Page 40 of Lavish

My pulse pounded in my ears as she continued. “None of it matters? After all the work I’ve done?”

“Look at this as another assignment.” Mama sighed as she sat in her chair. “You both follow the rules laid out for you, and two years will pass before you know it.”

I blinked. “Two years?”

Daddy cleared his throat and turned to me. “We did a risk analysis. That’s the time our investors think it will take to shake off this bad press and really get an investment out of the new partnership?—”

“What do you mean,get an investment out?”

Daddy and Mama glanced at each other.

“We’ve decided to merge King Developments and Whitmore Ventures. By Monday, both companies will be one. I know this feud has been going on between you and Miles for a while, out of loyalty to your father, but our companies are greater together.”

I shook my head as I began to pace. “You’re serious?”

“There’s a mandatory two-year term before any annulment or divorce can be considered. In that time, you’ll maintain appearances. Joint interviews, business conferences, holiday gatherings—you’ll fulfill every family obligation as a united front. You will help restore both companies’ images and finances with the help of Miles.”

I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing.

“And if you try to sabotage this marriage or make a mockery of it,” she said, her tone deceptively calm, “you won’t just lose your position in the company. Your position in this family is at stake. Don’t forget what happened to your sister.”

I stood frozen, the weight of her words pressing down on my chest. There was no way out.

Her smile returned, a predator satisfied with its prey. “Now go. Your father and I will finalize the details.”

There was no escape. Not from this.

She had already sealed my fate.

CHAPTER 9

Miles

WEDDING DAY

Holy shit,I’m doing this.

I stood in the hallway of city hall just outside the mayor’s office. A whirlwind of arrangements and hurried decisions, and fuck, here I was.

Getting ready to marry Sun—Serenain order to save my family and my company.

Dante had us by the balls, and we’d have to play his way. For now.

Both families agreed not to delay. With the current protest against the Kings and the threats Whitmore Ventures was facing, it was decided to just get the ceremony done.

But all I could think about was the woman I was about to marry—the one I used to love. Sheruinedme. And I was supposed to vow forever to her?

Was Whitmore Ventures really worth it?

It was.Legacy.

And all the bullshit that came with it…

I shook my head, instead thinking of the other pressing thought.

Erik.

Don’t have a choice now, huh? He’s your brother-in-law.