Page 41 of House of Payne

That’s not a bad thing. My father can be… difficult to deal with. I respect him and admire all he’s done for the business and the family, but that doesn’t make him pleasant to be around.

“My father wants me to run the business,” I continue, “so for the past several years, I’ve been in charge of the House of Payne.”

“Are you the only one?” she asks.

I smile at her curiosity. She looks away as if she’d rather hide her question. It reveals at the very least she’s interested, but I’ll let her think she’s kept her secret.

“You’d love my sister, Olivia, but she’s away at boarding school in Paris. I think the two of you would get along. But for now, it’s just you and me.”

She looks worried at that, which amuses me. As if she’d be better off if it weren’t just us. My brother and father are just as ruthless as I am. Maybe her time here would be easier if Olivia were around. But if my father and brother were here…

“Do you miss them?” she asks as we enter the kitchen.

The kitchen is built to feed many people. Everything in here is black and gold with the most modern appliances with all their fancy electronic features. I head for the wine refrigerator and pull out a bottle of my favorite red.

Without asking, I pour London a glass. She looks at it suspiciously as I hand it to her.

“You are going to have to eat and drink when you visit the house,” I remind her, “so you’ll have to trust what I give you. Besides, I kidnapped you. I showed you I have control. If I wanted to drug you, I wouldn’t need to rely on wine to do it.”

I also would never stoop to drugging someone to get what I want.

I don’t need to.

I pour a glass for myself and sip it in front of her. It’s smooth perfection, exquisite in complementing the treat that is London. Shereluctantly sips it, and a smile starts to form. I knew she’d like it.

“Well,” she asks, as I continue the tour. “Are you going to answer me?”

I sigh. “I miss my sister. She and I always had a strong bond. I’m glad she’s in Paris, studying what she loves. She adores the city, and I can’t blame her. I’d love to fly out for a visit sometime soon.”

This is the most I’ve talked about my family in a while.

I have no idea why I’m telling her any of this, but if it helps her feel better about our arrangement, I don’t mind.

It’s not like she can do anything with the information anyway.

“As for my father and brother…” I hesitate as I debate how much I should tell her. Do I lie to her? I can’t. I detest liars. “No. I don’t miss them.”

I lead her back out, and we pause as she looks at the family portrait on the wall. We all look intense and formidable. This is the kind of family you don’t want to mess with. The portrait clearly shows that.

“Why not?” she asks, turning to me. “I’d miss my father. Do you not have a good relationship?”

I think of all my father has put me through. I even think of Mathew. I would never miss my father. There was a time when I might’ve missed Mathew, but not anymore.

Mathew has jealousy issues because I was born ten minutes before him, making me the eldest. Because of that, my father has been grooming me to take over the family business, and I know my brother resents that. He does everything he can to prove he should be the one to inherit everything instead. If I died, I doubt he would mourn.

It’s a shame. Just one more reason to have a burning resentment toward my father. He’s the reason why there is a distance between me and my brother. He’s pitted us against each other since birth, ruining any bond that might’ve existed.

I’m not even sure Mathew and I can even move past the deeplycultivated competitiveness our father has instilled in us.

“That’s none of your business,” I snap, turning to glare at her. She shrinks under my gaze.

I don’t like that London is making me think of the family’s dynamic, and I like it even less because of what it’s making me realize about my existence.

I know how fucked up our family is. All the money and power in the world won’t change that.

I don’t need London to remind me with an endless barrage of questions.

She’s not here to get a peek behind the mask.