The dog let out an eager yip, startling her awake. The sun was already streaming through the windows. When did the sun come up?
The dog had bounded to the door to attack whoever was knocking. Iza pulled the covers up over her chest and stared at the door in horror. Karter had assured her she wouldn’t be leaving the room. Why would anyone be at the door?
“Miss Sundari, I have your lunch tray. You must open the door if you’d like to eat today.”
At the promise of a meal, Iza’s stomach responded before her feet touched the floor; she must have slept through breakfast. She disregarded her pile of clothes on the floor and rushed to answer the door. Whoever was bringing her lunch was going to see her in her undergarments.
There were two white-uniformed women at the door, wearing black aprons. The elder, who appeared to be in charge, had her gray hair pulled away from her large forehead and up into an organized mess on top of her head. She looked Iza up and down with her sharp gray eyes, lips pursed. Then, she gave Iza an almost imperceptible nod before waving a young red-haired woman with a long braid into the room.
The younger woman blushed at the sight of Iza in her underwear, but she quickly turned her attention back to pushing a food cart with drinks and a water bowl into the room. She couldn’t resist scratching the dog behind his ears as she set the water dish on the floor. “He’s so cute, what’s his name?”
“Never mind that!” the older woman scolded, and the younger snapped to attention. “Excuse my companion, Miss Sundari. My name is Barbara, and this is my assistant, Georgie. We’ll be seeing to your needs today. Mr. Hyttinen allowed you to sleep in, but he has a full schedule for you this afternoon.”
“Does he?” Iza said, stepping forward with her hands on her hips in challenge.
“Yes, Miss, he insists that you be ready for this evening’s festivities.”
“What, exactly, does he have planned?” Iza was being sarcastic but Barbara answered as if the question had been sincere.
“A light lunch, a bath with oils followed by a full body massage, followed by a briefing about this evening’s guest list. After tea and crackers, Georgie and I will dress you for the ball this evening.”
“Dress? Like a child?” Iza asked.
Georgie let out a nervous squeak, which Barbara answered with a cluck of her tongue and a glare.
“No, of course not, Miss Sundari. We’re only here to facilitate your transition into high society. It is our understanding that you are not accustomed to associating with Mr. Hyttinen’s business partners or family. He doesn’t want there to be any embarrassment, thus the need for discretion and your confinement to these rooms.”
The nerve of him making her out to be ignorant and backward gutter trash. Iza pulled herself up, squaring her shoulders and looking down at the woman with as much disdain as she could muster. “Despite Mr. Hyttinen’s instructions, I’ve had plenty of contact with his associates and his family, as a matter of fact. Don’t confuse me with someone who’s going to fit into his mold. Are we clear?”
“Perfectly. We meant no disrespect, Miss Sundari.”
Barbara’s quick apology cooled Iza’s anger against the woman. It wasn’t her fault; she was just following orders. She had no idea her employer was a bomaxed self-absorbed idiot.
“Let’s start with that. Stop calling me ‘Miss Sundari’. Since I’m to be treated like a child and confined to my room, you can at least do me the courtesy of calling me by my first name. I don’t require, nor welcome, the pretension.”
“Mr. Hyttinen would never allow it,” Georgie blurted out before covering her mouth with both hands for her impertinent outburst.
“He’s not here, so we’ll keep it between us.” Iza smiled, lifting the metal top off of the breakfast plate. “This looks amazing. I’m starving.”
— — —
Karter traversed the halls of the Blue Hills mansion with purpose, trailed by Becca and the estate housekeeper, a stout woman named Mildred. Things were going almost as well as if he’d planned them himself. Now that he was in the swing of things, planning the engagement party had become as much fun as acquiring new transport storage facility. As he checked off one item and then another in his planner, he immersed himself in the details.
“I want the kitchen prepped and ready in an hour so we can go over the menu one last time. How are we coming with the rest of the house preparations?”
“Everything else is going well,” said Mildred. “The guest rooms are ready and some of the overnight guests have already begun arriving.”
“Already?” Karter stopped in his tracks.
“Several of your friends are by the pool. One young lady has requested access to the gardens this afternoon. Despite our warnings about the cold and falling snow, she insists.”
“Raquel,” Karter said shaking his head. “She can do what she wants. It’s fine.” Karter made a mark within his handheld and moved on to the next item. “That’s all for now, Mildred. I think everything is in order. If you don’t hear from the catering company about the delivery time, get the company manager on the line and I’ll speak with him myself. He won’t survive if he thinks he can get away with being late tonight.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Hyttinen. Miss Drejas,” Mildred bobbed and dipped to the right, heading down the corridor toward Iza’s room.
Karter watched her walk away and then turned back to Becca, lowering his voice.
“The Sensationals. What have you discovered?”
“Only that whoever leaked the information is well-connected and bankrolled the entire process from beginning to end. No one is talking. The only way to find out who sent the original message is to trace it through the Net. We don’t have access to the tech and Investigator Hyttinen has been less than inclined to help us.”
“Really? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by her being so petty. I’d hoped she’d come around.” Karter sighed.
Becca referenced the checklist on her tablet. “You have the kitchen inspection at 13:30. You left some time for tennis and a shower before your massage at 16:30. Would you like me to have some food brought to your suite? You haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
“No, I’ll have the chef make me a sandwich or something while I’m in the kitchens. I won’t risk running into my mother’s cousin and her obnoxious daughter after my relaxation hour. In fact, I think I’ll get it out of the way early.”
Karter turned with purpose toward the large staircase leading to the foyer, where maintenance workers were hanging the large red curtain they would use for their reveal. With the news out, it wouldn’t be the surprise he was going for, but it would be better than nothing.
“Check in with Barbara and make sure that Iza isn’t giving her any trouble. She gets antsy when she’s caged up.” Karter grinned.
“I will make sure she has everything she needs. The hair and makeup artists are on their way, and they have a few designs for you to approve.”
“Send them to my handheld. What about you? Did you receive the dress I ordered?”
“Yes, sir, it’s…” Becca paused a moment, her eyes darting from left to right. “It’s lovely. I’m surprised you thought of me on such an important day.”
“You’re the most important person in my life next to Iza. I can’t imagine what I’d do without you.” His hand reached up and touched her cheek. It was gentle and out of character, and the moment he realized it, his hand dropped to his side. “Did you bring it?”
Becca’s smile faded only a little when she answered, “Yes.” She pulled a small velvet bag from her pocket and handed it to Karter. “It’s beautiful.”
“It was my grandmother’s. I hope she likes it.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it,” Becca said, reassuring him with a touch on his arm.
He stiffened, pulling back from her. “Where is my mother?”
“She, Maeve, and Desirae are in the community room where the spa has been set up.” Becca looked down at her tablet then back at
him. “They’re getting facials at the moment.”
“Fine, I’ll seek them out while they least expect it. I don’t want a repeat of the Baellas anniversary ball last year.”
“Sir, Investigator Hyttinen may be with them,” Becca warned.
Karter waved away the warning. He’d need to face her eventually, and it was better to do it now instead of in a room of his guests at the engagement party. His family members had been made aware of the engagement ahead of time. For the rest of the guests, Iza would be a surprise, depending on how much they believed the Sensationals.
As expected, the women were all having their treatments done early before the other guests arrived. His mother was on her back while someone rubbed something brown over her skin. His mother’s cousin had her eyes covered while a technician rubbed at her face. Desirae was face-down while her legs were massaged. She had great legs he noted, along with everything else. It was everything above the neck that was crazy—a trait she clearly got from her mother.
Desirae’s mother, Maeve, had married into the Hyttinen family, becoming a cousin to Karter’s mother by marriage. She’d been trying to maneuver her daughter as a partner for Karter since they were young. The intensity and frequency of the hints had been off-putting enough, but the fact that Maeve had had both her and Desirae’s names changed to Hyttinen, despite having no blood relation, made the situation even more uncomfortable. Though Karter did his best to steer clear of both of them, they had a way of inserting themselves into his business at the most inopportune times.
“Mr. Hyttinen,” the three workers said in unison, looking up from their clients as he entered. They bowed their heads with respect.
“As you were. I’m just here to chat with the ladies of my life.”
“Clear the room,” his mother said between her teeth, already guessing at his intentions. She was like a hawk these days, always looking for a reason to peck at him.
The three workers hurried away.
“I must say, I’m surprised that this was the big secret you were keeping from us. Your earlier behavior makes sense now,” Desirae said as she rolled over to face him on the nearby massage bed, pulling the white towel forward to cover herself.
“As your mother’s favorite cousin, this has come as a surprise. I’d always hoped you and Desirae would get together, but I guess it’s not meant to be,” Maeve clucked her tongue. She wore a green jewel-toned necklace that she never took off. The rings she habitually wore on each finger were resting in a small glass dish on the table at her side. “I’m disappointed in you, Karter. Why would you align yourself with someone so far beneath you? Couldn’t you find anyone more suitable?”
“Iza’s perfectly suitable,” he said, keeping the disdain in his voice at bay.
His mother let out a humph. “She’s a nobody from the streets of nowhere, doing nothing and no one has even heard of her.”
“She’s suitable for me, and that’s really what should matter most, Mother.”
“It’s almost as bad as picking an employee. I warned you if you took on an employee you’d lose it all. And I’m not alone; the investors are behind me.”
“Only because you’ve poisoned them against me with your talk of dividing the company. Enough. I will run Apex Manufacturing Enterprises as I see fit, without your meddling.”
His mother waved a hand in the air.
“It’s shocking how he speaks to you these days, Phaedra,” Maeve said with another tsk of her tongue. “His father would never stand for it.” She nodded her head once as if to confirm it.
“You didn’t even know my father,” Karter bit down on the words harder than intended, and the three women’s heads snapped up to stare at him. “I apologize. I’m just tired. This is an important day. If you’ll excuse me, I better get some rest.” Then he added as an afterthought, “If you don’t see me until this evening, don’t take it personally. There’s important business to attend to, as some guests have already arrived.”
Karter strolled out of the spa room with the women chattering about his ill-advised marriage to a commoner. But they didn’t know Iza, and they didn’t know his plan. Everything was exactly the way he wanted it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The day passed in a blur of pampering, fittings, and walk-throughs. As evening fell, butterflies erupted in Iza’s gut. The mere idea of dancing in front of over two-hundred guests with Karter gave her anxiety.
An engagement party should be an exciting affair, but Iza was dreading it more than anything else she’d done in her life. She’d dreamed of being with someone, perhaps even getting married, but not like this. Not to Karter. And the false pretense made it that much worse.
Now that the reality of her contract was setting in, facing jail time and losing her ship was nothing compared to the prospect of losing Jovani. When Jovani dove in front of her and lost his arm, she thought he’d never be the same. Her deal with Karter saved his arm and his life. However, the price was weighing on her. Tonight, she’d have to reveal to Jovani that she was engaged to Karter with no further explanation—unable to tell Jovani that her heart belonged to him and everything with Karter was just an act. He would hate her and she wouldn’t blame him.
Barbara and Georgie arrived at 16:00 to prep her for the evening. Though they’d brought a tray of snacks for her to consume, she couldn’t bear to swallow anything. The pressure of the evening was crushing her like a giant wave of water against a rocky cliff.
Iza leaped out of her skin when Karter knocked on the doors promptly at 17:30. Georgie let him in, and he sidestepped the dog to inspect Iza’s appearance. He’d dressed in an immaculate steel gray formal suit, a perfect complement to the liquid silver gown they had poured her into. The soft texture of her dress seemed to match the design in the gray-on-gray pattern.
“You look resplendent,” he said as he sauntered in an appreciative circle around her.
“You clean up well, too,” she said and meaning it.
“It’s even better on you than I imagined.”
“I haven’t embarrassed you?”
“Not yet,” Karter said, taking her arm. “But it’s still early.”
He probably hadn’t meant to be funny, but the casual way he’d said it made her relax a little.
Then, he pulled out the ring. A giant white stone set in a silver band that matched the dress.
She gawked at it as he slipped it on her finger. The weight of it sobered her mood.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Karter led her back down the corridor, but this time they turned toward the front foyer and down to the landing where the East and West wings met. They headed toward the bright red curtain designed to block the view from the rest of the wide staircase below. Iza could hear the chatter of the guests and the tinkling of glasses on the other side.
He had a flair for the dramatic, she mused.
“Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.” It was Brooks who introduced them in a loud voice that bellowed over the crowd of people below. Their voices fell to a hush, and he continued, “The Hyttinen Dynasty is pleased to welcome you to the Blue Hills Estate in celebration of the engagement of Karter Hyttinen and Iza Sundari.”
There was a rumble of murmurs as the crowd waited for the curtain to part and reveal the couple.
Karter put on his most charming smile as the curtain parted, and Iza did her best to not look like she was about to throw up. The crowd below them erupted in applause and cheers.
Karter took slow measured steps, giving her time to keep up with him and not lose one of the fancy silver shoes she wore. When they reached the bottom step, he stopped.
“Thank you all, for welcoming Iza into our family. We hope to have all of you back here for the main event early next year.”
Iza’s head snapped up and she stared hard at him. Karter refused to turn a centimeter in her direction. When did we agreed on a date? Not going to happen. Iza tensed when he grasped her
hand tight in his own. She was merely a stand-in serving his interests for the moment. She was about to hiss the important fact into his ear when someone called out to her from behind.
“Well, Scrap Rat, looks like you’re coming up in the world,” said Captain Douketis. He’d dressed in a formal suit the color of dirt. Without his large sandy hat hiding his dog-like features, he looked even more canine.
“Why would you steal an invitation to this?” Iza asked, keeping her tone level as he approached with Reis on his arm; a head taller than him, she was hard to miss. She was stunning, draped in a soft black velvet dress with a V-neckline that plunged toward her navel. Her bright pink hair had been recently treated and added to her eye-catching ensemble. It was too bad about her crooked nose, but Iza thought her makeup design did decent job of hiding the defect.
“Karter invited all the haulers who work with Apex Manufacturing. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sarcasm dripped off every word.
It was then Iza realized what Douketis was saying. All the haulers. She repeated the words in her mind slowly. Karter had invited everyone. That meant her people on the Verity would also be in attendance.
Stars, no. She searched the crowd for Jovani but didn’t see him among the guests. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.
She spotted Karter talking to a group of businesspeople nearby and stormed over to him.
“You told them?” she hissed in his ear.
“Who?”
“Everyone on my ship. You invited them here to this?”
“I wouldn’t intentionally leave out your friends. What kind of man do you think I am?”
“The dirty-rotten bomaxed soon-to-be-dead kind,” she fumed, trying to keep her voice to a whisper as to not make a scene. “I never asked you to do that. In fact, I specifically recall telling you not to do it.”
Karter reached out for a glass of rosé sparkling wine with fruit garnish and put it in her hand, but she wasn’t thirsty. Rather, she was close to throwing the pink bubbly drink in his face.
Divided Loyalties (Verity Chronicles Book 2): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure Page 10
