by Rose, Louise
I thought about asking him to come out to dinner with me, I say. He’s so arrogant, he’d genuinely believe I want to spend time with him. But he’d insist on bringing his guards with him, and I can’t think of a good reason why he should leave them behind. If I say I wanted some time alone with him, he’d just order them to the other side of the room. And then we’ve got the problem of being in a public place. I don’t want any of you to get in trouble with the police.
Don’t worry about that, Archer says. All our families have close connections with the police, and they’d be more than happy to see Solomon gone. I think you’ll find that any evidence connected to his death will mysteriously go missing.
Okay, I say. So, we have the start of a plan. I don’t really know the best places to eat in this town. Where would you recommend as the best place to stage an assassination?
Declan motions for me to pass him the pen and paper. Archer takes over talking to Romy, the discussion turning to the best Netflix shows to binge watch.
My father owns a restaurant which would be perfect, Declan writes. I can get him to seat you in a booth out of sight of the other diners. We can poison one of his dishes and bam, job done!
No. I shake my head. I want to kill him myself. Do you think you can get a gun to me?
A gun? Are you sure? You’re not exactly the best shot.
I blush at the memory of shooting Declan’s father. That’s exactly why I want to shoot him. It’s the perfect revenge. And there’s no way I can miss from that distance.
Archer glances over at what we’ve written and motions for the paper.
I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, he says. It’s much harder than you’d think to shoot someone. If you can’t pull the trigger, it’ll spoil everything. Solomon will know you plotted against him. If he doesn’t kill you, he’ll lock you up for the rest of your life-–and I don’t even want to think about what he’ll do to make sure he has another blood heir. It’s not worth the risk.
I shake my head violently. I want to be the one to kill my father. It is my birth right!
Romy takes the paper from Archer.
Listen to him, Ivy, he says. More than anyone, Archer would know how hard it is to shoot someone at point blank range.
How would he know?
I look at Archer, but he shakes his head. He isn’t going to tell me that story right now, and maybe not ever.
Poison is a better option, Archer assures me.
But what if they get the plates mixed up? I ask. How would you feel if I was the one who ended up poisoned? I don’t feel safe doing that.
Just don’t order the same thing as Solomon. It’ll be obvious.
What if he gets suspicious and makes me try his food? I shake my head. No. This isn’t a good plan. My father’s way too sneaky for that to work. If it was easy to poison him in a restaurant, he’d have died years ago. You have to let me shoot him.
No.
I sigh and slump back in my seat, arms folded. This is a debate that could go on for hours, both of us as stubborn as each other.
Romy picks up the paper. I have another idea. If Ivy can get her dad to agree to go out to dinner with her, we’ll know where he is, right?
We all nod.
So we can arrange for an ambush on his way home, Romy says. He’ll be all relaxed after eating good food so he won’t be expecting anything. My family’s men will deal with his guards and if you want to be the one to take out your father, Ivy, we can make it happen. If it turns out you can’t pull the trigger when the moment comes, that’s okay. There’ll be plenty of other people there who are willing to do it for you.
I won’t chicken out, I promise. But that does sound like a great plan. Now all that remains is for me to ask my dad out to dinner.
What about Lucas? Romy asks. Do you want us to deal with him at the same time?
I shake my head. Just because I don’t want to be married to him doesn’t mean I want him dead. With my dad out of the picture, it’ll be easy to convince him to agree to an annulment. I’ll tell him to stay home that night because I want it to be a daddy/daughter dinner. He won’t mind. For all his faults, Lucas is pretty laid back. I’d rather he wasn’t there to see my father killed.
“Thanks for the recommendation,” Archer says, carrying on with the fake conversation he’d been having with Declan. “I’ll check it out. Now I’ve got a massive essay to write which is due on Monday, so if you guys don’t mind, I’m going to have to be rude and say goodbye.”
“No problem.”
He gets up and goes across the room, as the rest of us start to say goodbye to each other. He opens the front door, saying, “Hey, Ivy. Can I have a minute?” before he shuts it again, putting his finger to his lips to warn us to be quiet as he walks over to a switch on the wall. Flicking it, he grins at us.
“You can speak freely. I’ve switched on the anti-bug blocker.”
“Anti-bug what?” I run over to swat him. “You mean all this time we’ve been writing down our conversation and we could have just been talking normally?”
“We could have,” Archer says, “but this way it’s less suspicious. As long as we don’t take too long, your father will think you’re on your way home and we’ve got a few moments to say a proper goodbye. I thought you might prefer it if Solomon didn’t hear us kissing…”
“You read my mind.” I smile as Archer pulls me into his arms for a long, deep kiss. I moan with disappointment when we break apart, but I can’t be upset for long because Romy steps up to take his place. I have to fight the urge to pull his clothes off, but Archer is right. We shouldn’t take too long while the bugs are offline, otherwise my father will realise we were conspiring against him.
Declan comes up behind me, sandwiching me between him and Romy. I love the feel of a man’s body pressed against me from both sides. It won’t be long before we can do this as often as we like without having to think about my father, and I can’t wait.
I turn to kiss Declan. Romy plays with my breasts as my tongue plunges deep into Declan’s mouth. I moan again, this time with excitement.
“Can’t we fool around a little while longer?” I beg, as Declan breaks away.
“We all want to,” Archer says, “but it’s not worth the risk. Get that dinner booked this week and we’ll be able to do this whenever we want. It’ll be sex for breakfast, sex for lunch, and sex for dinner with as many of us as you like.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I say, grabbing one last quick kiss with each of them before heading outside to my bike.
For the first time in a long time, I feel hope. Our plan is solid and soon I will be free from my father once and for all.
Chapter Sixty-Five
As soon as I get home, I head straight to my father’s study. I figure there’s no time like the present to get things moving. But before I can get there, Isabella intercepts me.
“A word, Ivy?”
The way she says it makes it clear that it is a command, not a question, so I follow her away from my father’s room and into the little office set aside for her to use.
“Your father has been thinking,” she begins.
Uh-oh. This could be dangerous.
“He feels bad that your wedding wasn’t the grand affair it should have been,” she tells me. “House Archaic weddings should be huge celebrations, a sign to everyone that we’re flourishing, not the quiet ceremony you had. People will think we’re ashamed of you being married to Lucas, which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Speak for yourself. I know better than to say the words out loud, but I am sure my expression speaks volumes.
“So, your father has decided to throw a reception party for you and Lucas,” Isabella informs me. “These are the people he would like you to invite.”
She hands me a piece of paper with a list of names: Romy, Archer, Declan, Milly, Ben and Kate Navarre, Gabriel and Rebecca Knight, and Claude and Marie Dauphin.
“Is that all?” I ask. “I thought
you said weddings should be a huge celebration?”
“They should.” Isabella nods. “But this isn’t a wedding. It’s a formal presentation of you as a couple to the other Houses, and as such, this is a more intimate occasion. Your father thinks the end of this week would be a good time.”
“The end of this week?” My heart sinks. “But I was going to ask him to go to dinner with me this weekend. He won’t want to do that if we’re supposed to be having this little soiree.”
“You can have dinner with your father any time you like,” Isabella tells me. “Although I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear that you want to spend more time with him. One of his biggest regrets is that you don’t understand him better. If you would only sit down and talk to him, you’d understand why he left you with your mother instead of rescuing you earlier.”
Rescuing me from her? Boy, did he have his priorities confused.
Isabella continues, oblivious to my disgust. “I know he’d love to include you more in his plans. Perhaps after we’ve celebrated your marriage, you and Lucas can take him out somewhere together.”
“But I wanted some alone time with him,” I say. “I see enough of Lucas as it is. I’d much rather just go out with my father.”
“Nevertheless, you are a married woman now,” Isabella reminds me. “You need to include Lucas in any discussions with your father. I think you’ll find your husband has a lot of very valuable insights to share. It’s about time you treated him as the partner he truly is instead of a mere accessory. Your father isn’t the only one who feels like you keep him at arm’s length. Perhaps you might like to make a point at your reception of letting everyone know that Lucas is the only man for you. I appreciate that you’ve enjoyed playing the field, but the time has come to get serious about your future. Many arranged marriages develop into love matches and I’m sure if you just put in a little effort, you’d find that you and Lucas have a lot more in common than you realise. You really have the potential to be a good partnership.”
“If you say so.” I roll my eyes, bored of this particular game. “If we’re done here, I’ll go and text everyone to tell them about the party. This Saturday, right?”
“Saturday it is,” Isabella says. “But you won’t be texting. That simply won’t do. I’ve had these invitations prepared for you.” She picks up a sheaf of paper from her desk and hands them to me. “Fill them out in your best handwriting and I’ll get one of your father’s men to hand deliver them later.”
“Seriously?” I huff, snatching the invites from her. “Fine. I’ll get on it now.”
“Fill them in neatly, remember?” Isabella reminds me. “Don’t make me ask you to redo them.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I mock salute her and head up to my suite. Lucas is already up there.
“Hey, Ivy,” he says. “What’s with the face?”
“Is this stupid party your idea?” I ask, waving the invites at him.
“Party?” Lucas frowns. “You mean the wedding reception? It wasn’t my idea, but I think it’s a good one. Your father’s right. We should have made a bigger deal out of our wedding. This will be the perfect opportunity for us to network with the other Houses.”
“But I see Archer, Romy, Declan and Milly all the time at school,” I point out. “There’s no need to drag their parents over here as well.”
“Yes, there is,” Lucas says. “While it’s great you have close ties with the other Houses…” I can’t believe he can say that without a hint of irony. “…It’s the parents who are the real powers right now, and will be for some time to come. It’s important they view us as the power couple we truly are.”
“But I had other plans for this weekend.”
“What other plans? Ivy, I’ve been very tolerant of you spending time with your exes, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with you being with them every spare moment. At some point, you’re going to have to prioritise your marriage over your friendships. I can be patient about that, but eventually my patience is going to wear thin.”
“Actually, I was going to ask my father to have dinner with me,” I say frostily. “It’s like you’ve said-–the time has come for me to start putting House Archaic first. I wanted to work on our relationship.”
“That’s great news, Ivy.” Lucas smiles. “I’m sure Solomon would love that. Look, why don’t you have dinner with him on Friday? You can go over the final arrangements for the reception so that everything’s perfect on Saturday. From what he’s said to me, he bitterly regrets not having a closer relationship with you. I think if you ask him to go out, he’ll jump at the opportunity.”
I think about it. Although the boys and I have planned the assassination for Saturday, there shouldn’t be any problem with moving it to Friday instead.
“Okay. I’ll see if he wants to go out on Friday,” I say. “But first, I better get on and fill these out. Isabella made it very clear that I had to write the names in my very best handwriting. Honestly, she was talking to me like I was five. When we’re in charge, promise me the first thing we’ll do is fire her.”
“That can be arranged.” Lucas laughs, as I sit down at my desk to fill out the invitations. It seems pointless doing them, since my father will be dead and I am not going to be celebrating my wedding. But, like always, appearances have to be maintained. I’ll play his little game until the moment comes to reveal he is really playing mine.
Chapter Sixty-Six
I sit opposite my father in a booth at Declan’s family’s restaurant, watching with disgust as he breaks apart a lobster, eating it with his bare hands. I really hate the man, but I plaster a bright smile on my face and pretend to be enjoying myself as I pick at my spaghetti.
“I must say, the Dauphin family chef has outdone himself this time.” My father slowly licks juice from his fingers. “This lobster is truly divine. I wonder if he’d be open to a change in position? I can do with a new chef. I’m becoming rather bored with our current cook’s efforts.”
“Can’t you just get a new chef without stealing someone else’s?” I suggest. “Do you really have to undermine the Dauphin restaurant because you fancy a change of menu?”
“But where would be the fun in that, Ivy?” My father smirks. “Food tastes much better when it comes at the expense of my enemies.”
“But the Dauphins don’t have to be your enemies,” I point out. “You could work with them, not against them. Think about how successful your business would be if you did that.”
My father bursts out into raucous laughter. “Oh, my dear sweet girl. So wonderfully naïve. So foolishly stupid. I couldn’t possibly work with the Dauphins. They are nowhere near my level. If you want your business to fail, collaborate with the Dauphins, my child.”
I bristle at the way he patronises me. His arrogance is outstanding. Every word he utters makes it easier for me to imagine pulling the trigger and permanently wiping that smile off his face.
“Would sir like to see the dessert menu?”
The waiter comes over to take away our plates, giving me a break from having to listen to my father blather on.
“No need. I’ll have the cheese plate with a coffee and my daughter will just have a coffee. She needs to watch her weight.”
Jeez. The man doesn’t know when to shut up.
“Very good.” The waiter gives a little bow as he collects our plates and disappears off to the kitchen.
I glare at my father, who laughs.
“What’s your problem? Just because you’re a married woman doesn’t mean you can let yourself go,” he says. “Lucas deserves an attractive wife. It’s important that you maintain appearances for his sake. He’ll need a beautiful woman to support him when he’s negotiating business deals.”
That is it. I almost regret not agreeing to let the Dauphins poison my father. It is like he is deliberately trying to annoy me. I swear that as soon as we finish with my father, I am going to get the boys to take me to the ice cream parlour, and I am going to stuff my face with
every single flavour. I’ll be the one smiling then.
When the waiter brings over the cheese plate, my mouth starts to water. I struggled to eat my spaghetti because being around my father has a negative effect on my appetite, but I feel like grabbing a huge hunk of brie and stuffing it in my mouth, just to prove to him I can do whatever I wanted.
Instead, I pick up my coffee cup and make a big show of inhaling the aroma.
“Mmm. You’re right, dad. I needed this.” I take a sip and have to admit that the coffee is amazing. Rich and creamy, it perks me right up. I can imagine getting Declan to make me coffee every morning in bed with whatever blend his restaurant uses.
I can’t help the slow smile that spreads across my face at the thought, but, of course, my father picks up on it.
“What are you thinking about, Ivy?”
“Oh, just enjoying my coffee,” I reply lightly.
“Are you sure that’s all? Don’t think I haven’t noticed how distracted you’ve been over the past couple of weeks.”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” I tell him, being completely honest for once.
“If you weren’t so easily distracted by all the other House heirs, you might be able to think more clearly,” my father says. “I do wish you’d listen to me more. I know what it takes to run a House. I thought your time in foster care would toughen you up, but instead it seems to have made you weak. If I’d have known that would happen, I’d have taken you out long ago.”
“So, why didn’t you?” I ask. “All I’ve heard from you is complaints about how things would have been different if you’d been in my life sooner, but from where I’m sitting, I can’t see any good reason for you abandoning me for so long.”
“It’s like I told you,” my father says. “I live a dangerous life. I thought foster care was the safest place for you. I had faith that your Archaic nature would see you through. It would appear that I underestimated the impact your weak mother would have on you.”
