“Don’t worry, Daniel,” I say to him with a vicious grin. “Those responsible won’t be able to walk after I’m done fucking them over.”
He laughs. “Go get ’em, boss.”
I’ve never seen you so happy. Don’t let them take this from you.
Happy. Right. Ash pleases me but she doesn’t make me happy. I find pleasure when we play but certainly not happiness. Nothing makes me happy.
Liar.
For some reason, I think of a silly selfie Ash took once with her pink bird. Her face was twisted into a goofy expression and the bird was a blur, mid-flap as though he was bothered by her cheesy fucking pose. She’d sent me the picture and I told her I wasn’t paying for that low-quality shit. I’d gotten a serious picture right after that I paid for. But the silly one is the one I look at sometimes.
Why?
Because it makes me smile.
A real smile.
Something about that picture makes me…happy.
Which is why I’ll delete it the second I get the chance. Refocusing my thoughts, I forget about the picture and enter Anthony’s office. When Mother called, I knew we needed to take this conversation away from Halcyon which is why I’m meeting them both here. Luckily, Daniel gave the paparazzi the slip on the way here so I’m not bombarded with a hundred fucking cameras like I was when I left Halcyon shortly after Anthony did. Once inside, I take the elevator to Anthony’s floor. As soon as the doors open, I sense Mother’s presence. Her familiar perfume lingers in the lobby. I’m reminded of when I was a small boy before all the kids joined the fray. I’d misbehaved once badly enough to piss my nanny off. She warned me that my mother would tear me a new backside when she got back from lunch with her friends or shopping or wherever it was Mother had been that day. I’d sat with my nose in the corner of the piano room that smelled of my mother. Same perfume.
“Winston,” Mother says from Anthony’s office doorway. “Come here.”
It’s like I’m there again. Five years old. Unsure of how Mother will react to the news of what I’d done. And, like back then, I walk right over to her. This time, instead of peering up at her sharp features, I look down since I tower over her now.
“Mother.” My voice is much deeper this time but carries the same hint of respect.
“I’ll take care of it,” she says, her voice cold and cruel.
She’d said those same words when I was five. That nanny was fired on the spot. Mother took me by the hand, walked me through the estate, and set me in front of the window with the spectacular views. It was then she explained that Constantines make mistakes, but the difference between us and those who weren’t us, was we could afford to make those mistakes disappear.
Even though I can handle this shitstorm, I give her a nod. “Thank you, Mother.”
She purses her lips, plucks a stray piece of Ash’s dark hair off my lapel, and gives me a flicker of a smile. Not a soft, warm and motherly smile. No, this one promises pain and retribution.
I close the office door and take a seat beside Mother on the couch in Anthony’s office. He ends a phone call he’s on before joining us.
“How long before we make the scandal go away?” Mother asks, getting right down to business. “And more importantly, how much? I want this handled.”
Anthony chuckles, one of the few people who can laugh at my mother and get away with it. I think the only reason she allows it is because he was thick as thieves with Dad back in the day. He’s practically a brother to her.
“You cut right to the chase, Caroline.” Anthony grins. “Lane always loved it when you’d get in protective momma bear mode. Said it turned him on. Probably why you two had so many damn kids—”
“Anthony,” I interrupt. “You can take the walk down memory lane later when my reputation isn’t on the line.”
Not that I care about my reputation, but I’m not in the mood to talk about my parents’ love life. It’ll make me think about my own love life and I’d prefer if mine was nonexistent. Besides, my mother’s been touchy about my father ever since he died. Before that, really. Society saw their marriage as a happy one. Only a few people know there was infidelity, but she was still devastated by his death.
“So grumpy,” Anthony says in a jovial tone. “I hope this girlfriend of yours is worth all the trouble.”
Mother’s lips press into a thin line but she doesn’t say a word.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I grit out, “but if that’s the way we need to play it, so be it.”
“Your old ass could do worse.” He chuckles again. “She’s a beauty.”
“I’m less concerned about the scandal and am more eager to find out how I can get my building in my name again.” I lean back against the leather sofa and cross my arms over my chest. “How quickly can we make Morelli squeal like a pig?”
Mother quirks a brow. “You and that wretched building. Just like your father. The more important thing is that we keep family secrets…secret.”
Something about the way she says it makes my suspicion rise. On the surface she means my relationship with Ash, but it almost sounds as if she has other secrets. What could Leo know about us that I don’t? I keep my voice dry. “What can I say? I like that property.”
“It’s right in the heart of Morelli real estate,” Anthony says. “This vendetta against those gangsters was yet another thing Lane passed down to his eldest.”
“I want it back. Force Leo into handing it back over to me or I’ll sue them until they’re penniless rats.” I smirk at Anthony. “By the end of the week.”
“And what do you have on Leo that’ll make this happen? I know you’ve got something, kid.”
Kid.
I try not to bristle at the nickname he’s called me often over the years. I supposed I’ll always be a kid to him no matter the fact I pay his salary.
“Phone records. Proof of threats and blackmail. Check your email. I sent it over on the car ride over here.” I crack my neck and then say, “There’s enough to prove he violated the terms of our agreement therefore nullifying our contract. It’s written explicitly that if he were to violate my terms, which he did so heinously, he’ll sell me the building back for the same price.”
“Seems simple enough,” Anthony says.
“They’re Morellis,” Mother clips out, an edge to her voice. “And Leo Morelli, in particular. Nothing is simple with him.” She smooths her palm over her tweed skirt, and I have the sense again that there are undercurrents in the dark waters, some personal conflict between her and Leo Morelli, though I can’t imagine what. “I’ll speak to Bryant.”
“No,” I spit out, anger burning hot inside my chest.
“Winston.” Her eyes are shrewd, and despite her small frame, she’s poised to strike like a snake. “I’ll schedule a meeting with Bryant. This has to go away. Now.”
An uneasy feeling settles in my gut. Worry? Panic? Something claws at me to the point I can’t breathe. I yank at my tie, loosening it and popping the top button. Anthony gets up and returns a moment later with a bottle of water. I untwist the cap and guzzle down the water. Both Mother and Anthony wait until I’ve pulled myself together before either of them speaks.