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.
“I hear you’re flying to London,” he sneers. The darkness in his tone tells me that something else is about to happen, and me flying across the ocean isn’t one of those things.
“Maybe.”
“I want you at Thorne Haven,” he tells me. “My honeymoon is coming up, and I will be away.” There’s no debating with him. If he’s made his mind up about something, then that’s what’s going to happen. I learned a long time ago, after my mother walked out, that Bradford Thorne is a man who’s no longer soft and caring: he’s cold, calculating. He’s nothing more than a grown-up bully with narcissistic tendencies.
“I wanted to check in on the offices,” I tell him.
“That can wait. Listen to me, Damien, you’re the eldest. Your brothers need you, and your new sister is going to need help