Damaged (Boys of Winter #2) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,150
everyone here, raise your hand if you would like leadership.”
One by one, every fucking hand in the room raises and I look around at the fifteen remaining heads of Dynasty. “Then let’s vote. Majority rules.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Cruz murmurs beside me.
I shrug my shoulders and swallow another shot of vodka. “What have I got to lose?”
“Everything,” he grunts.
I just smirk, way too confident.
Carver stands and looks directly to his right. “All in favor of appointing Earnest Brooks into leadership.”
Earnest raises his hand, and we wait a second until we confirm that no one else will vote for him.
Carver nods and moves around the circle, the tension building in the room like never before. “All in favor of appointing Michael Harding.”
Michael raises his hand and none other.
It goes on and on, every single individual voting for himself until it gets to the last three—me, Carver and Tobias King. Carver continues. “All in favor of appointing Tobias King.”
All eyes fall to Tobias and I watch as his gaze subtly flicks between me and Carver. A beat passes and then another when Tobias nods at Carver. “Continue.”
My brow raises and I watch him a second longer. He didn’t vote for himself which could only mean one of two things. In the next thirty seconds, either I will walk out of this as the leader of Dynasty, or Carver will.
I swallow over the lump in my throat as Carver continues. “All in favor of appointing myself, Dante Carver.”
Not a single hand moves, not even his own and I suck in a breath, realizing that not only does he have to vote for me, but when he does, he’s publicly declaring in front of the other heads of Dynasty that he will support me.
“Right,” Carver continues, studiously ignoring the stares and murmurs of the men around him. “All in favor of appointing our current leader, Elodie Ravenwood to continue in her role as leader of Dynasty, raise your hands.”
Just like that, Carver, Tobias, and I raise our hands, proving once and for all that this is where I need to be. Though I have to be honest, I’m surprised that Tobias didn’t vote for himself just as everyone else had. I silently nod and he gives me a tight smile in return.
Not able to meet Carver’s heavy stare, I raise my chin and get back to business as usual. “Then it’s settled,” I say, desperately trying to hide the odd mix of nerves and pride welling within me. “We will rebuild Dynasty in the true vision of Gerald Ravenwood, and we will flourish, but not before I make the fuckers who have done me wrong bleed.”
I instantly refill my glass and as it’s the time for making declarations, King comes and stands behind me with Grayson stepping in on Cruz’s other side. The four of us make a stand with Carver’s intentions known, and just like that, we change the game in one hell of a big way.
“What the hell is this?” Grayson’s father demands, getting to his feet and glaring at his son as Tobias King just raises his chin, making it damn clear that he and his son will be having a private conversation, but not here, and certainly not for every head of Dynasty to witness. Grayson and his father don’t have those same reservations though, especially with the way his father has been drinking tonight.
“My loyalties are to Elodie now,” Grayson tells his father while also making it crystal clear to every other bastard in the room. “You’ve been sitting on the wrong side for far too fucking long, father. I will not be your legacy, not anymore.”
“You are my heir,” he roars. “I have raised you to stand in my place, now quit this foolishness. I will not allow you to throw away everything I’ve worked for on a piece of easy pussy.”
Eyes widen all over the room and as Grayson’s hands curl into fists, I press my hand to his chest, calming him down. “Allow me,” I tell him, walking up to his father with a wicked smirk stretched wide across my face.
In one sharp snap, I curl my fingers into a tight fist, rejoicing in the way my brass knuckles tighten over my skin. I bring my fist back, and calling on every ounce of anger, hatred, and pain swarming deep inside me, I let my fist fly and smack him right in the fucking nose.