11 - Nathan“She is young enough to be taught and molded to our lifestyle. Also, if you are as good in bed as rumors proclaim she will be less likely to cheat on you and have illegitimate children provided we train her properly. That we need to prevent at all costs.” I don’t even know what to say to my grandfather’s words. Now, I need to seduce her and be good enough so she doesn’t cheat on me, but train her to deal with me sleeping with other women because I am allowed to be unfaithful, but she isn’t. That's his biggest concern for this 18 year old child.“She will be well provided for and her father’s business will be taken care of for the foreseeable future, it’s a win for all of us.” Again, my uncle chiming in with his fake sunshine and rainbows as if his opinion matters in the slightest.“Do we know how she feels about this whole thing?” I can’t explain why I care, but I do. She’s barely an adult. “How long will I have to get to know her and propose?” I’m barley entertaining
12 - AuroraThe last two years have been amazing. Lady C has sent me all over the world negotiating contracts on my own and finalizing some of our biggest deals. I’m now the Creative Director for the company and the face next to Lady Corleone in the boardroom. Of course Mallory is now our Chief Marketing Officer and the face next to Lady in the press. She is poised to start slowly taking over the company over the next five to ten years. I can’t decide how I feel about that. I think Lady C has realized that Mallory is not going to do well by herself. Mallory isn’t capable, or willing, to learn how to conduct and maintain business outside the bedroom and dinner parties. I notice Lady C has been slowly putting strategic people with special talents in place to help her daughter along. There are several analysts and managers that work together to make the both of them look good and we do it all behind the scenes. I’m not even sure if Mallory knows that she has no real say or decisio
13 - Aurora“We don’t have anything to talk about besides work. All you do is work, so I just work more to fill the time that you are gone. At some point in our time together I thought you would have made me, us, a priority. But clearly greedily climbing your way to the top is your only priority.” He says finally looking me in the eye. All I see is animosity there. “You do not give me the time and attention that I deserve. You should be willing to put your little work hobby aside to focus on your relationship with me and what I need. Instead you are late to dinner because of meetings and have to leave in the middle of the night for ‘trips.’” He air quotes.“Excuse you.” I say hissing low, trying to not make a scene. “You work every bit as much as I do because your father requires it of you, not because of your work ethic. It’s the only way you’ll get back in his good graces after you were let go from the marketing firm. Don’t blame that on me. Does he know that I supported your f
14 - Aurora“Hello sweetheart!” She almost shouts into the phone. “I can’t believe you are already calling me, I bet the ring is HUGE! With the money his family has, it hast to be huge, or maybe a family heirloom. Something vintage and completely unique. I hope you took lots of pictures and looked really surprised. Did you get any strategic pictures with celebrities and well known people in the background? I hope so, they will sell for far more. I should have mentioned that before you went in.” She is talking a hundred miles a minute and she sounds like a lunatic.“Mom..”“You know, I bet if we ask, the restaurant will let us stage pictures so we can get really good quality ones. Your cousin has that friend that does photography, I bet she would do it for us to help get her name out there.”“Mom…”“I am going to need a close up of the ring, with your face in it of course, otherwise Margory won’t believe me.”“MOTHER, STOP!” I shout, stopping in my tracks. The mention of Margory is t
15 - Aurora“Can’t do what? Can we talk? I just want to understand what you’re going through. Maybe I can help.”“No, go away! There’s no way you could understand this. I can’t be forced into anything and they will figure it out soon enough.”Ok, maybe I can keep her talking long enough to get to her. The drop is really far straight down to rock filled water. There’s no surviving, which I assume is her intention, but I can’t just walk away now.“Who are you trying to show that you can’t be forced?” I’m hoping she’ll just answer automatically, too distracted by her emotions.“My parents are trying to force me into an arranged marriage to save their company, but I can’t marry some heartless playboy who’s like my dad’s age. I just turned eighteen, I don’t want to get married now. I was enrolled in school and had plans for myself before all of that serious relationship stuff. Marriage is supposed to be wonderful and beautiful and not some business deal.” She’s rambling.“You are no
Ch 1 - Rorie“Oh my god, Lexi, this place is amazing! I cannot believe I am here right now!” I try not to scream too loud into the phone locked between my ear and shoulder as I clumsily pull my luggage through the suite door.“You’re such a b*tch, I wish you could have brought a plus one. Why is your boss so stingy?” Lexi whines at me through the phone.“Oh stop, you know I am only here for three days and the time I have to myself will be minimal at best. And you would be stuck schlepping something for them, not relaxing. Lady Corleone only spends money on herself and her daughter. I am here because the business deal we are completing needs me in person according to Lady C, otherwise, I would have video conferenced into the meeting from home.”I finally get all my things into the room since the hotel staff is busy with Lady C and Mallory’s belongings, which required its own form of transportation.“She only has you video conference so you can’t distract any of the hot guys from Mall
2 - Nathan“I really need you to stop throwing me at every woman with a nice pair of legs, Grandfather.” I say huffing my annoyance. I kept myself off-screen for the duration of the meeting on purpose. This is my grandfather’s way of scoping out the merchandise before we arrive and getting a game plan together for how to proceed with negotiations but I had a good view of the women in the room and my grandfather did notice my attention being taken by the young woman off to the side of the room. She kept herself off camera for most of our time and I only had a partial view when she couldn’t avoid being on camera. No doubt she is part of the actual brains behind this merger. The way Lady Corleone kept looking her way to confirm information was a huge tell. It was very sly, I have to hand it to them. Lady Corleone has a way with words and it appeared as though she was giving direction to the woman, but if you paid attention to the subtleties, it was, in fact, the reverse. I have alwa
3- RorieI wake up before dawn too excited to be near the ocean to sleep more than a few hours. After some thought and pacing in my room, I decide it is probably a safe bet that everyone drank far too much last night and I should be able to run on the beach as the sun rises this morning. My boss and her daughter are never up this early, I can only hope the Westfield guys are the same type of night owls. I need to get out of this room and move.I shoot an email off to Gabriel, letting him know how everything is going. With the time change and the schedule Lady C likes me to keep, I probably won’t have an actual conversation with him the three days I am here. I sigh as I scope the hallway before walking out towards the elevators. I don’t know where any of Westfield’s team is staying and I don’t want to be caught in my workout gear by any of them. Lady C would lose her mind. If there was access to a service elevator, that is what I would use.Once I’m safely hidden away heading down to
15 - Aurora“Can’t do what? Can we talk? I just want to understand what you’re going through. Maybe I can help.”“No, go away! There’s no way you could understand this. I can’t be forced into anything and they will figure it out soon enough.”Ok, maybe I can keep her talking long enough to get to her. The drop is really far straight down to rock filled water. There’s no surviving, which I assume is her intention, but I can’t just walk away now.“Who are you trying to show that you can’t be forced?” I’m hoping she’ll just answer automatically, too distracted by her emotions.“My parents are trying to force me into an arranged marriage to save their company, but I can’t marry some heartless playboy who’s like my dad’s age. I just turned eighteen, I don’t want to get married now. I was enrolled in school and had plans for myself before all of that serious relationship stuff. Marriage is supposed to be wonderful and beautiful and not some business deal.” She’s rambling.“You are no
14 - Aurora“Hello sweetheart!” She almost shouts into the phone. “I can’t believe you are already calling me, I bet the ring is HUGE! With the money his family has, it hast to be huge, or maybe a family heirloom. Something vintage and completely unique. I hope you took lots of pictures and looked really surprised. Did you get any strategic pictures with celebrities and well known people in the background? I hope so, they will sell for far more. I should have mentioned that before you went in.” She is talking a hundred miles a minute and she sounds like a lunatic.“Mom..”“You know, I bet if we ask, the restaurant will let us stage pictures so we can get really good quality ones. Your cousin has that friend that does photography, I bet she would do it for us to help get her name out there.”“Mom…”“I am going to need a close up of the ring, with your face in it of course, otherwise Margory won’t believe me.”“MOTHER, STOP!” I shout, stopping in my tracks. The mention of Margory is t
13 - Aurora“We don’t have anything to talk about besides work. All you do is work, so I just work more to fill the time that you are gone. At some point in our time together I thought you would have made me, us, a priority. But clearly greedily climbing your way to the top is your only priority.” He says finally looking me in the eye. All I see is animosity there. “You do not give me the time and attention that I deserve. You should be willing to put your little work hobby aside to focus on your relationship with me and what I need. Instead you are late to dinner because of meetings and have to leave in the middle of the night for ‘trips.’” He air quotes.“Excuse you.” I say hissing low, trying to not make a scene. “You work every bit as much as I do because your father requires it of you, not because of your work ethic. It’s the only way you’ll get back in his good graces after you were let go from the marketing firm. Don’t blame that on me. Does he know that I supported your f
12 - AuroraThe last two years have been amazing. Lady C has sent me all over the world negotiating contracts on my own and finalizing some of our biggest deals. I’m now the Creative Director for the company and the face next to Lady Corleone in the boardroom. Of course Mallory is now our Chief Marketing Officer and the face next to Lady in the press. She is poised to start slowly taking over the company over the next five to ten years. I can’t decide how I feel about that. I think Lady C has realized that Mallory is not going to do well by herself. Mallory isn’t capable, or willing, to learn how to conduct and maintain business outside the bedroom and dinner parties. I notice Lady C has been slowly putting strategic people with special talents in place to help her daughter along. There are several analysts and managers that work together to make the both of them look good and we do it all behind the scenes. I’m not even sure if Mallory knows that she has no real say or decisio
11 - Nathan“She is young enough to be taught and molded to our lifestyle. Also, if you are as good in bed as rumors proclaim she will be less likely to cheat on you and have illegitimate children provided we train her properly. That we need to prevent at all costs.” I don’t even know what to say to my grandfather’s words. Now, I need to seduce her and be good enough so she doesn’t cheat on me, but train her to deal with me sleeping with other women because I am allowed to be unfaithful, but she isn’t. That's his biggest concern for this 18 year old child.“She will be well provided for and her father’s business will be taken care of for the foreseeable future, it’s a win for all of us.” Again, my uncle chiming in with his fake sunshine and rainbows as if his opinion matters in the slightest.“Do we know how she feels about this whole thing?” I can’t explain why I care, but I do. She’s barely an adult. “How long will I have to get to know her and propose?” I’m barley entertaining
10 - NathanMy grip tightens around the folder in my hand. I don’t recall the woman they’re talking about, but the implication is clear—they’re arranging a marriage behind my back…again.“What happens when he refuses?” My grandfather is smart enough to know that is the probable outcome.“He could care less; he will f*ck anything with a pulse. He is going to marry and he will gain full access to the company with an heir or we let the will run it’s course and he misses the deadline, forfeits the inheritance… and the board will have no choice but to vote in someone more compliant. Someone loyal to the legacy. That woman died a conniving b*tch. She managed to make it impossible for us to gain access to all of the funds she has stocked away, and I can’t figure out how to get around it without him being married with a child. Besides, unless he asks, I don’t see any need to disclose her age.”Oh, this is going to be interesting.I step back silently, rage flaring cold in my chest. I don’t
9 - NathanIt has been 2 years and I still can’t get her off my mind. The one girl who didn’t chase me down, doesn’t respond to my messages or calls but sent me to cloud nine and I didn’t even touch her. Ugh. I rub my face after another seemingly endless board meeting. My grandfather sits more like a relic than a leader across from me. The problem is he’s a dangerous one. The kind who remembers everything and forgives nothing. He doesn’t need a vote to control the room. He only needs his voice—and the fear he’s spent a lifetime earning. Sullivan has spent the last two years reminding me of my grandmother’s, his wife’s, will and the legacy stipulation. I have been doing my best to ignore him, but it’s getting increasingly difficult.And then there is my uncle Preston. The snake in Brioni. The man who smiles like a benefactor and moves like a politician. Where Sullivan uses dominance, Preston uses suggestion. He would never take a knife to my back—he’d pay someone else to do it, and o
8 - Aurora“Yeah right, you were off with the Corleone’s. So it still counts as vacation. You were in the tropics. Everyone knows Lady C uses her business trips to vacation. And you got to hang out with Lady C and her walking Instagram filter.” He says, setting his laptop on the coffee table and opening his arms for me to join him back on the couch.“Ok, you’re not totally wrong, she does have a system for her business trips, but we did actually contract a business deal, this time anyway. This was my first trip with her, I am usually remote handling the numbers and information she needs for negotiations. We happened to finish the details for the deal earlier than expected. I wasn’t needed after that so Lady C sent me home. That’s all.” I shrug. I don’t mention that I think Lady C needs to look over the fine print of the contract. I don’t think she is getting the deal she believes. But, she never wants my unasked for opinion so I keep it too myself. And I am still waiting for him to a
7- AuroraWhen I get home Gabriel is there to greet me. Well, he’s sitting on the couch working on his laptop. He’s not in his suit, he’s dressed in what he calls business comfortable—tan dress pants and a navy pullover, like a younger, smugger Mr. Rogers.“Hey. You’re back.”I drop my bag by the door and toe off my flats. “You didn’t answer your phone.”Still typing. “Yeah, I had a call. Thought you were taking a car anyway.”“I tried calling you first.”Pause. “Well. You made it. That’s what matters.” He hasn’t looked back up at me. I don’t respond. I’m too tired to pick a fight I won’t win.We moved in together about a year ago. Not all at once—it was a slow drift, one overnight bag at a time until suddenly, half his wardrobe was in my closet and we were sharing a lease. It made sense. We both work in high-stress industries, we’re both ambitious, and if we didn’t share a roof, we’d probably never see each other. After college we both landed lucrative jobs that are really demanding