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Brent

“H ow many girls do you think you could fit on your motorcycle, anyway?” The bleach blonde one twirled a strand of hair around her finger, giving me fuck me eyes the entire time.

“Just one,” I replied, leaning back and stretching my arms out behind the two who sat on either side of me. There was always a crowd of three or more girls cozying up and competing for me to dick them down. I was a conquest to them just like they were to me.

Some of them wanted to fuck the campus playboy.

Others wanted to ‘save’ me or ‘fix’ me.

Far too many of the latter.

College was supposed to be a few years of good times and learning the ropes of the company before taking on whatever the Dictator planned for my future. I was supposed to be the shining star in his international conglomerate, overseeing operations and managing subsidiaries. Instead, I was a tatted-up biker who just so happened to be okayish at baseball.

I wanted a chance to prove to him I could be more than a punch happy grandson with mommy issues. That chance rarely came when I ended up set up for failure on botched intel jobs and sent out to eliminate threats to the family business.

Did we run a fucking mafia or what?

Remember, as the potential future head of Chamberlain Industries, you’re not just inheriting wealth—you’re inheriting a legacy of innovation and leadership that impacts millions of lives around the world.

Potential . Which meant he didn’t see me as worthy.

“So, the car then? How big is your bed?”

I grazed my eyes over the group of girls, wondering who I’d choose, if I had to. “Sorry, girls. Only one...or two at a time.”

The bravest of them made a show of being touchy. My arms, legs, and damn near my dick right on campus. I shifted to give my dick some room; my pants were tight.

For a split second, I thought I caught sight of soft blonde hair making its way across the courtyard. In that second, I swore I saw her. Blondie. The way her hair swayed in the wind had me thinking back to when I had her so close, but she felt so far away. The thought of Garrett having his grubby little hands over her more than I did...

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to not think about it. It wasn’t her walking across campus, and I didn’t know if that made this situation better or worse. I imagined her seeing me and stomping up to me and calling me a player, spouting off about my reputation again.

“Brent?” One of the girls leaned in closer, her perfume noxious. “You okay, baby?”

“All good.” I forced a grin. My usual smirk that had every girl I could ask for eating out of my hand. That one was still touching me, even. With everything I could want, why the hell did a pang of...whatever that feeling was hit me so hard? “Just thinking about our next baseball game win.”

Ever since I first laid eyes on her, Blondie had been messing with my head. She was different. She didn’t give a shit about appearances, getting what she wanted with no remorse, or anything that would interrupt how optimistic she was. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t care, but it only pissed me off more.

The girls chattered about the baseball game before my phone buzzed in my pocket. While I was happy for a chance to get away from the groupies, I was not happy about the name on the screen, or the amount of time left to answer it before consequences would be doled out.

He had impeccable timing for an old man. I stood up and brushed off the clingiest one. “Gotta run, ladies.”

I felt their eyes all over me while I walked away to answer the phone. “Yes, sir?”

“Your driver is waiting.” Click.

“Yep. Love you too,” I muttered into the abyss he’d never hear me from.

––––––––

“S it down.”

His office was something out of a 1920’s mafioso playbook. Antique dark furniture. The decor. And, of course, the cigars. The air told me that it wasn’t just another stern talk he was going to dish out to me. A couple of lawyer types stood around, adding to his aesthetic and intimidation factor.

I did as his cold and commanding voice said and plopped my ass in the chair across from him. Whatever was happening, his expression wasn’t good.

“A matter of importance,” he started, seating himself behind his large desk, “is why I brought you here. There is something to be aware of. Something dangerous that could impact everything and your future. I caught wind of...certain situations involving some of the wealthiest families. There is a federal investigation underway and multiple hands in the pot. The news is already leaking, and I expect it to blow up at any minute. When it does, things will get very ugly.”

I glanced around the room, at the men standing around, and eventually landed back onto my grandfather. My eyebrows pinched together in confusion because that was most definitely the vaguest thing he has ever told me. “What does this have to do with me?”

He smacked his hand on the table, annoyed I didn’t understand his coded language. He never had me filled in and I flew blind most days. “Everything, you insolent brat! You are not simply a student that attends the prestigious Willow Bay University. You carry my name. With that name comes weight. You need to buckle up and prepare for what’s coming. I want to see no more of these outbursts or this philandering behavior you are so privy to. Keep your fucking eyes open. You have far more to lose than most of those other kids.”

My thoughts snapped to Fallon. She was the Montgomery girl I was supposed to stay away from. But, considering how intertwined her company was with ours, I wondered if the circumstances regarding her would change. She was out in the open with red dots covering her body with who knows how many people would love to take her out just to have a piece of the pie. She was tight-lipped about her life, never letting on more than she wanted people to know. Did she even know what her life would become the moment she stepped up to the plate?

“Understood. I would like to step up and take on more responsibility to be of service to the company, sir.”

“We could—” lawyer man was cut off from the Dictator throwing his whiskey glass at him.

“Shut up!” His voice was sharp. “Until you can prove to me that you are even fucking worth your first name in pennies, don’t you dare go getting these fanciful ideas in your head.”

He made a quick hand motion to one of the other men not covered in liquor, beckoning him to come to the table.

The man opened a briefcase with documents. Files . More files for me to take with me shamefully to the basement as the lowest tier of employee. The name sounded familiar, but I was not here to ask any questions about the who or what of my assignments.

“Take this to your men and find out what you can on this woman. Give me something useful, don’t fool around looking for a wet hole, and keep your fucking hands to yourself and maybe, just maybe , I’ll give you the time of day to ask me a fucking question.”

I wondered if he hated me for his daughter taking her own life. When she came back, she was still a teenager, and I was freshly born. He still took me in and raised me. Fed me. Clothed me. But when it came to love, he fell short.

To him I was a waste of space. An irritating thorn in his side.

To me, I was the sole heir of his kingdom. And I would show him that I’m even stronger than he could be.