Page 106 of A Knight’s Revenge: The Complete Series
Mari regarded her parents coolly from across the conference room table. “And you two thought you’d just show up here at Knight Tower and demand to see Jolie Knight, without a prior appointment, on a random Friday morning?”
“Mija, this is ridiculous,” Mrs. Anzaldua replied, bristling. “We were in the neighborhood and popped by. You act like we’re doing something so terrible —your own parents.”
Mari didn’t respond, instead continuing to stare at her mom and dad with an air of superiority that had just the right amount of annoyance mixed in, and it made me very proud.
She looked the part too. While she still wore her French braid from her yoga session with Frankie, she’d changed into a baby pink wool skirt suit, silky cream-colored blouse, and some towering no-bullshit nude heels.
Her mother, who had a similar classic sense of style as her daughter, wore a periwinkle blue skirt suit, and her chocolate brown hair was pulled into a low chignon.
She’d turned her nose up at being received by her own daughter in a way that did not have me wanting to grant the Anzalduas any sort of favors.
But it wasn’t up to me.
Mari’s dad’s pursed lips said that he, too, was irritated, and he reached over to rub his wife’s back gently. “Ah, Ana María, our daughter is enjoying playing the part of the boss while her friend indulges her. I am sure she does not mean to insult us.”
I flicked a look over at Zach, who lounged next to me where we’d taken up the corner of the long table.
I wore a silky red blouse, cropped dress pants, and chunky heels that I’d thrown on before we came down to the tenth floor to receive our guests, but Zach had decided ripped black jeans and a very tight long-sleeved shirt sporting Dom’s gym’s logo were his corporate attire for the day.
It was going to take some effort to ignore how delicious his pecs looked in that shirt to focus solely on supporting Mari, but I’d suffered through worse in my life.
Zach looked just as unimpressed as I was with Mari’s parents, despite the few respectful looks they’d tossed his way since they’d sat down.
He was here as Knight’s liaison for all things Ferrero, and the giant luxury hotel chain run by the Anzalduas was solidly linked to Andrea’s crumbling hospitality and entertainment empire .
“Yes, well,” Mrs. Anzaldua continued, shaking her head at her daughter. “That’s quite enough, mija. We are here to meet with Miss Knight so that we may discuss a… strategic alliance.”
“Unfortunately for you,” Mari said, arching a perfectly microbladed brow, “the person you’ll be discussing that strategic alliance with is me. I am the new head of Knight Hotels and Resorts, Inc., after all.”
Their mouths dropped open in unison, and Mari’s resulting triumphant grin had me feeling the warm fuzzies.
Mr. Anzaldua looked at me. “Surely this isn’t true? Mari is a college sophomore, por amor del Dios.”
“And I’m a college freshman,” I replied. “Yet you two were ready to negotiate with me like an equal. I suggest you try a little harder with your daughter because I’m not inclined to give you anything you want. I know how you’ve treated her since she returned to the City to attend Holywell.”
Mr. Anzaldua blanched, turning a scandalized look on Mari. “Mija, that is a family matter. It has no business being brought into this conference room.”
“That’s too bad,” she snapped. “I make the rules in this room, Papa. And I know that you two are here because our family’s association with Ferrero is costing us business, am I correct?
Our out-of-town hotel guests have heard all about the crimes of the Four Families and are deciding they’d rather stay elsewhere? ”
They stared at her for a beat before Mari’s mother gave her a curt nod.
Mari continued. “And Ferrero is, of course, not currently in a place to invest further in their allies either. Isn’t that right?”
Another nod.
“So, you’re here not only looking to glom onto the Knight name to improve our reputation, but you’re also begging for a handout, yes?”
“Mija, this is your legacy,” Mr. Anzaldua pressed. “If you are the one truly tasked with this decision, you must remember that.”
Mari hummed, looking casually down at her pale pink fingernails.
“Actually, I’m creating a new legacy for myself here.
” She looked up, now letting all of the hurt and anger I knew she’d been nursing since the day she’d been forced to leave Carmen behind bleed into her cold stare.
“And here at Knight, I can be vocally and enthusiastically queer and receive nothing but love and support from everyone in this entire tower, from top to bottom. So, I’m just not sure that the regressive values of Anzaldua are a good fit for us. ”
“ Marisol ,” her mother barked, banging her own pink manicured fist on the table. “You will stop that talk at once. We have told you that your private life is your own, but it should remain private . This is business , mija.”
Zach shook his head, muttering, “Jesus, read the room.”
Mari stood up, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring down her nose at her incredulous parents. “This meeting is over. Knight does not feel that it is in our best interest to ally with or invest in Anzaldua at this time.”
“Marisol!” her father all but shouted. “You are making a huge mistake.”
Mari stood her ground, but I caught the echo of a tremble through her petite frame. Zach saw it, too, and he was on his feet and marching around to the Anzaldua’s side of the table.
“She said the meeting is over,” he rumbled.
They were both out of their chairs the moment they realized Zach was stalking straight toward them.
Mrs. Anzaldua slung her large designer purse over her shoulder as they backed slowly toward the door.
Zach stepped into the space they’d vacated, leaning casually up against the table and blocking their view of Mari.
“Mr. Ferrero, surely you can see the large financial benefit for Knight that a partnership with our family would offer,” Mari’s father said, still managing to remain haughty in the face of a scowling Heir.
“I only see what your daughter sees,” he replied, flippant. “Same as Jolie does. See yourselves out before I call security up here.”
They sputtered in protest, but one more dangerous look from Zach had them turning to hurry from the room without another backward glance.
I rose from my chair and made my way to Mari’s side, clasping her hand in mine as we watched her parents slink toward the elevator through the glass walls of the conference room.
“You okay?” I whispered.
“Yes,” she replied quietly. “That felt good. They’re still my parents, and I won’t be cutting them out of my life, but I’m going to enjoy living on my own, away from their expectations. I’ll probably make sure our hotels do survive, but they need to learn their lesson first.”
“Good. It’s all your call.”
She nodded, standing straighter. “I’m going with Francisco to the spa this afternoon. I think I’ve earned it.”
Zach snorted, and I could only shake my head.
I was going to miss the weird shit that went on in Knight Tower when we went back to the Academy this weekend, but then again, weird shit tended to follow me wherever I went.