Page 43 of Ruthless Lord

“Did your mother teach you all about this organization?” I ask as we’re picking through my things.

“She raised me and my three brothers all by herself.” Emily shrugs slightly as she callously puts my porcelain cow in thedo not bringbox. “She was sort of forced to be as efficient as possible.”

“Wow, four kids all alone? That must’ve been crazy.”

“Imagine how I felt. I was the youngest.” She smiles fondly. “My brothers were a big help, but you can probably picture what that was like.”

“Three strapping young lads acting all overprotective of their baby sister?”

“Exactly.” She pauses, fingers playing over a small decorative brass key. “We were jammed into a three-room apartment. You know, about the size of your suite, actually.”

A little guilt buzzes in my stomach, but I push it away. I’m a Westbrook, born into privilege. I got used to having more than other people a long time ago, and Emily doesn’t seem like she holds it against me. Not like I asked for all this.

“Sounds like it was hard.”

“Hard but good. At the time, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. But now I wonder.” She puts the brass key in a box, much to my great relief. “Life was simple, you know? I had my older brothers and my mom to look out for me.”

“Where are they now?”

“Back home in Pittsburgh.”

“I didn’t know you were a Yinzer.”

“I hide it very well.”

“Well, maybe you can make a trip out there. I mean, it’s notthatfar away.”

“Sure, maybe.” But she doesn’t sound convinced, and she quickly changes the topic back to the job at hand before I can ask her more.

We move like that, one object at a time. Emily’s tough but fair. In the end, my place is nearly finished when there’s another knock at the door. I give her a look, but she only shakes her head.

“I wasn’t expecting more help,” she says lightly, taping a box closed with a sharp snap.

I open the door and stare in surprise. My grandfather’s in the hall smiling at me like he always comes to visit like this.

“How’s the packing going, my dear?” He cranes his neck to look past me. “Seems like my gamble sending Emily down here paid off.”

“Come inside,” I say quickly, stepping aside and helping him through. Grandfather’s still perfectly mobile, but he’s an old man now. I guide him to one of my chairs and he sinks down with a satisfied sigh. “We’re making good progress.”

“Hello, sir,” Emily says respectfully.

“Would you mind giving us a moment?” His eyes twinkle kindly, but I know the old man better than that. In his later years, he’s been leaning into thegrandpapersona harder than he ever did before, and it works for him. He can lull fools into believing he’s soft and gentle.

I know my grandfather’s full of nothing but pure steel.

Emily hurries into the bedroom, leaving me alone with him. I take another chair, perching on the edge, feeling off balance and worried. In all the years I’ve lived in this house, Grandfather’s come to see me only once. And that was when he offered to make me his heir.

I’ll never forget how I felt that day. It was like I’d won the lottery. I knew my life would change, but I had no idea how much. After Grandfather made it public, my own parents despised me, and I was treated differently by the staff. I was set apart and held at bay, like I’d suddenly contracted some horrible communicable disease.

I was so proud of myself. Now I wonder if I shouldn’t have turned him down.

Grandfather’s smile slips away once Emily’s out of the room.

“I wanted to congratulate you on your wedding,” he says coolly, watching my reaction with that careful stare of his.Thisis the real version of my grandfather. Sharp and vicious. “From what I can tell, it went rather well.”

“It happened, at least.” I look down at the diamond on my finger. It’s simple but pretty. I keep meaning to ask Stefano if he picked it out himself. I can’t imagine that massive pit fighter in a jewelry store though. “You didn’t come all the way down here for that, did you?”

“No, dear, I did not. You know me too well.” He sighs, patting his knee lightly. “I wanted to remind you of your true purpose. Our agreement remains in place.”