Page 2 of Moon Blind Hearts
Just as dangerous as Augustus Harrington.
I quickly chew the food I’d been eating and prop my hand on my hip. “I figure if I need health advice, I’ll go ask a doctor, not a spoiled rich guy.”
He smirks in amusement, but I get the feeling it’s not because he’s been won over by my charm. No. He’s thinking about the audacity I have to speak to him like that. Rich assholes like this never get told no. That’s okay. I’ll be his first.
“Is that any way to speak to your future husband?” he asks.
I snort in a very un-ladylike manner. “Future husband? You’re dreaming, dude.”
At that moment, my father decides to step onto stage and start speaking. I scowl at Augustus and turn toward him, another rule. When he’s giving a speech, we’re required to look proud and interested. If we don’t, we’re in trouble.
“I suppose now is a good time to announce the amazing news,” my father starts, gesturing over to me. The entire crowd turns my way and I tense. “This isn’t just a charity event. It’s also an engagement party. Let’s have some applause for the happy partnership between my daughter, Juliet Ward, and Augustus Harrington, the CEO of Harrington Enterprises.”
My eyes widen and it takes everything in me not to run away as everyone starts to clap. I nearly throw up when Augustus moves closer and leans in, his breath hot on my face.
“Don’t look so shocked, Juliet. This is your duty,” he whispers too low for anyone else to hear.
I jerk my head toward him and stare up at the horrible man. The rumors of him aren’t nice, but because he’s a man, no one cares. Rich men are allowed to be assholes. They’re allowed to abuse the women they date, have scandals, and test the waters with drugs and alcohol. No one reprimands them. No one dares tell them no.
“How about you go fuck yourself?” I hiss between my teeth even as I smile for the cameras going off.
He chuckles, like he’s delighted to have a horse he can break. I’m in danger. Oh god, I’m in real danger.
The rest of the party passes in a blur. Too many people come up to tell me congratulations, not once asking me my thoughts. Albie floats around the room, flicking worried glances my way throughout the night, as if he expects me to explode. I half expect myself to explode. Only my etiquette training keeps me functioning through fear.
The moment we walk back into the mansion too big to ever feel like a home, I turn on my father and spit the words I’ve been holding in all night. “I’m not marrying him.”
“You will,” Father says, not even bothering to look my way as he removes his cuff links. “It’s your duty.”
“And what about what I want?” I spit. “You’ve heard the rumors. He’s dangerous and?—”
“Don’t be selfish, Juliet,” he chastises, unconcerned for my safety. “You’re a Ward, which means it’s about what’s good for the family, not about what you want.”
Panic sets in. I can’t do this. I thought I had more time. “I won’t marry him,” I snarl. “You can’t make me.”
He levels his gaze on me, and I nearly shrivel in on myself. “Can’t I?”
All the rumors about my own family flash through my mind then, about the kind of shit my family quietly participates in, shit I’ve never gone searching for, shit I want nothing to do with. I don’t want to be a Ward. I just want to be Jules.
I straighten and tip up my chin, understanding the threat, understanding I will never change his mind. He’s made this arrangement purely for political gain and power. A merging between the Ward family and the Harringtons that solidifies connections in the 27 Foundation. Father will never lose an election again. He’s made sure of it.
“Good,” he says, smirking. Still, it never reaches his eyes. “Make sure to avoid the black clothing from earlier so we don’t have a repeat of it. Good Christian girls don’t wear black, and good wives obey. It’s best you learn it now before you become one.”
And then he leaves me standing there in a house that feels more like a cage than ever. My mother looks at me with dead eyes and then moves to follow him, not willing to get reprimanded for her own daughter. She’s never been willing to sacrifice anything for us. She’s too busy trying to survive herself.
Albie threads his arm through mine and drags me up the stairs. I barely remember the steps as we move silently through the big house that’s covered in cameras. The only safe place is our rooms. There are no cameras there, mostly because father wouldn’t want those videos and photos getting out, not because he cares about our privacy.
As soon as my bedroom door is closed, Albie grabs my shoulders. “Say something,” he begs. I must look scary right now.
I meet eyes that are an exact copy of my own, eyes that belong to our father. The Wards always have these eyes. It’s a dominant trait that reminds us we can’t escape.
“I have to go,” I whisper, afraid someone will hear me.
His eyes widen. “But Jules?—”
“If I stay, he’ll marry me off to that asshole,” I croak. “Albie, you’ve heard the rumors. I won’t survive it. You know I won’t.”
He clenches his jaw. “There’s nowhere you can run he won’t find you.”
