Empire High Betrayal

by Ivy Smoak

  Wait, Isabella’s mother was the real mobster? Suddenly it made sense why my dad had needed my mom to leave the city. If Mrs. Pruitt was anything like her daughter, she probably would have had my mom killed.

  “But make no mistake, Brooklyn,” my dad said. “You’re part of my family no matter what your last name is. There’s no way out. And it’s not Matthew keeping you safe. It’s me.”

  There’s no out. I swallowed hard. It’s exactly what Miller had said.

  “But if you feel safer marrying Matthew so that he’ll be by your side at all times…” he raised his eyebrow at me. “It didn’t elude me that you were in his bed this evening.”

  I could feel my face turning red.

  “But given the circumstance, I’ll let it pass. This time.”

  I felt like I was sinking under his harsh gaze.

  “I assumed you’d want to get married after college.” He shook his head. “This seems all a bit fast. Is this really what you want, princess?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll allow you to marry him. Or Mason. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather tie the knot with him?”

  God, when would he let this go? Probably when I walk down the aisle. “I love Matt.” And only Matt. I’d dated enough men in the past two months to know who my heart was with.

  “Very well. I have two contingencies though.”

  I nodded and looked up at him.

  “First, you and Matt will be moving into your mom’s old apartment as soon as you’re married. I won’t have you staying here any longer than necessary. Clearly it’s unsafe.”

  Because of Isabella. But I didn’t think my dad wanted to argue anymore tonight. “Okay, I’ll talk to Matt about it.”

  “And second, you will let me pay for the whole thing, yes?” A smile spread over his face. The father I was growing to love was the one talking to me now. Not the scary mobster one.

  “Really?” I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Of course, princess.” He kissed my forehead. “Anything for you, you know that.” He looked over at the Caldwells and sighed. “Not my choice of in-laws, but I’ll make it work. I’ll go have another word with them to help smooth this over.” He walked over to the Caldwells and started having a much more civil conversation with them.

  “Sorry about that,” Matt said as he pulled me back in his arms. “I know you hadn’t had a chance to talk to your dad about the wedding yet. Were you able to change his mind?”

  “Mhm.” I pressed the side of my face against his chest and I actually saw Mr. Caldwell laugh at something my dad said. “But he did have one contingency. He wants us to move into my mom’s old apartment after we get married.” I pulled back so I could look up at him. “I know we haven’t talked about what we were going to do after…”

  “Are you kidding?” Matt dropped his forehead against mine. “I’d love to live with just you. A little more privacy sounds pretty great to me.”

  And a state-of-the-art security system to keep my evil half-sister and the apparently discontent families out. Whatever that even meant. It didn’t matter. None of it did. As long as I had Matt by my side everything would be fine.

  But there was one thing about my conversation with my father that weighed on me. And it wasn’t fair to marry Matt without being honest with him.

  “I was right,” I said. “He is a mobster.”

  Matt sighed. “Yeah, we kind of figured, didn’t we?”

  That wasn’t really the reaction I’d expected. “So if we get married…that kind of drags you into this mess.”

  “If we get married? There’s no if, baby. Nothing would make me not marry you.”

  I breathed in his exhales. “But he told me it’s dangerous. I don’t want to put you in danger.”

  “Hey.” Matt cradled my face in his hands. “This isn’t about our families. It’s about us. I want to marry you. And that’s all that matters.”

  “It kind of matters.” There’s no out. “It’s a family business. I’m a Pruitt.”

  “Yeah, and I’m a Caldwell, but I’m not the future CEO of MAC International. Let our older siblings take care of the family businesses. We can go wherever we want. Do whatever we want. Be whoever we want to be.” He pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

  “As long as I can be Brooklyn Caldwell I’ll be happy.”

  Matt smiled. “And as long as I can call you my wife, I’ll be happy.”

  He was freaking perfect. “Can we please get out of these clothes now?” I asked.

  Matt laughed. “And into the guest bed.”

  Oh my God. I didn’t bother telling him that my dad disapproved of our sleeping arrangements. I couldn’t not sleep beside Matt. The sound of his heart beating while I was snuggled up to his chest was the only way I was able to fall asleep. He’d held me close every night after my uncle passed away. He held me tight every night since I moved in. When I was in his arms, I felt whole. And no one, not even Isabella, was going to break me again.

  Chapter 33

  Wednesday

  I ran my fingers along the velvety couch and looked up at the chandelier above my head. There was only one way to describe the wedding dress boutique – pure elegance. It was like Odegaard, only the wedding equivalent. And I was already feeling uncomfortable knowing that these dresses probably cost more than the down payment of my mom’s house back in Delaware.

  A super stylish woman in a black dress walked over to us. “Hi, I’m Sarah, and I’ll be your bridal consultant today. Which one of you is the bride?”

  I stood up to shake her hand. “That would be me. I’m Brooklyn.”

  "It’s so nice to meet you. And who is with you today?"

  "This is my maid of honor, Kennedy. My future mother-in-law.” I gestured to Mrs. Caldwell. “And my Justin.” I laughed. “He’s my wedding planner.”

  “Nice to meet all of you,” Sarah said. “Are you ready to get started?"

  She didn’t say it, but it seemed like she was thinking we must be waiting for someone else. Like my mom. I found myself blinking away tears. “Yes, let’s do this.”

  Sarah smiled. “What silhouette are you leaning towards?"

  "Oh, um.” I looked over at Justin.

  He laughed. “We need the full treatment, Sarah. We’re going to try one of every style to see what she’s most comfortable in. And then we can narrow it down from there. Sound good, Brooklyn?”

  I nodded. I was so glad he was here.

  “Great,” Sarah said. “And when is your wedding?”

  "It’s December 22nd,” Justin said. “So we need to make a decision today.”

  Sarah stared at him for a second. "Wait, you mean this December 22nd? That's less than two months away. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to turn something around that quickly."

  “Sarah.” Justin said her name with the most serious expression on his face. “We both know that your designers always make exceptions under certain circumstances.”

  Sarah looked over at me and then back at Justin. "Yes, under very limited circumstances. But rush orders start at..."

  "Her father let me know that her budget is $15,000,” Justin said.

  My budget is what?

  Kennedy’s jaw dropped.

  I was pretty sure I looked as shocked as Kennedy. And Sarah. Sarah was probably thinking there was no way I could afford that. I was wearing a pair of jeans and Matt’s varsity jacket. She probably thought I couldn’t even afford to be in the store.

  “And when I say $15,000 is the budget, I mean it’s the minimum,” Justin added and smiled over at me. “Your dad wanted to make sure you knew you could get anything you wanted,” he said and winked at me. “I’m loving him more and more every day. He’s making this wedding very easy on me.”

  At least $15,000? That was too much. I wanted to run out of the store and go over to Goodwill to find something second hand. I wasn’t a designer dress kind of girl.

  Sarah cleared her throat. “Well, the rush won’
t be a problem at all then.” She looked embarrassed. “Do you want to head back with me, Brooklyn, and we can get started?”

  I nodded.

  “And if you all would like to look around for dresses you think Brooklyn would look good in, please feel free."

  Justin squealed with excitement and got up right away and started looking through the dresses. Mrs. Caldwell and Kennedy laughed and joined him as I followed Sarah.

  ***

  There didn’t seem to be a style that I liked yet. The problem was that I loved dancing with Matt and all the dresses felt…too heavy. Or too big. They were all just too much everything. It seemed like the more expensive the dress, the more it weighed.

  Sarah was just unzipping me from a poofy dress when there was a knock on the dressing room door.

  “It’s just me,” Justin said from the other side. “And I have the perfect dress for our beautiful bride.”

  I held the current one against my chest as Sarah opened the door.

  Justin was smiling and holding up a dress. “This is the one,” he said. “I can feel it.” He shoved it into Sarah’s hands and walked away with a sassy strut.

  It was hard to tell how it would look on. But as soon as Sarah zipped up the back and put the clips on for it to fit my frame better, I was…speechless. It was long-sleeved with sheer and lace embellishments down the arms. The bottom was loose and flowy. And the best part? Even though it was tight enough to accentuate my waist, it was comfortable.

  “What do you think of this one?” Sarah said.

  There was a lump in my throat and I wasn’t sure why. I think a part of me was still worried I didn’t really belong in Matt’s world. But in this dress, I looked like I belonged beside him. “He’s going to love it,” I said with a laugh as I brushed away my tears.

  "Let's go show everyone." Sarah opened the door and I slowly followed her out, holding up the soft, flowy material so I wouldn’t step on it.

  I walked up onto the platform and dropped the fabric so that it pooled perfectly around my legs. Everyone stopped talking.

  “Brooklyn,” Kennedy said. “You look so amazing.”

  “A ten out of ten from me,” Justin said. “You’re simply glowing in that dress.”

  I smiled and turned to look in the mirror. I really was glowing. It was like this dress was made for my body.

  “That’s definitely the one,” Kennedy added.

  "Here," Sarah said as she clipped a veil into my hair. She spread the sheer fabric across my shoulders. The lace accents matched the dress perfectly. I felt like a princess. And I could picture my wedding day better than I ever could before. Walking down the aisle towards Matt’s smiling face. Saying “I do” and promising him forever. I could see it all so clearly.

  The only person who hadn’t said a word was Mrs. Caldwell. I glanced at her in the mirror to see her reaction. She’d grabbed a tissue and was blotting her eyes. I turned around to face her. “Mrs. Caldwell?”

  She laughed and continued to blot her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m a mess.” She tried to wipe away the rest of her tears.

  I would never describe Mrs. Caldwell as a mess. But the fact that she was crying had me worried. “Do you not like it?”

  She laughed and stood up. “Brooklyn, you look stunning.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “Matthew’s going to love it.”

  “Then why are you crying?” I said and tried to laugh through my own tears welling in the corners of my eyes. But it was no use. The tears started falling down my cheeks.

  “Because I was just thinking about how much I’ve always wanted a daughter. And I know that the circumstances that led you to New York were awful. But I’m so grateful that you met my son.” She stepped up onto the platform with me and squeezed my hands. “I know your mom and uncle can’t be with us on your wedding day. And I wasn’t lucky enough to meet either of them. But I have a feeling they would have said you looked beautiful in this dress too.”

  I nodded through my tears. It was exactly what I’d needed to hear. I looked back in the mirror, ignoring my tear-stained face. My mom really would have loved this dress. If she’d ever gotten married, I could picture her wearing something just like this. Something light and flowy that she could dance the night away in. I smiled, remembering the way that we used to dance around the kitchen. It was like a little piece of her was in this dress. And I think it’s why I loved it so much.

  I’d wondered what my mom would have thought about me getting married so young. But she’d fallen in love with my dad when she was a teenager. And she’d fallen in love with me too. She was brave and strong and knew exactly what she wanted. I wasn’t sure I was nearly as brave or strong as her. But I was trying to be. And I did know exactly what I wanted. Matt.

  Chapter 34

  Wednesday

  I wasn’t sure how Matt and I could get any closer. But as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months…we were completely inseparable. I didn’t even feel like myself unless we were touching. Which was why I always practically ran to lunch.

  I spotted Matt laughing with Mason at our usual table. It still felt surreal to me that I was dating Matthew Caldwell. I wasn’t sure when that feeling would disappear. Hopefully never.

  “Hey,” I said when I reached the table. I leaned down to kiss Matt on the cheek. But he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me onto his lap. Yeah. It was so much easier to breathe when we were close.

  Kennedy snapped a picture of us. “I’m going to make you the most amazing pre-wedding album,” she said.

  “Pre-wedding album?” Matt asked. “Is that even a thing?”

  “It is when I have thousands of pictures of the two of you being ridiculously adorable.” She stole one of the fries off his tray and he didn’t even complain. “I can’t wait for Friday’s Thanksgiving. Are you sure you don’t need us to bring anything?”

  “Nah, my mom said to just come hungry,” Matt said.

  Kennedy and her mom were both coming to our second Thanksgiving on Friday and I was so excited. I’d already agreed to go to my dad’s tomorrow to celebrate with his family, so the Caldwells had been so sweet to change their celebration to Friday so that Matt and I could attend both. And I was thrilled when Mrs. Caldwell had extended the invitation to Kennedy and her mom too. She’d dubbed it “Friendsgiving,” and she was going all out as usual.

  It was going to be a perfect, relaxing long weekend. Just as soon as real Thanksgiving was over. I was excited to spend time with my dad. But I hadn’t stepped foot in his apartment since homecoming. I’d be entering Isabella’s turf, and both she and I knew it.

  “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Kennedy asked. “Entering Wizzy’s lair once again?”

  I looked over at Isabella. She’d calmed down over the past month. She’d only left me one threatening note in my locker a day now. Sometimes two. But at least there weren’t any dead animals. I’d never be able to forgive her for that. Matt and I had buried Sir Wilfred in the Caldwells’ backyard. And I felt guilty the whole time since I’d originally hated the little guy. God, just thinking about his body on Matt’s bed made me feel sick to my stomach.

  “No, I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’ll have Matt there with me.” I smiled up at him. “Honestly, I’m mostly nervous about meeting my new extended family.” And I was a little nervous about the prank James, Rob, and I were planning on pulling on Isabella. But they promised they had everything covered. I just had to sit back and laugh. And hopefully get the Caldwells and Hunters to finally make up.

  “What if all your new relatives are as terrible as Isabella?” Kennedy asked. “Yikes.”

  “What’d I miss?” Felix said and sat down next to Kennedy.

  The two of them weren’t dating. Yet. But Kennedy was finally civil with him. And I’d give it another few weeks before one of them caved and confessed they were madly in love with the other. Because now that I knew for a fact that Kennedy liked Felix? It was obvious. I hoped it was o
bvious to Felix too. Because I wasn’t going to meddle anymore.

  “We were just talking about Thanksgiving,” Kennedy said.

  “Oh, I can’t wait till Friday,” Felix said. “Thanksgiving always sucks with my parents out of town. But this year I’m going to eat so much turkey.”

  Kennedy laughed.

  I was so excited that Matt had calmed down about my friendship with Felix. It was even Matt’s idea to invite him over on Friday. I almost felt confident saying that Felix and Matt were friends now. Maybe they’d make it official soon too…with a handshake or something. Not the way Felix and Kennedy were going to make it official.

  “What time did you say I should come over?” Felix asked.

  “You can come over whenever, really,” Matt said. “Brooklyn has an appointment in the morning, but she’ll be back before noon, right?” He looked over at me.

  My dad had finally made me that appointment to get birth control. I was surprised it took him as long as it had. Especially since he’d basically found out I was sleeping with Matt on Halloween. “Mhm,” I said, hoping no one would ask me any questions about it. A gynecological exam hardly seemed as fun to talk about as Thanksgiving.

  “And we can always just play video games before dinner’s ready,” Matt added.

  “Awesome,” Felix said. “Are we talking Xbox or…”

  Mason leaned over. “Of course we’re talking Xbox. And we’re going to kick your ass.”

  “Oh, game on,” Felix said.

  They all laughed as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

  Matt’s fingers intertwined with mine as we all walked out into the hall. But all of us stopped when we saw two cops standing outside the cafeteria.

  One of them stepped forward. “Felix Green, you’re under arrest for the possession of drugs on school property.”

  Felix laughed. “What?”

  “We found drugs in your locker,” the cop said.

  “That’s not possible.”

  “Mr. Green, you need to leave the school grounds immediately,” the principal said. “You’re hereby expelled. An investigation…”