Sinful

“Rome. My boy is here.” Hayden waves me inside the room. I’m not surprised to see him sucking up to Marcel. My mother, Nadia, might be Marcel’s flesh and blood daughter, but Grandfather would never talk business with her. Hayden, her husband, is probably the closest thing to the son he never had.

Everyone else just keeps dying.

Fucking funny that.

“Ah, Romain, just the lad I wanted to speak to,” says Marcel.

“Grandfather,” I say, nodding at him.

“Father,” I say after a pause, glancing at Hayden. My father is a cunt, but I can’t show anything but respect in front of Marcel, or I’ll be disinherited on the spot.

“I have a job for you, boy.” Marcel leans down to take a shot. He pockets the red smoothly and then aims for the blue. It glides in, and then he looks up. “Your aunt Nicole has decided she no longer has this family’s best interest at heart. She’s legally become a Darlington, and so by default, will Seth. I need you to deliver a message.”

I glance at my father, who nods. Interesting that Nicole has now stepped out of line, taking Seth with her. Her taking Darlington as her last name is a massive fuck you to Marcel.

“It’s done,” I say without hesitation. Refusing would also be a nail in my coffin. Grandfather always has jobs for me, the kind he can’t trust with anyone else. I may not be invited to the board meeting, but Marcel needs me. Seth wouldn’t get his hands this dirty. The only satisfaction I have is that anything to hurt Nicole is also going to hurt Seth. And I have no problem with that any day of the damn week.

“I’ll send you details on what’s to be done when you get back to Reynard.” Marcel waves me away.

“Grandfather. I brought a date for this evening.” It’s now or fucking never.

He looks up, mid-strike on another red. By the looks of it, he’s winning. Hayden’s probably letting him win, the pussy.

“Romain. Don’t concern your grandfather with one of your whores,” Hayden snipes, eyes narrowed at me.

The muscle in my jaw ticks.

Marcel pauses to chalk his cue. “We’re talking about the Ferrious girl?”

“She’s not a whore,” I say, forcing myself to unclench my jaw and breathe.

“Remind me, what’s her background?” Marcel asks, ignoring Hayden.

I reel off her father’s assets.

“Not much. Golddigger then,” Marcel cuts in when I’m not done, snapping his cue against another red.

I see fucking red too but say nothing, tightening my fists at my side.

“Romain,” My father warns.

Marcel misses, cursing as he does, then looks up, eyeing my reaction. “Oh, don’t take it to heart. Your grandmother was the same.”

“I…care about her,” I admit, trying not to spit flames.

Marcel shrugs. “If you get a prenup, I’ll approve.”

I nod and leave before I throw a gasket. Hayden gives me a murderous look as I stalk out of the room. Fuck him. It’s done. I have permission. My father won’t stand up to Marcel, never in a million fucking years.

Once I’m outside the war room, I allow myself to drag in a lungful of air. Hand shaking, I run it through my hair, sweeping it off my face, the family ring heavy on my goddamn fingers.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I turn to see Odette smirking, looking like a whore herself in the dress she picked out for Seth’s benefit.

“And you look like you charge by the hour,” I snark at my twin.

She tosses her white-blonde hair, eyes rolling as she falls into step alongside me. “He’s not even fucking here.”