I didn’t even recognize this weak woman I was becoming, scurrying away from facing my father and refusing to deal with my feelings about Lake.
“Um, you know, Dad. I just need to grab a quick bite and get to working on some of those contracts that I need to sign off on. Tomorrow morning’s the deadline.”
Squeezing my shoulder and smiling down at me, he said, “That’s my girl. No rest for the hardworking.”
And with that, he left, and I stood alone...battling back tears of frustration.
I was tired of always fighting to get my father to see me as more than just his little girl. If he truly saw me for who I was, then he would know that I didn’t need Russell by my side to run his empire.
I loved my mother, but I admired my father. Not that I didn’t love him, too. But from an early age, his work fascinated me, and I always wanted to be just like him.
I watched stocks, studied mergers and acquisitions, researched technology and software because it was important to me. My father’s blood flowed strongly through me, and in some ways, I was the son he’d never had.
It was only natural that I’d wanted to follow in his footsteps.
And somehow, I was my mother’s daughter, too. I hungered for love, romance, and happiness in my life.
It was as if the two were mutually exclusive. They simply could not coexist.
And yet, I had to make it happen; running Daddy’s empire while having the love I deserved.
CHAPTER 14 – LAKE
“SURE, I CAN THROW IT together. What’s your purpose?” Harlow asked, hopping onto the counter and popping a chip into her mouth.
“I just want to have a nice dinner party for my friends, my team, and the staff, along with a few business constituents.”
Harlow finished chewing her chip and pulled her legs up onto my counter with her, crossing them.
“Bullshit!”
“What?” I asked as I bit into my sub sandwich that my cook, Rosie, had prepared.
“Don’t give me that shit, Lake. I’ve been your sister for thirty-one years. This do-gooder that you’re putting forth is a means to an end, and I’d like to know what that is.”
“That’s not true,” I said, swallowing the last of my sandwich. Grabbing my water bottle, I took a sip and set it back on the counter before finishing my statement.
“I’m honestly looking to spend some quality time with the folks that matter to me.”
“Lake, you’re an asshole. You’re just like your father. Wait,” she said, holding up a hand to stave off the defensive comment she suspected I was about to make. “You do care; I give you that. But you allow no one into your private sanctum, not even those you consider business associates and so-called friends. Hell, most of your players have never been invited here and neither have some of your managers. So, for you to want to do this, there’s something more to it.”
“No, there isn’t. I promise—”
“And I promise, if you’re not honest with me, I will not pull together this party for you. I’ll just call it and let you hire someone to do it. I refuse to be a part of you hurting anyone, Lake. I’ve seen Dad do it enough, and I will not let you become that. I might not even stick around to see it, but head back home to London where I belong,” Harlow threatened.
She had me where she wanted me. I was enjoying having my sister around before she had to leave for her next assignment. We seldom had time to spend together, and I wasn’t trying to rush her away. So, for the second time in one day, I confessed the truth.
“Okay, okay, okay. There’s this beautiful woman—”
“Ahh, I figured as much. There’s always a woman at the heart of it all with men.”
“Do you want me to finish or not?” I asked, giving her a blank expression.
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“So, there’s something between us, and I know it, and she knows it, but she won’t own it. I don’t have excuses to be around her other than once a week when she volunteers at the children’s home.”
“In Durham?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t live there. Going around her will entail involving her family because she still lives with them. And I know they won’t accept that.”
“Wow! This sounds like a poverty story if I’ve ever heard one,” Harlow said grimly, crossing her arms over her chest.
“It’s not that. Totally different. She’s engaged to a man, and she’ll be living with her parents until she’s married and moves into her fiancé’s house.”
“Wow! So, you’re moving in on a woman that’s already taken? How noble of you, dear brother, who likes the community to think you’re a charitable being.”
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not like that at all. She’s in an arranged marriage.”
“A what?” Harlow scoffed, spitting her juice out.
“Hey, watch that!” I shouted, jumping back.
“Sorry,” she said, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and reaching for a roll of paper towels.
“She’s engaged to this guy she doesn’t even love.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“She didn’t have to. I could feel it when I kissed her, and whenever I’m in her presence, I feel her energy. I know how she responds to me, and I see how she reacts to him.”
“Wait, you kissed a woman that’s engaged to another man? How much lower is this story going to get, Lake?”
Pulling my hand over my face, I said, “Come on, Low, don’t judge me. Just listen. She’s not happy, and I’m not giving up on her until she makes the stance she needs to.”
“Oh, I get it. And you decide to come along and open her eyes to the ways of the world to enlighten her?”
Sighing, I’d known that it would sound bad, which was why
