I speed down the road on my Ninja ZX 6R motorcycle, my latest toy from Kawasaki. I had it custom made in midnight black with a variety of modifications to suit my extraordinary need for lightning-fast speed.
I’m on my way to Grayson Inc. I felt like taking the motorcycle out today instead of my car. The adrenaline rush that comes with riding it first thing in the morning is like adding a dose of napalm to a triple-shot espresso.
This is also my attempt to work off the steam built up after another mind-numbing encounter with Aurora Wright.
She thinks I’m her Hades.
Although she isn’t my Persephone, she might not be entirely wrong.
I’m just as ruthless and merciless as the god of the underworld, and just like him, I don’t stop until I get what I want. It also hasn’t escaped me that since I met the goddess, obsession has slithered into my system like a malicious snake waiting for the right moment to strike.
I’m not sure if that’s something I can control.
Last night, as I had her pressed up against me, I was seconds away from fucking her against the wall.
Inhaling her scent and watching her body react to me did a number on my dick. I could barely contain myself.
While she did her best to resist me, I wanted to peel her clothes away layer by layer and taste all the parts of her I haven’t touched.
Fuck me. Listen to me. I’m inviting her into my mind again. Then again, she never left.
Aurora Wright has lived in my head since my grandfather waved her picture in front of me like temptation on a platter.
But if she’s not my Persephone, what is she to me?
A pawn?
Collateral damage?
My forced bride-to-be?
For the last few hours, the question has rung through my mind over and over and over like the church bells at Notre Dame. And still, I don’t fucking know.
Aurora seems to be an anomaly. A little bit of everything and something more.
Something that revealed itself when I saw her coming out of my workshop.
The sight of her stirred buried emotions. Probably because there are elements about her that remind me of my ghost—Giselle.
Maybe Giselle decided to take a break from her angelic duties and play one last joke on me. A prank that would spark elements of the old me. Me before I became the devil.
Both Jericho and I have experienced some dark shit from the past that changed us forever. Shit outside of the way our father has treated us.
While Jericho deals with his demons with silence—not even speaking to me about them—I never had that luxury, and it fucked me up all six ways to Sunday.
Aurora would have definitely seen my sculptures and most likely looked through my sketch pads. They weren’t exactly hidden. The curiosity on her face was also confirmation.
The sculptures are part of a collection I started over a decade ago. I have one left to do. When I’m finished, everything will be shipped to my mother’s gallery in France for this years’ showcase, where they’ll be staying permanently.
They’ve been with me for far too long. It’s time to say goodbye now, the same way I should part with the ghost of the girl who inspired them.
That’s a story for another time. She always is.
Right now, I need to keep my eyes on my goals.
I’m meeting with my grandfather the moment I get into work, so today is when things really start moving.
Now that I’ve secured Sunset Cove, the next part of the plan is all about me.
Nothing should ruin what I have lined up, not even Nathan’s release.
The fucker has nothing of worth to his name, but I gave Aurora the warning to stay away from him because I’m possessive that way.
I arrive at Grayson Inc. twenty minutes later and get changed for work. I always keep a set of clothes here for days like this when I need them.
On my way to my grandfather’s office, I spot Bastian in the foyer.
The fact he’s leaning against the wall in the far corner, with his eyes fixed on me as predacious as a vulture, suggests he was waiting for me.
The blood-thirsty look deepens the closer I get. Usually, I ignore him. Over the years, we’ve never had anything to say to each other, except insults that cut skin deep.
Those decreased after a few New Year’s Eves ago when I beat the shit out of him for calling my mother a slut. His broken bones, missing teeth, and the lengthy stay in the hospital put him in his place and showed him not to mess with me or mine ever again.
I suppose, given the uncertain circumstances of what’s going on with our legacy, he’s decided confronting me is worth the risk.
The look on his face is so potent I can’t keep walking by, so I stop.
He gives me a mocking smile, filled with a deadly cocktail of venom and rage.
“I know what you and the old man are up to.” His tone is accusatory, reflecting the look on his face.
Now, what do I say here?
I could easily tell him to fuck the hell off, or I could say nothing, but I want to indulge the part of me that feels I should say something.
“And what is that?” I square my shoulders and keep my gaze riveted to him, gearing up for a fight if it comes to that.
“You know what I fucking mean.” He pushes off the wall and inches closer. His second mistake. His first was to speak to me. “Grandfather wants you to get the company, doesn’t he? As usual, he’s always taking pity on the bastard children. Especially you.”
Words like that don’t bother me anymore. But they used to. They used to slice into my heart like a jagged-edged knife. Now they roll off my back like sweat.
My guess is his presence here and decision to confront me, means he’s desperate for intel. He and our father obviously couldn’t figure out what I’ve been up to, but they know my actions over the past week could only be for one reason— getting the company.
“What the fuck do you want?” I decide to get to the crux of the shit.
“I want to tell you that no matter what you do and what happens, I’ll find a way to take everything from you. All the things you think you’ll have and all the things you shouldn’t have had.”
The fool is foolish enough to get up in my face. His only advantage is his height. He’s as tall as I am, but that’s it. He doesn’t have the muscles or an ounce of the brains I have.
“It seems you’ve forgotten the last lesson I taught you. I’m more than happy to give you a reminder.” With the rage of a bull, I take a step forward. Another step would allow me to ram my head into his and knock him out before he could take his next breath. “Doesn’t seem as if you got the message last time to stay the fuck away.”
“That’s enough,” comes the harsh arctic voice of our father.
The sound of his heavy footsteps has us both turning toward him.
Tobias Grayson is standing by the largest pillar, staring at me with all the hatred in the world. It would be a cold day in Hell before we actually acknowledge each other as father and son, but damn.
“Bastian, we have a meeting at ten for the Japanese project.” Although he’s talking to Bastian, he hasn’t looked away from me. I’m still looking at him too. “I need you to get everything ready.”
“Yes, Father.” Bastian moves away from me, most likely pissed that we didn’t get to finish what he started.
I keep my gaze on our father, and it feels like we’re in an old-fashioned duel.
A challenge, yet a threat for the man who looks away first.
Normally, I keep my distance from him. And we never talk. Not even when I put Bastian in the hospital.
He said nothing to me then because he knew I was right. But what’s he going to say now?
Fuck that. I’m not waiting to find out. Whatever it is won’t be anything good, so I might as well have my say first.
“Keep him away from me.” I do nothing to contain the threat in my voice. I don’t want to.
“He’s right, you know.” A storm stirs in his stony expression, lightning striking in his eyes. “Your grandfather has always taken far too much pity on my bastard children. But it’s time to put a stop to that.”
His message is received loud and clear like a bullet straight to the heart, but I say nothing. Not because I can’t or because I feel any sort of threat from him, but because it’s better I don’t.
I remember having the same thought at ten years old when he told me to stay the fuck away from his family, and he’d wished I’d never been born.
Back then, I was the eager little boy who refused to believe his father didn’t want him.
Mom had brought Jericho and me back to New York to visit our grandparents for the summer. During that time, I was hellbent on meeting my father. Every time we’d visited in the years before, Mom told me I couldn’t. When I did, against my mother’s wishes and warnings, I regretted it.
It’s funny, the sting of his words has always stayed with me. As strong as I am, it’s there now as I watch him walk away with Bastian. Those words never leave, even when they turn the corner, and I can’t see them anymore.
Monsters aren’t born; they’re made. My father can take a bow for that one.
And if he or that bastard Bastian believes they’re going to take my legacy from me, they have another thing coming. For now, I‘ll allow them to think they can threaten me and break me down with their words, but I will never give either of them the satisfaction of seeing me fall.
I shake off the angst from the confrontation and proceed to my grandfather’s office. I find him inside, sitting behind his desk with a cup of coffee. He looks like his trip to Hong Kong was more of a vacation than work.
“My boy.” He raises a hand in greeting and gives me a warm smile that erases the sordid encounter from my mind.
“Morning.” I return the smile and make my way over to sit in front of him.
“You alright?” He searches my face, probably noticing the remnants of my rage.
“I’m good.” All thoughts of Bastian and Father are already non-existent to me. It’s like the last five minutes never happened.
“Great. Do you want some coffee?”
“No. I’ll grab some later.” I sit back and cross one leg over the other.
We look at each other and smile like two villains who’ve just come up with a super plan.
“So, how are things at home? Is your bride-to-be settling in okay?”
“As good as can be.”
“I’m sure she’ll do what she must to ensure things go smoothly.”
“Don’t worry. She will.” I have to give him credit. He already knew what I’d have to do to get Sunset Cove. Get rid of Nathan, dig up dirt on William, then steal his maiden daughter and marry her. My grandfather knew all of that before he even sent me on this quest. He just needed me to action the plan by getting the incriminating evidence to make it all happen.
“Wonderful, and will I be meeting her officially at my party on Friday?”
“You will.”
“I take it she’s aware of all that is required of her.”
He means the fine print. The part that covers no talking shit to the media, and the other part I covered with Aurora last night about no fucking around with Tom, Dick, or Nathan.
We have to look and act like a couple. The press are like bloodhounds, always searching for some secret something they can reveal to the world, so I know I must never give them anything to talk about.
“She’s aware of what she needs to do.” I sound confident, but there’s a hint of doubt in my voice, revealing the part of me that questions whether or not Aurora will honor my terms and conditions. I mostly believe she will because of her father, but I’m not certain of her feelings for Nathan.
It might be logical to think that a woman who’s in love would never allow a stranger to get so intimate with her at any time, much less their first meeting. But I’m not sure.
So far, their engagement seemed no different from ours. But the fact that she’s known him for years makes me question my assumption. It doesn’t matter. Whatever she feels for him doesn’t affect me one way or another. As long as he keeps his dick to himself.
Grandfather nods his approval. “And Sunset Cove is?”
“Ours.”
“Yours,” he corrects.”
I smirk. “Okay, mine. But what do you want me to do with it?”
We’d only spoken briefly about Sunset Cove since that first meeting.
Everything else we’ve spoken about has been about Grandfather’s vision for the Park Avenue branch.
I assumed Sunset Cove would require some renovations, which I already see Aurora has in the works. Renovations are my area of expertise. I turn dumps into palaces and shitholes into luxury apartments you can sell for a million dollars apiece.
“Has all the paperwork been finalized?” He sets his coffee mug down and leans back in his chair.
“As of yesterday.” I take pleasure in securing another win, so I don’t tamp down the pride in my voice. Even when you know you never fail, it’s always good to succeed and get the job done. “I’m just waiting for William to get the transfer of assets document.” That will name me alongside Aurora on the property, then I’ll receive the official title of ownership after the sixth-month mark of our marriage.
Grandfather gives me his I-knew-you-could-do-it smile. “Perfect.”
Things are as perfect as they can be for now. After talking to Aurora last night, I got a good glimpse of how important Sunset Cove is to her.
She was protective of the place. As she spoke, I knew if she ever found out I blackmailed her father to get Sunset Cove, it would break her.
Finding out how I forced him to use his executive powers to undercut her would probably make her hate him as much as she hates me.
I’m sure Aurora is aware of how her father initially got in debt. I am too. I found that part out without Jericho’s help.
Although it’s admirable the man tried to save his wife, I won’t condone love turning anybody into a fool.
How can I when I’ve been there and done that? I have the physical and mental scars to prove it, and I could have written the unabridged version of the idiot’s manual.
In the end, when love has to compete with death, death will always be stronger. It will always win, always take precedent, always, always be the master. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it. God or mortal.
“Well, here are the next steps.” Grandfather straightens and rests his elbows on the desk. “Vladimir Markov wants to buy Sunset Cove.”
My brows rise. Vladimir Markov is one of the richest men in this world. He’s a Russian oligarch who practically owns Europe. There’s hardly a square mile on the continent without some asset that belongs to him. “He wants Sunset Cove?
“He approached me about it months ago. Initially, he wanted to purchase the resort, but William Wright told him it wasn’t for sale.”
On hearing that, something pinches in my gut. It feels like guilt, but that’s an emotion I haven’t felt in years.
The feeling only surfaces now because I know William would have been eyeball-deep in debt at the time Vladimir approached him, yet he never considered parting with Sunset Cove until I forced his hand.
“He offered three hundred million,” Grandfather continues with an amused expression.
“Seriously?” My mouth loosens. I wasn’t expecting to hear that, but the offer is definitely in line with the value. If I’m being honest, it might not even be enough. That old Hollywood clientele from the past has raised the value of Sunset Cove substantially. There’s even a fucking wall containing the signatures of some of the most famous people in history. Musicians, artists, actors, actresses, and supermodels. Name it, they’re there.
“Vladimir is willing to pay for the history of the place.” Grandfather gives me a ruthless smile. “I told him I could definitely get it for him for that offer. Obviously, the money is yours when the sale has been finalized.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s well deserved.” He gives me a clipped nod. “We need to do state-of-the-art renovations to bring the place up to speed. Vladimir wants to keep all the sentimental elements but give it a completely new look.”
Sounds good, and right up my alley, but this will fan the flames on the infernal fire blazing between Aurora and me.
When she finds out about the plans for Sunset Cove, it will be hell to pay. But there’s nothing she can do to stop me, even with her ten percent ownership.
That percentage was the bare minimum I had to leave her with in accordance to her mother’s will. But it will only be relevant until the end of our marriage. Once that time has passed, all other rules come into effect. Particularly, the separate contract I signed with her father giving me certain permissions in regard to Sunset Cove.
It means I can sell the place without any problems, or legal backlash from Aurora. Those are the parts she doesn’t know.
I think it’s wise I keep it that way, given the tension in our relationship. I’ll take things one step at a time and she’ll just have to deal with whatever happens as it happens.
“Sunset Cove needs to beat the competition,” Grandfather booms in a spirited voice. “What do you think?”
“I think I can have my team working on it straight away.”
Pride slides over his face like a mask, giving life to his eyes. “This is what I love about you, Knight. You’re a real go-getter. With that said, I’m going to let your father and brothers know I’ve preliminarily selected you for the CEO position of Park Avenue.” He gives me a proud-father smile, and I appreciate it, like I always do. “I’ll make it official in seven months once everything is complete with your marriage and the transfer of Sunset Cove. But you’re more than three quarters of the way there, son.”
“Thank you for giving me this chance.” My father and Bastian are not going to like this one bit, but I don’t care. They can go straight to hell.
“Like I said, well deserved. Now, it looks like you have a wedding to plan.”
“I do,” I answer, no pun intended.
The word wedding in relation to me still feels foreign.
And so does the woman I’ll be giving my name.
