Page 5 of Lavish

“You weren’t any better,” Daddy reminded her. Mama glared at him.

I expected tonight to be low-key. Simple but luxurious. A big King party for the whole town before Laurene’s engagement party next week, complete with rosé, twinkling lights, and that laidback summer feel that Lush brings.

“You saw him at the mayor’s gala when the press was interviewing him. He looked unshaven and dirty like some drifter.”

“That’s just grief,” Daddy said, standing up for his best friend.

Mama’s glare didn’t ease up. “I never let myself golike this when my daddy died. Omar gave a sloppy, rambling speech at the town hall. He crashed my Women of Lush networking brunch, and you know much time I put into that, Vincent,don’t act dumb.”

“It could be depression. Anxiety?”

“And? What does that have to do with him messing up my party?” Mama put her hands on her hips. “The Ashbournes are here. Lord knows we don’tneed to give them any more ammunition than they already have. All the families that matter in Lush are here. Mayor Johnson, theLush Chronicles, investors,donors?—”

I knew better than to interrupt when Mama was pissed. My eyes flicked back to Omar.

“He’s our friend,” Daddy said, wincing as he watched Omar fall into a guest who yelped.

Despite what Miles thought, Mamahadbeen dropping hints about giving me King Developments. She wanted to add another venture to King Enterprises, but Erik was too busy with King Aviation. Laurene was obsessed with her art.

This was it. But one wrong move from me tonight, and she’d place it right back into Erik’s lap without blinking.

So, I stayed still.

It was my job to ensure everything ran like clockwork tonight, and Omar was a variable I couldn’t control.

“Omar,stop!” Audrey, his wife, cried. We all spun around to see Omar knocking a drink from a guest’s hand. The woman gasped and leaped back, eyes wide with fear.

Mama would already be pissed off when I told her about the engagement. But maybe Miles was right. She loved Miles. Hegrew up at our house. He was the only one of us kids who could ever make her laugh.

I hoped.

“You think you’re better than me?” Omar slurred with rage as he moved toward the group of guests clustered near the bar whispering. “You all think you’re sofuckingperfect. Always looking down on me…”

What could I do? I couldn’t rush over and help—not without putting everything that I worked for at risk. But Miles… I had to help, didn’t I?

“Pops!” Miles shouted over the crowd, walking toward him.

Omar shoved a passing staff member with a tray, sending the champagne flutes and canapés scattering across the marble floor. The server yelped as glass shattered everywhere.

“Enough, Omar,” Daddy shouted as he and Mama rushed over to him. My heels clicked on the marble as I trailed behind her. My mind whirled with possible solutions, but nothing viable.

“Stay outta this, Vincent!” he slurred, voice all shaky. “This is all your fucking fault, you hear me? Your fault!”

“Look, man, we can discuss all that later, in private. Now ain’t the time. Let’s get you—” Daddy placed a hand on Omar’s shoulder.

“No!” He jerked away violently, his eyes flashing with something that bordered on panic. “It can’t be fixed!They’re here!”

“Who?” Daddy’s brows furrowed.

Then Mama turned, her eyes slicing toward me. “What are yousupposedto be doing, Serena?”

“Well, I?—”

It’ll all be worth it when I’m finally CEO, I told myself,when I’m not just cleaning up messes but building something that’s mine within the family.

“Pops,” Miles said again, taking a step toward him cautiously.

“They’re all watching,” Omar muttered, his voice low, barely a whisper. His head snapped toward the corner of the room, then his gaze snapped to the left, locking on a group of guests who were watching, terrified. “They’re all watching.Everyone’s watching.”