“No. It belonged to your father’s mother. When I was young, she wore it with pride.”
I thought back to her story. “What did you exchange?” As soon as the question left my lips, I knew the answer.
“That is a story for another night, Emma. You see, every woman sells herself. After what happened to me, I decided that my commodity would help me prepare for now.”
“When did you change your name?”
The sound of footsteps quieted our conversation. We both turned as Liam and Kyle came down the hall toward the kitchen. My shock was visible as I took in the woman with them.
“Emily?” I questioned, scanning the pretty woman with long red hair. She was wearing a short skirt and tight blouse. What had my attention was the way she was clinging to Kyle’s arm.
Her smile seemed forced. “Emma.”
Letting go of Jezebel’s hand, I pushed back my chair and stood. My eyebrows knit together as I asked, “Why are you here?”
“We thought you’d still be sleeping,” Kyle said. “I guess there’s no time like the present. Emily, you’ve met my sister, Emma. Emma, you’ve met Emily.” He smiled her direction. “What you might not know is that Emily is my fiancée.”
His fiancée?
“You were with Ross,” I said, “the night he died.”
Her face tilted and her lips came together. “Oh yeah, I heard he died. That’s too bad.” She shrugged. “Taking pain meds after an earlier hit of Oxy...” She shook her head. “I thought he was smarter than that.”
“Oh my God.” I stepped closer. “It was you. You knew he had pain medication. You killed him.”
“Interesting theory,” Emily said. “Of course, I wasn’t the one to benefit from his death. That would be you.”
Kyle let go of Emily and walked past me, his shoulder bumping mine. “Your husband is the guilty party. I guess he married you for the same reason you married him.” He rubbed two fingers with his thumb. “Bet he knew you would inherit Underwood’s fortune.”
Ignoring Kyle, I looked at Emily. My thoughts went back to right before last Christmas when she and Ross were dating. “How long have you and Kyle been engaged?”
She smiled. “Over a year.” She waved her hand, the one with the large diamond. “Don’t try to figure it all out. I was doing my part for Mother, like we all do.”
“Mother?”
Jezebel’s gaze met mine. “They are to be married.”
“When?” I asked.
“Once everything is settled,” Emily said, “we’re going to have a big New Orleans wedding.”
“Settled?”
“You know, once Kyle and Liam are in control of the city.” She shrugged. “Kyle said we can have your house.”
“Kyle said what?”
Liam spoke. “Ramses destroyed your father’s home. It was nicer than yours, but they don’t mind redecorating.”
I thought about Rett’s house and his story about his mother and grandmother, how they worked together to decorate. “What are you saying?”
Kyle responded, “This is war, Em. Once it’s over, the spoils belong to the victors. We will be the victors.”
“Spoils?” I repeated. “You’re certifiably crazy. Rett’s house isn’t available to take. It has been in his family for generations.”
Liam had remained quiet, but as I turned his way, his gaze narrowed. I couldn’t describe the way he was looking at me. A chill scurried over my skin as the tips of his lips curled upward. “Kyle and Emily can have the house. I’ve been promised something else.”
“You aren’t getting anything of his.”