What does that even mean?” I throw my arms in the air.

“I didn’t realize you were going to bid on the woman,” Fisher elaborates, doing a poor job of hiding his smirk.

“I wasn’t.” I fist my hands, and it takes all my self-control not to punch the mirror and break it into a million pieces. To hell with the Senator and the element of surprise. “I mean I was. That was the whole point. She takes her father’s place.”

“Marriage is something different, Archer.” Fisher rubs the salt and pepper stubble on his cheek. “There’s still time to call off this insanity.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I’m not backing down. We’ve come this far. I’m not going to stop just because the Senator’s greed is limitless.”

“When will you do it?” The Senator asks. “The performance of her life is in two weeks. I never thought I’d be the one to kill her dreams. I met her mother when she was a young ballet dancer.” The Senator smiles at the coffee table, looking at nothing. “Clara was my Swan Queen. Paloma is the spitting image of her mother.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “She was so little when her mother passed. She came to my house, wearing her stained ballet shoes.” He buries his face in his hands.

“Get Paloma to sign the contract.” Santino points at the strewn papers. “I’ll handle the rest. I’ll need a couple of weeks to make the arrangements. I’ll see what I can do about working around her schedule.”

“Thank you.” The Senator picks up the papers and stuffs them under his arm.

“Don’t thank me yet. Stay and enjoy another drink or two.” Santino rises to his feet. “I’ll be back with the updated contract.”

He leaves the room and walks over to us. He’s already on the phone asking someone on the other end of the line to make the necessary changes. Gardenia said Santino has a license to kill. I inhale a breath. She doesn’t know the half of it. His influence and power go beyond anything she can imagine. Up until now, I didn’t know either.

“You should’ve said no.” I get in his face when he puts his phone away.

“No to what?” His gaze darts from me to Fisher.

“The fucking fine print. That’s what?” I run both hands over my hair. “I can’t marry her.”

“Why not?” Santino buttons his suit jacket. “She’ll be yours, body and soul. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I wanted revenge,” I clarify. “Not a life-time commitment.”

“Then don’t buy her. The effect is the same.” He fails to see my dilemma.

“Don’t buy…” The words die on my lips.

I can’t marry her. But also, the thought of her sharing a bed for the rest of her life with someone else threatens my very sanity. Watching her dance with her so-called boyfriend was unbearable. If we had been anywhere other than the Senator’s mansion, I would’ve punched his face in.

Don’t buy her. Santino’s words echo in my head.

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