If everything went to Trevor, though, that meant—
“You must realize by now that they will eventually be married,” my father told me when I didn’t say anything.
Married.
My muscles ached, every single fucking one tight as I stared at my father and fought not to lose my shit.
What did I care anyway? She and Trevor deserved each other, and I was sure we’d be more than done with her by then.
“Makes sense,” I agreed trying to unknot my stomach.
“It’ll be sometime after they both graduate,” he told me. “We can’t have her spreading her wings too wide and taking off. He’ll marry her, put a Crist baby in her, and everything Fane will be ours, including Little Rika. That’s the plan.”
And I’d bet everything I had that she wasn’t aware of any of this, either. Sure, we all knew the family had been trying to push Rika and Trevor together, even though she’d broken it off.
But there was only so much a person could take. They’d continue to pressure her, including Trevor, and Rika would eventually fold.
“She doesn’t love him,” I pointed out, wanting to burst his little bubble.
He raised his eyes, meeting my challenge. “She’ll take him back, and she’ll marry him.”
“And what if he can’t get a baby in her?” I argued.
Rika didn’t want Trevor. They may get her down the aisle, but there was no guarantee she’d be pliable in the bedroom.
“If he can’t,” he said, looking at me pointedly, “then maybe you will. As long as it’s a Crist, I don’t really care.”
He tipped up his glass, taking another sip. “Hell,” he continued, a hint of a grin on his face, “I’ll do it if I have to.”
Motherfucker. Her life was already as good as over.
I fixed him with a sarcastic smile. “So you need me then.”
“Yeah, but I don’t trust you,” he retorted.
“But I am your son,” I shot back. “And I know that scares you, because you can’t control me, but you know why that is? Because we are exactly the same.” I tipped my chin down, challenging him as I stood my ground. “The same qualities you hate in me are the ones you prize in yourself. And whether or not you want to admit it, you respect me a lot more than you do Trevor.”
Pushing off the wall, I kept my arms folded across my chest as I approached his desk.
“It’s time I joined the family business,” I stated. “I’ll keep nothing. FANE belongs to Rika, as well as her property and finances, when she graduates college. That’s in her father’s will and can’t be changed. Let me manage it until she and Trevor are ready.”
He narrowed his eyes, turning it over in his head.
What did he have to lose? I couldn’t keep anything. The law protected Rika. And as far as my father knew, I had no reason to mismanage her estate. Why would I want to seize her house, close down the business, freeze her assets…?
“FANE,” he said, finally coming to terms with the idea.
“And the house and all their other holdings,” I reminded him. “And if I do well, I get Delcour and the fifty thousand shares.”
I didn’t give a fuck about Delcour and the shares, but I wanted to keep up the pretense that the Fane estate wasn’t the real prize.
He paused but finally nodded, accepting the deal. “I’ll have Monroe change over the power of attorney and fax you the papers later today.”
And then, looking at me sternly, he pointed out, “You’re getting a chance, because you’re blood, Michael. And only because you’re blood. If I were you, I’d prove my worth by not fucking this up. You might not get a second chance.”
I kept my smile to myself. I wouldn’t need a second chance.
I turned and walked for the door, ready to leave, but then I stopped.
“Why not me?” I pivoted back around, looking at him. “Why didn’t you consider me to marry her?”
“I did,” he answered. “You’re too volatile, and I need her happy and pliant. You’d make her miserable.”
I cocked an eyebrow, looking away. Well, he was right, wasn’t he? I had every intention of hurting her beyond repair.
But he didn’t know that. He was reading into something else. Knowing nothing about the bad blood between Rika and me, my father thought I wasn’t good for her.
I walked out of the office, slamming his door closed behind me with a loud thud. Anger coiled in my gut, and I hardened my jaw. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered, I reminded myself.
He thought he’d secure the Fane money and connections and that he would control everything through Trevor. He had no idea that I was going to drive everything into the ground.
And he had no idea that my plans had just now changed. He and Trevor would never get their hands on her. I’d see her dead first.
I stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby and feeling my phone vibrate inside my suit jacket.
Pulling it out of my breast pocket, I clicked on a text message from Will.
No more house.
And my eyes rounded, seeing a picture of the foyer of the Fane’s home covered in flames.
What the fuck! My heart filled my throat, and I stopped breathing. They’d acted without me.
We planned to take the house, not burn it down!
I worked quickly, dialing the security office at the community.
The night guard answered immediately.
“You must realize by now that they will eventually be married,” my father told me when I didn’t say anything.
Married.
My muscles ached, every single fucking one tight as I stared at my father and fought not to lose my shit.
What did I care anyway? She and Trevor deserved each other, and I was sure we’d be more than done with her by then.
“Makes sense,” I agreed trying to unknot my stomach.
“It’ll be sometime after they both graduate,” he told me. “We can’t have her spreading her wings too wide and taking off. He’ll marry her, put a Crist baby in her, and everything Fane will be ours, including Little Rika. That’s the plan.”
And I’d bet everything I had that she wasn’t aware of any of this, either. Sure, we all knew the family had been trying to push Rika and Trevor together, even though she’d broken it off.
But there was only so much a person could take. They’d continue to pressure her, including Trevor, and Rika would eventually fold.
“She doesn’t love him,” I pointed out, wanting to burst his little bubble.
He raised his eyes, meeting my challenge. “She’ll take him back, and she’ll marry him.”
“And what if he can’t get a baby in her?” I argued.
Rika didn’t want Trevor. They may get her down the aisle, but there was no guarantee she’d be pliable in the bedroom.
“If he can’t,” he said, looking at me pointedly, “then maybe you will. As long as it’s a Crist, I don’t really care.”
He tipped up his glass, taking another sip. “Hell,” he continued, a hint of a grin on his face, “I’ll do it if I have to.”
Motherfucker. Her life was already as good as over.
I fixed him with a sarcastic smile. “So you need me then.”
“Yeah, but I don’t trust you,” he retorted.
“But I am your son,” I shot back. “And I know that scares you, because you can’t control me, but you know why that is? Because we are exactly the same.” I tipped my chin down, challenging him as I stood my ground. “The same qualities you hate in me are the ones you prize in yourself. And whether or not you want to admit it, you respect me a lot more than you do Trevor.”
Pushing off the wall, I kept my arms folded across my chest as I approached his desk.
“It’s time I joined the family business,” I stated. “I’ll keep nothing. FANE belongs to Rika, as well as her property and finances, when she graduates college. That’s in her father’s will and can’t be changed. Let me manage it until she and Trevor are ready.”
He narrowed his eyes, turning it over in his head.
What did he have to lose? I couldn’t keep anything. The law protected Rika. And as far as my father knew, I had no reason to mismanage her estate. Why would I want to seize her house, close down the business, freeze her assets…?
“FANE,” he said, finally coming to terms with the idea.
“And the house and all their other holdings,” I reminded him. “And if I do well, I get Delcour and the fifty thousand shares.”
I didn’t give a fuck about Delcour and the shares, but I wanted to keep up the pretense that the Fane estate wasn’t the real prize.
He paused but finally nodded, accepting the deal. “I’ll have Monroe change over the power of attorney and fax you the papers later today.”
And then, looking at me sternly, he pointed out, “You’re getting a chance, because you’re blood, Michael. And only because you’re blood. If I were you, I’d prove my worth by not fucking this up. You might not get a second chance.”
I kept my smile to myself. I wouldn’t need a second chance.
I turned and walked for the door, ready to leave, but then I stopped.
“Why not me?” I pivoted back around, looking at him. “Why didn’t you consider me to marry her?”
“I did,” he answered. “You’re too volatile, and I need her happy and pliant. You’d make her miserable.”
I cocked an eyebrow, looking away. Well, he was right, wasn’t he? I had every intention of hurting her beyond repair.
But he didn’t know that. He was reading into something else. Knowing nothing about the bad blood between Rika and me, my father thought I wasn’t good for her.
I walked out of the office, slamming his door closed behind me with a loud thud. Anger coiled in my gut, and I hardened my jaw. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered, I reminded myself.
He thought he’d secure the Fane money and connections and that he would control everything through Trevor. He had no idea that I was going to drive everything into the ground.
And he had no idea that my plans had just now changed. He and Trevor would never get their hands on her. I’d see her dead first.
I stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby and feeling my phone vibrate inside my suit jacket.
Pulling it out of my breast pocket, I clicked on a text message from Will.
No more house.
And my eyes rounded, seeing a picture of the foyer of the Fane’s home covered in flames.
What the fuck! My heart filled my throat, and I stopped breathing. They’d acted without me.
We planned to take the house, not burn it down!
I worked quickly, dialing the security office at the community.
The night guard answered immediately.
