Page 97 of Poison Vows

“Yes, sounds perfect,” he says with a smile, his eyes glowing with something that makes tingles go down my spine. “You should absolutely call me that, beautiful girl.”

There’s only one grandfather I’ve ever had, but he was taken from me. Now, calling another old man ‘Grandpa’ feels… strange.

I wait for it to feel wrong, but as Vaughn’s grandfather watches me, I can’t help but feel an emotion I can’t quite name.

“Thank you, Grandpa,” I say with a forced smile.

His smile actually broadens, and he gives me a nod, then Vaughn greets Senator Hughes’s father while Scar looks at me without saying anything.

“This is my cousin, Scarlet, Uncle Giovanni’s daughter. She has a brother a year younger than her, Xavier. He’s not here tonight, though,” Vaughn says.

“I can be introduced without being linked to my genealogy, Vaughn, thank you very much,” Scarlet says sharply, rolling her eyes, and I almost smile.

Melissa also comes forward to greet Grandpa Armando and Scarlet, but before Grandpa can say anything, Scarlet looks at Melissa with a heated gaze.

“You disgust me,” she says in a low, almost warm tone that suggest friendliness, but the look in her eyes is so cold and deadly as she looks at Melissa, the poor girl backs up a few steps.

I’m shocked by the hostility. Does Scarlet also know what Melissa did?

“Scar, play nice,” Grandpa Armando says almost endearingly, not addressing Melissa at all. It looks like Scar is loved by this old man.

“You look a little pea-green there,” Scarlet says, looking at Melissa. “Coke withdrawal?”

Melissa’s eyes widen with shock. “W-what?” she stutters.

“You and I are going to have some fun for a while,” Scarlet says with a smile that looks warm but actually feels chilling and sinister.

I was thinking of what to do with Melissa, but it seems there’s someone who’s even more livid about Melissa’s actions and is ready to deal with her.

Melissa quickly backs away and goes to her parents, but Scarlet’s sharp eyes follow her there.

“Anyway, let’s have dinner,” Grandpa Armando says with a wink my way that shocks me.

Vaughn leads me to our seats. When he helps me settle down, I ask him what’s wrong.

“Nothing, really,” he says with a slight frown. “It’s just, he’s never let anyone call him by his name. Even friends and allies of the Family call him sir, but with you, he not only let you call him by his name, but he also gave you two other options.”

I’m slightly confused by the way Vaughn dissects this. Is it that deep?

“What do you call him?” I ask silently.

“Sir, but Grandfather mostly,” he says, looking toward the head of the table where Senator Hughes and his wife are greeting Grandpa Armando. “Onlytheyget to call him something endearing as grandpa. I’ve never had the privilege or the insolence.”

I’m stunned by the ill-concealed bitterness in Vaughn’s voice.

I don’t have to wonder who ‘they’ are because I follow Vaughn’s gaze and see he’s looking at Scarlet.

It’s not about privilege. It’s more about indulgence and closeness, and it seems Vaughn has neither from his grandfather.

“Maybe you should start calling him grandpa too,” I suggest him. “After all, it seems he’s supporting you, isn’t he?”

I’m both fishing for answers and trying to comfort him, to which Vaughn cheers up a bit.

“Yeah, maybe I should give it a go one day,” he says with a smile. “They aren’t the only grandchildren.”

“How many grandchildren are there?”

“Five,” Vaughn answers. “Emmett is the eldest, then a few days after his birth came me. Five years later, Scarlet, then Xavier and lastly Lucien. He’s in high school.”

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