Lux like a prized animal rather than a child makes me nauseous.
That's all we are to them.
Animals for the picking.
"I'm so proud of him for signing his future to great venues, and tonight, he'll further that."
Lux sucks in a breath, his chest puffing out with the anxiety that flows freely through us both. I grab Colt's leg as she stares at him with worry.
It's crazy how much she cares for us all.
She glances at me with a faraway look, and I feel it. She knows shit is about to hit the fan.
"Tasha, would you join me up here?"
With those words, my hand on her thigh slackens. My skin grows clammy, and I fist my palm on top of the table to prepare for the newest announcement. Turning to my right, knowing my father is sitting at the main table with the other families, I spy his glower. The way my blood runs cold at his expression makes me very aware him and Midas weren't in agreement.
Midas mentioned news, but he didn't detail what that would pertain. Seeing as Tasha is the one heading toward the podium says it has everything to do with the girl next to me.
The one who has already been through so much here.
Tasha trails to the front, confidence pouring off her, exuding like a glow. She smiles in this predatorial way, like she owns everything, and in a way, she does.
She's the only woman I know who holds more power than most men in the world. Her power is endless, and that's why my father must be fuming.
He didn't tell me why he paired me with Melissa, but I'm already certain I've added all the variables together.
Marriage meant a deal, one he brokered.
Having an heir meant a tie to the Krane name.
My child could have the power he needed for the oil industry, and he would have gone for Colt next. It would have been easy with her. It's not news that I've grown fond of her. I've heard the maids speak. They're a bunch of gossips, and my threats only go so far with them. They know not to discuss my personal life, even if they found my lipstick-stained collar.
"Hello, everyone," Tasha announces with exuberance.
Colt's intake of breath is loud in the silence of the room. She leans into my side, her hand covering mine with a tight squeeze. "What the fuck is this?" she hisses under her breath.
No one is paying attention to us or our close proximity, but the fear that they will overwhelms me.
"I'm not sure," I admit, but in truth, I think Midas undermined my father, and it's going to cause a war. One thing Elijah and Midas have in common other than their abusive nature is the fact that they're so power hungry they would sacrifice everything to rule a kingdom neither of them is worthy of.
This must be why Midas kept Lux here all this time—to force the proximity between us all, offering a distraction so he could plot elsewhere.
Lux always seemed occupied with the political side of the Emeralds while I was stuck figuring out how to expand the Estates across the country for my father, we didn't see it coming.
Not that either of us is honest.
It also doesn't help that Bridger is nowhere to be seen, and he's been around father dearest most.
While pondering what they did behind our backs, I missed whatever had been said. Colt tugs on me, forcing me to let go. When I see her numbed-out state of expression, I know once again, she's been used as a puppet.
She stalks toward the front, and I turn to Tennison. His face is red, and anger rolls off of him. That worries me more than Colt's indifference.
"What happened?" I ask, needing to know what the hell I missed.
"Were you not listening?" he bites out, his voice deadly. He's never sounded this mad, not even when we told him to break it off with Colt and not even when we fucked Colt behind everyone's back.
"No, my head wasn't focused."
He shakes his head and laughs sardonically. "Tasha sold Colt like a pimp sells a whore."
The derisiveness in his tone makes me flinch. Out of all of us, Tennison is the calmest, nicest, and softest. He's better than us all because he's willing to listen, to learn, and be someone Colt needs regardless of what toll it takes.
Right now, that person is nowhere to be found.
"Lennox and Colt have been dating for the last year in secret," Tasha