Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

My boots click against the expensive flooring and I watch out of the corner of my eye as the four boys enter the room and discreetly make their way to their families, standing behind them with their mothers and presenting a united front, but something tells me it’s anything but, especially when it comes to Grayson and Carver.

I place myself at the top of the table, and keeping my chin held high, I look over my people, feeling more out of place than ever before. How am I supposed to rule this group of hateful men? Despite my bloodline, I’m still just a nobody foster kid at heart.

From the top of the table, I get a better view of the sixteen families staring back at me, and I take my time, slowly scanning each face and committing it to memory, especially the faces of my enemies. I find Carver’s father instantly. He’s the spitting image of his son, give or take forty years or so. I can’t help but lift my gaze to Carver’s, and without a word spoken between us, it’s clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with the man he stands behind.

I move on, finding Grayson’s father next. He looks nothing like his father, but I see the similarities in his mother, who from a distance looks like the sweetest woman I’ll ever meet. But I won’t be fooled, especially from a woman who sits on the left-hand side of the table.

As I continue around the room, a face stands out to me. Jacob Scardoni—Ember’s boyfriend. I suck in a small gasp, but for the most part, keep my expression neutral. Jacob’s eyes meet mine across the grand table, and I hold his stare, silently telling him just how badly he fucked up. I feel like a bomb has just been dropped on me, but when I mentally go over the list of names Carver had given me last night, Scardoni was one of them, but I didn’t put two and two together, and that’s on me. I was too focused on two other names that were mentioned.

Jacob’s gaze drops, not able to handle the pressure that comes from my stare, and I clench my jaw, suddenly not so approving of Ember’s choice of men. I will deal with him in time. If I had known he was a part of Dynasty, a part of the families that sent a group of hitmen to kill me, I never would have encouraged her relationship with him. But for the most part, I can’t help the feeling that he’s getting close to her just to get information on me.

I shake off the surprise and move across to the opposite side of the table, the side that’s bound to give me the courage to stand up here and say what needs to be said.

I look straight to Cruz before glancing over his family and finding his mother. She’s beautiful and the way her eyes shine just like her son’s makes me long for my own mother. I quickly look to his father and find a strong, confident man who looks like a complete hard-ass, but the fact that he’s sitting on the right side of the table speaks volumes.

King’s family is next, and just like Carver and his dad, King and his father are like carbon copies of each other, only King senior puts a little more effort into his dark hair, not allowing his unruly locks to fall into his eyes.

Feeling my confidence beginning to soar, I finally take my seat, sliding into the chair that has remained vacant for far too long. Every eye in the room remains on me, and while I’m not about to give some heartwarming speech, I’m sure as hell about to get this shit over and done with. “Let’s get this started, shall we?” I say, keeping my head raised just as Carver had said to. “Now, I’m not going to stand before you and make a mockery of your rules and policies. I know nothing of them, so I’m going to call it like I see it and deal with the fallout later. There are a few topics that must be discussed; some more important than others.”

“Yes,” the man directly to my right responds while giving me an encouraging smile and making me wish they all had name tags. “Let me start by saying how wonderful it is to see you, Miss Ravenwood. Your parents were such generous people, your father especially. It was a sad day when they were taken from this world. It’s been a long time coming, but we are all thrilled to see you finally coming of age and taking your role as the head of Dynasty.”

Geez. What a suck-up. I give the man beside me a warm smile. “Your name, sir?”