Her daughter.
My new stepsister.
Pulling the cell phone from my pocket, I flick the green button and press the device to my ear. “What?”
“Dad would’ve liked that you were here.” Cassian. Even though I’m older, you’d think he’s the eldest because he’s more levelheaded than I am. He thinks things through before acting on impulse, whereas I like to jump in headfirst. Not thinking about the consequences has always been my mistake, and you’d think I would’ve learned by now, but no. I’m still like that, even at twenty-fucking-seven.
“I don’t think Dad even noticed I wasn’t there.” My tone is cold and biting, but I know my brother won’t notice it. And if he did, it wouldn’t matter because he’d still give me shit for not being there.
“Finn and I think you should come back, spend the reception with us.” I know he’s trying to keep the peace. That’s what Cassian is like, always making sure everyone is happy, but this time, he can’t fix it.
“Cass, I know what you’re trying to do, but I can’t deal with this bullshit. Even though our mother walked out on him, I’ve watched him latch onto every woman who’s offered him a smile since I was fourteen. He claims to be in love, but that’s pure lust. Love doesn’t exist.” Even as I voice the words, I can see Cassian’s expression, he’s probably wincing at my biting tone. Cassian is the only one of us, besides our father, who believes in love. Even though he’s single, my brother is a serial lover. He falls for girls all the time, and yet, he has never kept one around for longer than a month.
“I know you’re angry—”
“I’m not angry, I’m actually quite happy, Brother,” I tell him with a smile. “I’ve booked the plane; I’m heading to London to see what Thorne Industries is doing over there.”
“How long will you be gone for?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you take care of our little sister while I’m away?”
Cassian sighs. “Fine. But don’t stay away too long. She seems like a nice girl. Perhaps we can find peace in this madness.” And there he is, the peacekeeper.
“Tell Finn not to fuck her,” I bite out, as I recall the girl standing at the altar with the bouquet. She looked so out of place, not because she wasn’t beautiful, but the expression of worry that painted her features was enough to tell me she didn’t want to be there.
“She’s our stepsister, Damien,” Cass reminds me, with an exasperated tone that has me chuckling. “Sometimes I worry about your sanity.”
“It’s not mine you have to concern yourself with, you know what Finn is like.” The corner of my mouth quirks when I think of our youngest brother. He would fuck anything with a pair of tits. Not only that, I know for a fact that Finn has experimented sexually with guys.
Another sigh from Cassian. “I hate being stuck between you two dickheads,” he tells me, but I can hear the smile on his face.
“Sure, you do, some girls say the same thing.” This time, I hear him laugh out loud. It’s true, though, Finn and I have had the same girls in our beds, but none of them were ever around long enough to learn more about us. It was one night of fun, and before the sun rose on the next day, they had to leave.
Finn is a lot more like me than Cassian would like, but you can’t stop someone from acting like their hero.
“You’re such an asshole,” Cass tells me then adds, “Okay, I have to go. Have a good flight.”
“Always, Brother.” I grin, knowing I’ve only just annoyed my brother. But I end the call before he can warn me from breaking hearts while I’m over the pond. I head into the hotel, making my way up to the room to pack. Having a private jet at our disposal comes in handy for trips like these. But even if we didn’t, I wouldn’t stick around to see my father fawn over some woman who is only with him because he’s got more money than god, and knows how to spend it.
I’m about to walk out of the hotel room when my phone buzzes once more. Cursing, I pull it from my pocket and see my father’s name glaring brightly at me. Jesus, I can’t catch a break today. Cass usually will allow me my freedoms, keeping my plans quiet from our father, so there must be a reason he’s gone to the old man to get him to call me. And I know he did because Bradford wouldn’t spend a moment of his wedding day on the phone with me.
“Dad,” I answer, keeping my voice cool and calm, already knowing what my father is going to say.