Cruel Legacy (Cruel 3)

“You look…incredible. Oh, how I can’t wait to get under all the layers of that skirt,” he said with a laugh.

“And you…my Prince Charming,” I joked, “sexy in a tuxedo as ever.”

“I’m happy to oblige. Shall we?” he asked, offering me his arm.

I stepped toward him on Cinderella slippers and let him whisk me downstairs, into a limo, and all the way into Midtown to Trinity. The red carpet was rolled out, anticipating the affluent crowd about to descend upon it.

Penn stepped out first to a sea of camera flashes. I took one more deep breath. Cameras rolling. And action. I took his hand and steadied myself against him for a brief moment. Then, I turned toward the cameras and began. I walked the walk and talked the talk. Answering questions about the charity and how much money I anticipated raising for the event and how pleased I was with the turnout. On and on. With a smile on my face. And pain in my mile-high heels. Playing a role that actually wasn’t a role with a Kensington at my side and the world at my feet.

It was glorious. And then I stepped inside.

Even though I’d seen mock-ups of what the interior of Trinity would transform into, it was nothing compared to seeing it in reality. Gregory had really outdone himself. I’d had no reason to fear what would happen because this was a masterpiece. The club had become a seventeenth-century ballroom, resplendent, sumptuous, and palatial. Candles filled the low-lit room, chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, and cherubs adorned the walls.

Penn brought my hand to his lips. “I’m impressed. You did all of this.”

My eyes were full of stars when I looked back at him. “It’s better than I ever could have imagined.”

A waitress appeared then and offered us champagne.

Penn took two for us and passed one to me. He held it up. “To your official debut.”

I chuckled softly. “It’s like being a debutante all over again.”

“Except we make the rules.”

I held my glass up and clinked against his. “To making our own rules then.”

He grinned and then tilted his drink back. I sipped at mine, happy to have the bubbles whizzing through my system. Tonight was incredible. And it had only just begun. The best was yet to come.

I circled the room with Penn at my side. We spoke to Harmony and the lackeys, passed Jane and Court, and thanked everyone else for showing up, speaking to the people who had gone above and beyond on their donations and generally schmoozing like I’d never done before in my life. I was actually thankful to have Penn there. He knew everyone. And though I’d spent an inordinate amount of time staring at names and faces so that I could remember each person, he helped when the name just would not come to me. We were a pair. And it worked.

Penn had gone to get us drinks when a pair of bombshells appeared before me. Seeing Charlotte and Etta at my event made me tense even though I had known they planned to be here. But after my last interaction with Charlotte at Fashion Week, I wasn’t looking forward to repeating it. But neither of them looked like they were about to attack me. In fact, Etta pulled me into a hug.

“Natalie, it’s so good to see you,” Etta said. She’d recently shaved off her hair on one side and left the other side at a sharp bob. Her black dress made her look more like a curvy villain than a princess, but edgy had always worked for her. “We’ve missed having you around.”

Charlie nodded. Her black hair long and pin-straight to her waist. Gold makeup accenting her dark brown skin and the gold princess dress on her tall, thin figure. “We did. I hated how our last conversation ended.”

“I miss you, too,” I admitted.

They might be Lewis’s sisters. They might have taken his side after the breakup, but I still wanted them as my friends. They were too fun.

“With everything going on in our family, we’ve hardly even been out,” Etta said with an eye roll. “Ava hasn’t even been allowed to the house.” Etta hooked her finger at Charlotte. “Neither of her boyfriends either.”

Charlotte glared at her sister. “I really hate you sometimes.”

A smile twitched on my lips. “You two are the best.”

Etta flipped her hair. “Well, obviously.”

“Any news on what’s going on with your mom?” I asked softly. That was the part I hated the most about the whole thing.

Charlie shook her head. “She thinks it’ll drag out through the summer.”

“That’s awful,” I whispered.

“Mom’s taken to baking nonstop,” Etta said. “Which is only good for me. Charlie can’t handle another pound.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I model! It’s not actually about the weight. It’s my job.”

“You’re getting a business degree from Harvard.”