That morning, everyone was in a frenzy with last minute preparations. I had barely seen Chloe as she was tied up with her bridesmaid duties, and my father also expected me to handle some of the groomsmen, which I’d been ignoring pretty successfully. But on the day of, a freshly pressed suit was waiting for me including my dad’s note thanking me for being supportive of him on this journey. I wasn’t sure whether I actually deserved it or not, but I went along with it.
I finally managed to catch Chloe alone before she had to start getting ready for the big day, and I pulled her into an empty hallway. Her hair was up in hot rollers and she was wearing a pink satin robe Victoria had had made for all of her bridesmaids.
“Love the new look,” I said, pointing to the rollers in her hair. She smiled and rolled her eyes. I knew she’d had enough of the wedding, just like me. It seemed like the planning of it had completely taken over our lives, and instead of being excited for our parents, I was mostly just glad the whole dog and pony show was about to end.
“Are you nervous about today?” Chloe asked. I actually had to think about my answer for a second. Was I nervous?
Over the past few weeks, I’d managed to accept that my father was happy with Victoria, as strange and awful as their initial meeting was. Their personalities played off of each other well, and I was slowly starting to understand why they made a good couple. I wished them all the best—I wasn’t some fucking spoiled brat that wanted their marriage to fail just for the damn sake of it.
But still, I wasn’t sure what this meant for Chloe and me. I’d become attached to her, badly so, and I was getting worried at that point, thinking she might want to break things off now that things were getting even more official between our parents. I wasn’t even sure if I could do it; just pretend like we never had anything, act as if the feelings she awoke deep within me didn’t even exist.
“A little,” I said in a strained tone. “With events of this size and so many people involved, things can go wrong. I’ve seen it happen a hundred times.”
“I know what you mean,” Chloe said with a nod. “We just need to get through today, and we’ll be okay.”
“Chloe?”
A tall, slim blonde approached us, in similar attire to Chloe. By now, I knew her as Mercedes, Chloe’s best friend who was also in the wedding party.
Her eyes stopped on me and she eyed me curiously before embracing Chloe. I was never quite sure what to make of her. She was something else, that girl. Obviously, she came from a well-to-do family like Chloe and myself, and I’d always gotten the impression that she was a bit of a spoiled brat. But her sarcastic attitude bode well with me and I had to admit I liked her. I thought she was good for Chloe and brought her out of her shell a little.
“We have to get back to get our hair done, and then put our dresses on,” Mercedes reminded Chloe, and my soon-to-be stepsister cringed at her words.
“God, I just wish today would be over already,” Chloe said with a sigh, and I found myself agreeing with her. I locked eyes with Mercedes, and for the umpteenth time, I wondered how much Chloe had told her about us, about me. I wanted to know what she thought of me, partly because I thought she was a cool girl, but mostly because Chloe loved her so much.
“Only a few hours to go,” Mercedes said, and the girls shared a smile. “Did you need anything, Asher?” Mercedes was looking at me now, one of her signature smirks playing on her lips and once again making me wonder how in the know she really was.
“No, just wanted to wish Chloe good luck with everything today,” I replied with a smile. I could feel Mercedes’ gaze on me; she was probably wondering why I had to pull Chloe into an empty hallway just to say that. She pulled her back toward the salon where the bridesmaids were getting ready and left me to myself.
Even though Mercedes had interrupted us, I knew I still had a chance to tell Chloe what I wanted her to know, the truth I’d been hiding from myself as well as her. But it would have to wait until after the wedding, even though that made it about ten times more awkward.
With a sigh, I turned my back to the salon and left to get ready for the big day myself.
All of the lengthy preparations led up to this—the moment the happy couple uttered ‘I do’ to one another. We were sitting in the front row of the hall, listening to the couple exchanging the beautiful vows they’d written for one another. I found myself admiring my father for what he said to Victoria, admitting both his flaws and how she made him a better man. His new wife wrote a beautiful poem herself, and I noticed the recital brought tears to several pairs of eyes in our row of seats.
And then it was over, just like that. Months of getting ready and finally, they were husband and wife. There was no going back now, and my eyes connected with Chloe’s as the officiant pronounced our parents married. This was really it, we were officially stepsiblings. This changed everything.
I didn’t get a chance to speak to Chloe for the rest of the ceremony, and most of the reception went by without much contact between us as well. We were sitting at the same table, a few seats apart, watching our parents have their first dance together, when the wedding planner spoke into the microphone.
“Why don’t we also have the children up?” he said cheerily. “Asher and Chloe, come to the floor and have a dance together as brother and sister.”
I cringed inwardly at his choice of words but managed to force a smile for the cheering crowd. I walked over to Chloe and took her hand gallantly, leading her onto the dance floor. She truly looked stunning, her dark hair cascading in waves down her back and her lilac dress complementing her complexion so perfectly.
The first few beats of the song were awkward, with only us and our parents on the large dance floor, and I could feel dozens of eyes on me, watching my every step. You could never escape the gaze of the people in this town. There was always someone watching.
Chloe’s eyes were downturned, and I focused my attention on the happy couple instead, trying to distract myself from the beautiful woman in my arms.
My father smiled as he looked into Victoria’s eyes, and I was genuinely shocked by the amount of affection in his expression. For a split second, his eyes roamed to mine, and we exchanged a look.
A sense of calm understanding passed over me, and I didn’t feel the anger for my father that was usually simmering right under the surface. In that moment, I understood why he married Victoria. I understood the fact that their love transcended the boundaries put there by society. It was in the way he held her as they danced, in the raw and almost vulnerable look my father was giving me.
I let the corners of my lips turn upwards slowly, giving him an easy smile. He seemed thankful for that, and he nodded at me just once, as if a simple agreement had come to pass between us. And then we both went back to the women in our arms.
Chloe looked up at me as if on cue, and I had to fight every urge to kiss her, steal another piece of her sanity by claiming her mouth then and there. I wanted her, and I wanted every person in the room to know she was all mine, but I didn’t want to ruin this for my father. And so I forced myself to keep my lips and wandering hands off the beautiful bridesmaid I was dancing with, even though it took every ounce of my restraint to pretend she wasn’t mine.
“Beautiful ceremony,” I said softly.
“Beautiful bride,” she said with a nod.
“Perfect all around.”
We exchanged a look, a sort of sadness passing between us because we both knew what this meant for us.
“Do you miss your mom?”
Chloe’s question took me by surprise, and she seemed embarrassed by the fact she’d let the words escape her lips. She looked down, flushing deeply, but it still seemed like she was genuinely curious about my answer.
“Yes,” I said. “I miss her every day. But she chose to leave me. She chose the life she was living—without me. She didn’t deserve for me to miss her. But I did.”
I knew Chloe was about to say something, but I wasn’t done, and
more words spilled from my mouth as she listened.
“She came back to Briarwood for a week or so when I was about five. I think she needed money. I wanted her to stay. I told her I loved her, hoping that’d make her stay. But she left. And you know…after that, I never wanted to tell anyone I loved them again.”
Chloe was looking into my eyes now, but I couldn’t bring myself to look into hers. I always tried to project this image of a confident, well-put-together guy, and showing Chloe this part of me was hurting more than just my pride. But the mere memory of my mother’s rejection threatened to break me on the spot, and I knew looking into Chloe’s beautiful baby blues would only make matters worse.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she said softly, her voice barely a whisper above the sound of the string quartet playing on the stage behind us. The music was a pleasant distraction to the sting I felt in my eyes, the threat of tears I’d never let escape.
“I am too,” I said. And then, like a fucking fool, I risked a look into those eyes of hers.
She was truly beautiful, not only because I was in love with her—and of this I was certain at that point—but because she was compassionate, sweet, and stunning all wrapped into one amazing person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted to tell her, but I knew it wasn’t a good idea.
“You know you’ll always have me,” Chloe said. “I’ll always be here for you, Asher. No matter what happens with…” She hesitated, biting her bottom lip hesitantly. “With our parents.”
“What were you going to say?” I had to push her, I needed to know what she wanted to say. I needed confirmation and reassurance for once in my fucking life, and the need to tell her how I felt burned me from within my chest, where my heart was beating quicker than ever. “No matter what happens…with us?”
I thought she would look away, but her eyes remained focused on mine, dancing over my gaze. We both knew what she was going to say, because truth be told, what we had wasn’t meant to last. Not with our parents having just walked down the aisle and promising to stay with one another forever. Chloe’s eyes focused directly on mine before she spoke, as if she were trying to decipher my thoughts.
“You know this can’t last,” she said softly, and I just kept looking at her, waiting for that ‘but’ that would change everything. But it never came, and I found myself getting more and more desperate as the seconds passed. Chloe tried to compensate for the silence with a sudden flurry of words. “Our parents just got married. We can’t come out and say anything, not today of all days, on their wedding day…”
She wouldn’t look away from me, and her eyes remained fixed on mine, almost begging me to stand up to her. I wanted to, god I did. But I couldn’t get the words out, the sentence I badly wanted to utter stuck in my throat like a lump I’d never get out.
Instead of saying something, I let my hands wander down her back. We were standing too close anyway, but with my hands moving down her back, it was really fucking dangerous territory. I wanted so much more, but at the same time I knew not to push it. There were hundreds of pairs of eyes on us, and I couldn’t fathom their reaction if I really came out and said it.
I love you, Chloe.
The words I’d repeated to myself over and over again, the sentence that would change my life. It was the goddamn truth and still, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Chloe that. I was acting like a fucking pansy, and whether it was about her not returning my feelings or just shutting me down because it was inappropriate, I didn’t know.
I looked into her eyes again, those sparkling baby blues that had entranced me the first time I ever saw her. And I knew I had to say it right then and there.
But before I could, she spoke first.
“Asher, I honestly think I had something to do with your mother’s death. I really do. And this isn’t like last time we talked about this. I was there. I know it. I remember being there now, remember stepping over her body.”
I stared at her, completely dumbfounded. I’d been getting ready for the biggest admission of my life, and her words had totally blindsided me.
“Chloe…” I started, but she put her hand up. I saw the tears gathering in her eyes, and finally, I knew how important this was to her; how much she needed my support in this moment.
“No, you have to believe me,” she said, her voice shaky and soft. “Please, Asher. I’ve tried to tell you so many times and I just…don’t think you realize it’s true. I was there that night. I saw her.”
“I believe you,” I told her, taking her hand in mine. “I also know that you had nothing to do with my mother’s murder. I believe you were there, Chloe, but that’s all. And I promise you, we’re going to get to the bottom of this. We’re going to figure out exactly what happened.”
“Okay.” She nodded, and I wiped the stray tear from her eyes. She gave me a grateful, sweet little look, and suddenly, I couldn’t hold back the truth any longer.
“I love you.”
I blurted it out, but I’d never sounded more sure of myself than I was in that moment. I wanted her to know. I wanted her to say it back.
Chloe’s dark, full lashes fluttered closed and a small smile turned up the corners of her lips. My heart was beating like crazy, waiting for her to say something, anything, about my confession. I thought she’d never looked more beautiful than in that moment, but it wasn’t the usual carnal urge I felt when I looked at a hot woman. I didn’t give a fuck about the dress which fit her like a glove, displaying those perfect curves, or the way her legs looked in those heels. I only cared about those eyes, the way she looked at me now, her pupils dilated and her beautiful plump lips parted slightly.
“I love you too, Asher,” she said, the words barely above a whisper. But they were the only thing I heard, over the sound of the music and the chatter of the guests. It was the only thing that mattered.
My hands slid down her waist, lingering dangerously low. I didn’t dare touch her, even though every cell in my body was screaming for me to go lower, feel the curve of her hips transitioning into the swell of her ass. I wanted her badly, and if we weren’t surrounded by people I would’ve taken her. I wanted to bury myself inside her and show her all the ways in which I loved her, but looking into her eyes now…it was a different kind of intimacy, one that made us both vulnerable in a way I’d never experienced before.
I didn’t have to say a thing and neither did she. It was enough for us to look at one another, share the moment with our eyes locked firmly on each other’s. Her smile was contagious and I found my own lips turning up.
I lifted a hand off her back and smoothed a stray strand of hair off her cheek, and she leaned into the palm of my hand. Such a small moment, but a powerful one. It made my cock swell and throb in my pants, seeing her freely giving herself to me like that. I knew she meant the words she just told me, and I knew at the same time that this was going to change everything. We couldn’t go back now.
I was going to say something else, but her eyes mesmerized me into silence. She went slack in my arms, her body crumpling against mine, and I held her a little bit tighter, my arms snaking around her waist to hold her up.
“Asher…” she said. Her eyes turned down and she paled, all the color draining out of her face in a matter of seconds. “I don’t feel so great.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Chloe? What’s going on?”
She didn’t reply, though her lips parted slightly. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and I knew something was truly wrong. I repeated her name over and over again, but it seemed as if she wasn’t even aware of what was happening around her at all.
“Help!” I shouted, looking around us, and Chloe stopped holding herself up in that moment, collapsing into my arms. The music stopped abruptly and people surrounded us, expressions mired in fear and confusion. Chloe wasn’t breathing now. Her chest was no longer rising and falling and her eyes were rolled all the way back, the whites exposed. The sight almost made my heart stop in
my chest.
I was losing her and I couldn’t fucking handle it, not in that moment and not after hearing those three words escape from her lips. I pushed through the crowd, making space for her.
“Someone call a fucking ambulance,” I said, my voice shaky and so unfamiliar it scared me. Everyone was staring at us, Chloe’s body unmoving in my arms and my own rigid with terror. “Call an ambulance! Now!”
Twenty-One
Killer
She just wouldn’t fucking stop digging.
No matter how much I warned her, no matter how much I tried, Chloe Carlyle was intent on proving her father’s innocence.
Of course, she was right to do so. He was innocent. But I couldn’t have Chloe digging around and trying to get to the bottom of things. Sooner or later she would realize who the real murderer was, and I couldn’t have that, could I?
I tried to imagine myself in prison, that ghastly orange uniform ruining my good looks. There was no damn way I could let Chloe succeed in this mission of hers, and because she was too stupid to stop her damn digging, I had to stop her in a different way.
I always liked poison. It was such an elegant way to get rid of someone, and I wasn’t going to let a stupid, naïve little girl ruin my plans. I’d worked on them for too long, and after all, I’d only just started. I had so much more left to do.
If only she’d never started searching for the truth.
If only she weren’t daddy’s little girl.
If only she’d been fucking smart, maybe I could have let her live. But she was digging her own grave, and I was merely providing her with the sweet mercy of death. Truth be told, I thought I was quite gracious about it. Dying from something she ate wasn’t a bad way to go. There were worse ways to die, like pregnant Catalina tumbling from the top of the stairs… all she’d needed was a little push in the right direction.
I’d become pretty good at perfecting my innocence. No one would suspect me, at least no one in their right mind. They’d never even gotten close. Once I’d made sure Chloe had ingested the substance that was to guarantee her death, the only thing left to do was wait by the phone for that call from the hospital which was bound to come sooner or later, telling me the devastating news.
Scandal (A Dirty Money Novel) Page 19
