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And Sienna, who can never know I’m protecting her because she’ll go behind my back to Grandfather.

She’ll end up married to someone who will never love her and she’ll try to win them over.

She’s always been like that—fierce and loyal but desperately hoping for love.

To me, she’s the little girl I bought pizza for at age eleven, the teenager who cried on my shoulder because Mom left her behind, the baby who learned to walk because she wanted to hug me. I would kill for her.

Tristan ignores Sienna and pours two glasses of whiskey. He passes her one and lifts his glass. “Cheers to Aiden’s happy marriage. And getting our land back.”

She rolls her eyes, but they clink and drain the liquor.

“There’s a small issue,” I say after my siblings set their glasses down.

“You mean other than the fact that you’re now at war with Grandfather and married to our mortal enemy?” Tristan is grinning.

“She has fantastic shoes, though,” Sienna says with a sigh. “Oh, does this mean we can go to the casino now?”

I press a palm to my eye. “I told Grandfather we were in love. And she said it to the judge who married us.”

There’s silence. I chance a look back at my siblings.

“Oh my god.” A horrified noise comes from my sister’s throat before she claps her hands over her mouth and doubles over. “In love,” Sienna cackles. “Aiden, no one will believe that.”

Tristan’s grin is huge. “You feud on social media, her brothers total your car. You cut off the water supply to the casino, they flood the tasting room. We’re in court with her every other week.

I still think Andreas Hunter started the warehouse fire a year ago.

She told TMZ that you have a small penis, for fuck’s sake.

I’m with Sienna.” He crosses his arms and leans against the arm of the couch. “No one will believe you’re in love.”

“Which is why you’re going to help me.”

My siblings both perk up. “We are?” Sienna asks. “That sounds fun.”

“She’s coming to live here. No one can know it’s not a real marriage, or we lose the land.”

“Don’t worry.” Tristan’s hand lands on my shoulder. “We’ll help you. We’ll get Katie on board too.” Katie is our bodyguard and head of security. She’s easily the most competent person we know.

“I don’t know. He’s a shitty liar, Tris. Look at him.” Sienna sounds far too amused at my expense.

I glare at my sister.

“See?” She gives me a skeptical look. “He’s all sick at the thought of lying. It’s not going to work. He hates her too much.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Tristan’s grin is quick and sneaky. Sienna’s eyes widen.

“Yes, he does,” I say, as I tug on my hair again. “I do. She is completely amoral and she only cares about herself.”

“You sure about that? You had a thing.” Tristan smiles at Sienna, whose eyes are wide and pleased.

“Aiden, how naughty of you.” Sienna’s smile is broad, because she’s usually the bad one and I’m usually the one taking her to task.

“It wasn’t like that.”

“What do you call all the heated glances, then?” Tristan shoots back.

Sienna makes an ooh sound and grabs her coffee mug.

“Once upon a time,” Tristan starts.

I groan.

“Shut it.” He shoots me a look and clears his throat. “Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny. Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”

Sienna rolls her eyes. “Yes, I took English lit too, idiot. Romeo and Juliet?”

“There was a thing. A connection.”

I shake my head. Tristan doesn’t understand. He’s the spare. I’ve been steeped in hatred for the Hunter family since I could speak. “I learned everything about her to beat her. Know your enemy.”

“She’s smart. You saw it. She’s a match for you.”

A match for me. I can’t think of anything I want less. I need to put this to bed now, once and forever.

“You misunderstand, Tris.” I lean forward and stab at the table with each word.

“When I met her, she insulted me in front of my friends. She didn’t even know me.

She poured her orange soda on my loafers and called me an asshole.

It spiraled from there. Yes, we used to go head-to-head, but it wasn’t Romeo and Juliet.

It was Achilles and Hector. She is, objectively speaking, a very bad person.

” I can feel the stutter like a stone in my mouth.

Before it can run away with me, I clamp my lips shut and inhale through my nose.

“Our relationship will never be real.” My words are precise and slow, stopping the stutter before it can get going.

Tristan and Sienna know to be patient when I get like this.

Sienna’s brow wrinkles. “Wasn’t the story of Achilles and Hector vaguely homoerotic?”

I let my head thump onto the back of the couch. Sienna laughs, and I groan.

“Let’s make a bet.”

I raise my head to see my sister grinning at my brother.

Tristan shoves a hand into his pocket and comes up with his wallet. “How much?”

“Way more than you have in there. A hundred thousand dollars says Aiden falls in love with her.”

“Like hell I will.”

“Done.”

Tristan speaks over me, and I glare at my siblings. They shake.

“You’re going to be very disappointed,” I tell them. “This is business. Emory wants the land just like I do.”

“When’s she moving in?” Sienna asks.

I sigh. “With any luck, tonight.” I leave out that I haven’t entirely convinced her to live here yet.

Sienna wrinkles her nose. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“It’s very him,” Tristan says thoughtfully.

“I know. That’s why I don’t like it.” Her mouth twists unhappily. “I thought after Marguerite, maybe you’d find someone, Aiden. Not like this. A real relationship. Love .”

I shake my head. This is exactly why I couldn’t let Grandfather get his claws into Sienna. “It’s okay, Si-Si. I’m good.”

“ Are you good?” Her brows pinch together.

“I’m fine.” I’m far from fine. If I’m a ship, I can’t even see fine on the horizon.

“If you say so,” Sienna says skeptically.

My phone buzzes. It’s a Hart’s Hill number.

“Aiden Prince,” I answer.

“Aiden, it’s Julia Parker.”

Oh no. I put the phone on speaker and drop my head into my hands. “Good to hear from you,” I grit out.

She chuckles. “It doesn’t sound good.”

“I’m having a hard day.”

“I’ll be brief, then. Your grandfather indicated you’d be interested in a drink with me. I’ll be at the Starboard Slide on Friday.”

Fucking hell. He’s setting me up. The Starboard Slide is an oceanfront bar slash marriage market for the heirs. The seafood is delicious and the paparazzi are always there. I drag a palm over my face. “I don’t know what he told you, but I’m married. Happily.”

“You are? To whom?” The surprise is apparent in her voice. That was fast , she doesn’t say.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

“Emory Hunter.”

She sucks in a surprised breath, but we exchange pleasantries, and she hangs up.

Sienna thrusts her own phone into my hands when we hang up. “You need PR, stat. Here, I logged in to your social media.”

“And why is it that you have my password?” I ask, though I can’t help my smile. This is so Sienna. Once she’s in, she’s all in, even if it’s usually for the wrong reasons.

“I have all your passwords. Well, Katie has them. For security purposes.”

“Remind me to remind Katie that you’re a walking conflict of interest,” Tristan mutters.

“Anyway, I think you should announce the engagement.” She passes the phone. “Right now. If this is war, you’re already behind.”

I stare at the phone in front of me. A public announcement feels all too real. This is the first step on a path I’ve never taken before. I’ve been the perfect heir. I got the degrees they told me to get. I dated the girls they asked me to date. I worked at the company because I was supposed to.

If I start coloring outside the lines now, what happens?

The thought makes my collar feel tight. I don’t do this. I don’t rebel. I’ve strived to meet every expectation that’s been set for me. But I also don’t want this—a life where every decision has already been made for me. Some of them before I was born.

Sienna has revised the bio on my social media to say: Married to @HappyHunting. All I have to do is press save.

My finger hovers over the screen.

The thirty minutes I spent with Emory last night were the first time in a year that I’ve felt alive. Announcing our marriage to the world will start a feud with my family that may destroy me. Might as well spice things up a bit.

I press it.