Page 34 of Sour Lollipops and Sweet Nightmares (The Society #1)

Issac

E very college had a system in place for dealing with so-called troublemakers. Here at Renfrew, that system was the Student Conduct Office. Typically, it was a group of elected students who held disciplinary meetings to decide on the next course of action.

In most cases, these meetings took place days or weeks after the incident. They handled everything from cheating to possible criminal behavior. On campus, they were judge, jury, and executioner.

Unless, of course, the student in question was someone like myself or Kash Murphy.

We didn’t get referred to the conduct office. There were no hearings or write-ups. Most of the time, we didn’t receive any discipline at all. That was before my father was the dean.

“Destruction of property, disturbing the peace… assault.” My father slammed the file he was reading down on his desk. “What were you two thinking?”

“Well, Father, I was thinking about how good it would feel to smash Kash’s face in…” I looked over at Kash. “How about you?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking something similar, although mine involved a pen and your eye.”

I’d like to see him try that.

My father was not impressed with either of our responses. “Do you two think this is a joke?”

“I think your son’s a joke,” Kash said. “Does that count?”

I shot him a dirty look. “How’s that lip feel?”

“Better than your jaw.” He shot back.

Kash had a black eye, a fat lip, a few bruises on his neck, and a broken finger. He didn’t look so pretty anymore. Neither did I. My knuckles were scratched and bruised, the left side of my jaw had swollen up, and I needed a couple of stitches to close the cut in my forehead.

“Enough!” My father bellowed. “This behavior is unacceptable.”

I rolled my eyes while Kash snorted out a scoff.

This wasn’t the first time I’d gotten this lecture, and Kash probably had his own version of the ‘How to behave in public speech’ that he grew up hearing. Besides, this wasn’t that bad.

We broke a couple of tables, knocked over a bookcase, and smashed some pictures. All of which were easily replaceable. I didn’t know about Kash, but I’d done a lot worse.

“I’m extremely disappointed in you both.”

Disappointed? That was what he was going with? That shit stopped working on me when I was five.

Lifting my chin, I looked my father in the eye and hissed, “It could’ve been worse.”

I could’ve not slowed my punches and hit Kash at full speed. I cracked that oak table in one hit. How happy would my father have been when I fractured Kash’s spine or killed him? He should be thanking me for holding back.

“Stop busting our balls.” Kash rolled his eyes. “It was just a fight.”

“Just a fight?” My father spun his computer monitor around to face us.

Displayed on the screen was a video of our fight, with the caption: Chaos erupts at meeting with Murphy Media and Kratz Enterprises.

Okay, that was pretty bad.

“This had over a hundred thousand views before…” he nodded at Kash… “your brother had it taken down.”

Kash’s brow rose. “Keaton knows about this?”

“He’s the one who found the video,” my father explained.

To which Kash slumped back in the chair with a grumbled string of curses.

I got Kash’s frustration. While I may not like the Murphys, our families ran in the same circles, which was how I knew that Keaton was the oldest of five brothers.

He took over everything when their parents died, meaning he was the current acting parental figure to both Kash and his younger brother Kael, who in my opinion, was a little shit that needed a good beat down.

Keaton was to Kash what my father was to me—a strict, hypocritical pain in the ass who controlled everything I did. The only difference between us was that I would have no problem killing my father.

“We don’t air our dirty laundry. If you have a problem with someone, work it out where pictures can’t be taken.” My father glared at me, then at Kash. “I think your brother would agree.”

As if on cue, the pulsing whomp, whomp, whomp of helicopter blades echoed in the air.

Kash and I both turned as a sleek black chopper with the Murphy Media logo flew past the window.

“Really?” Kash grumbled at my father. “You told Keaton to come?”

“After the third video was posted, he thought it was important enough to pay a visit.”

I snickered at Kash’s misfortune. Keaton was a very serious, public-conscious, kind of guy. That was probably why he got along with my father so well.

Kash swung his glare my way. “Let’s see how funny you think it is when Georgia’s in my bed.”

“Good luck with that.” I snorted.

Georgia hated both of us. I saw the way she shied away from him. Kash creeped her out just as much as I did. She was not going to crawl into his bed. She’d crawl for me, though, whether she wanted to or not. I didn’t fucking care what Georgia thought. I’d take her anyway.

“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”

“Pfft, no.” He was fucking kidding, right?

My being jealous of him was almost as ridiculous as saying I was jealous over Georgia fucking Pyne.

Yes, I may have said that she was mine, but that didn’t mean anything.

It was a fact. I didn’t want her, she was given to me.

Hence, she was mine. And yes, I would claim her because it was my duty, and nothing more.

“Georgia?” My father looked over at me. “As in Georgia Pyne?”

“That’s right,” I confirmed.

He wasn’t so concerned with me kicking Kash’s ass now, was he?

Although I was interested in how my father would handle this situation.

He couldn’t tell Kash Georgia was my bride without exposing The Society, and he couldn’t tell him to stay away from her without explaining why.

He couldn’t say shit without saying too much.

“Perhaps you should both stay away from this girl.”

That was all he could come up with?

“Really?” I asked him. “You want me to stay away from Georgia?”

The look he gave me was priceless. My father was good at keeping a straight face, but I saw the micro changes in his expression. A twitch in his jaw, a tiny frown pulling at the corner of his mouth, and a slight arch in his left brow. He was not impressed.

“Kash,” he said without looking his way. “You should go and greet your brother.”

That wasn’t a suggestion, and Kash knew it.

Sighing, he stood and shuffled towards the door.

I waved at him, “Have fun.”

“Go fuck yourself.” He flipped me off and walked out.

The second the door clicked closed, my father’s demeanor shifted. His shoulders rolled back as his eyes locked on mine.

“You will keep Kash away from Georgia.”

There was a hypocritical statement. “And how exactly do you expect me to do that? I’m not allowed to interfere with the Murphys, remember.”

That wasn’t one of my father’s rules. It was Society law. Murphy Media was one of two companies that had the power to expose us. And they could do it in a matter of seconds. Aiden’s parents owned the other company.

“How far have you gotten with Georgia? Have you even started the claiming yet?” he asked.

“Yeah. I started it.” Kind of.

“Good.” He nodded. “Because you have three weeks.”

“What!”

“You heard me,” he said and went back to the papers on his desk, as if I weren’t there.

This was bullshit. First, my father added stipulations, and now, he was shortening my timeline. All because a Murphy was interested in her. Well, fuck him.

“What if I refuse?”

He lifted his head, sighed, “Then you find out what happened to Matteo.”

Threats didn’t work against me. Especially not when they were empty.

“I’m your only heir.” I folded my arms across my chest. “If I die, so does the Kratz empire.”

It was possible he had another kid out there somewhere. Every one of our fathers had a mistress at some point. Some of whom had children of their own. But The Society didn’t accept offspring unless they were pure-blood.

In other words, their mother had to be a chosen bride. And we only ever got one of those. Once a member claimed his bride, that was it. There were no do-overs. My father already had his.

“This isn’t a game, Issac.”

That’s where he was wrong. “Everything’s a game, Father . You’re the one who taught me that.”

He may not have used those exact words, but every lesson, test, or trial he put me through taught me one thing. How to win. And winning, in my father’s eyes, meant the furtherment of his empire, which he couldn’t do without me.

He sat back and eyed me for a second before saying. “What do you want?”

“I want to know what you’re hiding. Why are you so desperate to get Georgia under our control?” I suspected it had something to do with her father, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

“There’s nothing desperate about it. Georgia’s your bride, son. She should be under your control.”

This had nothing to do with brides and how he viewed marriage.

“I’ll repeat myself. Why do you want Georgia under our control?” I asked, emphasizing the word our.

He couldn’t care less how I treated my bride, or any woman. This was something else. When he heard that Kash was interested, he looked almost scared for a second.

“Whose Georgia’s father?”

He stopped cold.

Bingo.

“So, you do know who he is?”

“I do,” he sighed.

“But you’re not going to tell me?”

“No, I’m not.”

I tsked. “That’s not how a negotiation works.”

“Have I taught you nothing?” Bracing his arms on the desk, he sat forward. “You must have something I want to negotiate. But I have something you want.”

No, he didn’t.

“If you claim Georgia in three weeks, I’ll give you a seat on the board after graduation.”

That got my attention. He made it perfectly clear when I was growing up that I would have to earn my way to the top of Kratz Enterprises. And now he was offering me a seat. He really was desperate for me to claim Georgia. But how desperate was he?

“I want controlling shares.”

“No,” he scoffed. “You’ll get a seat on the board, or nothing at all.”

If I turned this down, he wouldn’t make it easy for me to work my way up. My father was almost as spiteful as I was. I’d end up stuck in some cubicle until the day he died. Sure, I could kill him and take it all, but he was too smart for that.

There was no doubt in my mind that he had something in his will that denied me my inheritance should he die under suspicious circumstances. But if I had a seat on the board, I could start planning a hostile takeover.

“I want the brewery, too.” He didn’t care about the brewery. It was small and insignificant in his eyes, but I saw the potential in it.

“Alright,” he agreed. “You can have the brewery, when I have a grandson.”

Goddamnit, I should’ve seen that coming.

A stronger next generation was the whole point behind the brides.

The furtherment of our family line was his goal.

It wasn’t mine. For as long as I could remember, I’d only ever had one end goal.

Control of Kratz Enterprises. If knocking Georgia up got me closer to that, then so be it.

“Deal,” I said, holding out my hand.

He took my hand and looked me in the eyes. “The girl must be under your complete control, Issac. I won’t settle for anything less.”

“Fine,” I agreed.

Georgia Pyne better be ready, because she was about to find out just how ruthless I could be.