Page 51 of Poison Vows

“You do know you have another cousin, right?” I point out, reminding her about Vaughn. “He’s also in the running.”

Scar scoffs, waving a dismissive hand as if this is nonsense. “Yeah, there’s no way you’re picking Vaughn over the most powerful man in our world! Vaughn, that ass-kissing jerk, doesn’t even come close!”

I wasn’t expecting the strong dislike.

“Uh, I take it you don’t like Vaughn?”

“I don’t like his timid, complacent manner. He doesn’t have his own unique belief, let alone a backbone!” She rolls her eyes. “Vaughn just goes with whatever Grandfather wants and never questions him.”

Interesting…

“If you ask me, Vaughn has always been jealous of Emmett. Grandfather stepped away from the daily operations of the Outfit a few years ago, leaving the majority of the responsibilities to Emmett and some to Vaughn.”

“So they’re rivals?”

“With a deep enmity. Vaughn has caused some irreparable pain to my cousin, but Emmett has never retaliated. I wonder why?” she muses. “In any case, you’re now the one deciding, so we’re going to show him!”

I don’t have the heart to tell her about Emmett’s sardonic plan to make me choose Vaughn over him. She’ll just get pissed, I’m sure.

“If Emmett is already the pseudo-head of the Family, then why is there a selection process?” I ask, my mind racing.

“Because everyone is wary of him,” she says simply. “My cousin is more than a threat, not only to my uncles and father but to Grandfather himself.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t care.”

“What?”

“Emmett simply doesn’t care,” she repeats, looking proud of her rebel of a cousin. “He doesn’t kiss anyone’s ass. He doesn’t bend over backward to obey or respect our uncles or my father. Even Grandfather barely gets a nod of recognition from him. But more than that, he’s a cold, indifferent, incredibly dangerous, and unpredictable person. He would’ve been eliminated a long time ago and, trust me, many have tried but not only have they failed, but they’ve all been mercilessly wiped out in ways that don’t even trace back to him. But everyone knows it’s his work.”

This time, it’s like I’ve been dunked in an icy lake, my entire body chilling to the bone.

“Emmett’s power is silent and hidden. In the past decade, he has made it a point to build a loyal Outfit that only answers to him and this ticks off my father and uncles. When Emmett moves, everyone has no choice but to obey… so Grandfather, in his senile wisdom, has decided to clip Emmett’s power by doing this.”

Yeah, but why did that old man pick me specifically?

Melissa is my twin sister, she could’ve done it, but he didn’t even glance at her at all that night.

“What about Vaughn then? He must be something if he’s contending the position against Emmett?”

“Hmm, Vaughn is skilled and intelligent, for sure, but not like Emmett. Vaughn’s in the running simply because he’s easier to control.”

So Emmett lacks support within his own family. Well, save for Scarlet, of course.

“What about your father and your uncles?” I ask. “Aren’t they the ones most suitable as the next heirs?”

At this, Scarlet laughs mirthlessly. The sound makes a chill run through my bones.

“Those fools? Yeah, no way they’ll sit in any position of prominent power. Ever since Auntie Daphne passed, Grandfather completely iced them out. My two cousins far exceed them in everything already, but Vaughn is their gateway for power.”

“That must cause a lot of friction,” I pry.

“That’s a given!” Scarlet waves a hand in the air like she’s directing an orchestra. “Being the next head of a family like ours is not just about prestige, it’s also about power, shrewdness, cunning, outsmarting everyone in the room and the ability to make seemingly simple decisions that create potent, dynamic shifts in the world. It’s a heady, obsessive kind of position that everyone wants, not just the core family members.”

“Even to outsiders?”

“Absolutely! Remember that secret society we just talked about? Only two families have the ability to head it and right now, it’s down to us and the Phoenix Corps family.”

---