Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I’m slightly intimidated taking the thick folder from him, feeling the weight of my new duties. I didn’t finish college and don’t have the same business savvy that Ethan does. I’m a horse trainer, although I think I’m fairly intelligent.
Ethan must sense my uncertainty. “You don’t have to make any decisions, Kat. Just be my mouthpiece.”
I nod, taking the folder and putting on a bright smile. “I’ve got it handled. Like I said… if I can make Gabe’s life hell while doing this, that’s just a bonus.” I stand from the chair. “Now, I’m going to grab a shower before dinner.”
“Sounds good,” he says, his attention dropping back to his stack of papers.
I head out of his office but stop in the doorway, turning back to my brother. “Are you going to let Sylvie see Gabe at all?”
Ethan’s countenance is troubled as he lifts his head. “Not right now. Even though Gabe is the one who turned in his dad, what if he had something to do with the plot? I mean… what if he was in on it and turned in his dad just so he could take control of the Mardraggon empire?”
Something to consider. The winery aside, the Mardraggons are known for their Kentucky bourbon. Even as successful as the Blackburns are, we don’t have the type of wealth the Mardraggons have, and they made it all on the amber liquid aged in oak barrels in the heart of Kentucky.
As much as I despise Gabe Mardraggon, I can’t see him being involved in a plot to kill Sylvie. I truly believe he loves his niece, but I can’t lose sight of the fact that he comes from a long line of cheating, lying and stealing assholes. The past clings to the present like a stubborn stain, the whispers of the original feud between our families coloring our lives in shades of bitterness and hate.
It’s not only the very distant past that has me despising Gabe but more current events that have given me a firsthand view of just how despicable the man is.
Ethan’s phone rings, pulling his attention. I give him a wave as I leave his office, my mind racing. I’ve had little interaction with Gabe since… well, since my freshman year of college. The few times we’ve run into each other have been an exchange of acerbic words and hate-filled stares. I’ll never admit it aloud—the thought of dealing with him churns a tumultuous mix of dread and… something else—but I remind myself I’m not the starry-eyed girl I was when I went off to college.
And Gabe Mardraggon is nothing more than a spoiled, wealthy heir trying to control things because power makes him feel good. He’s pathetic, really, and with that thought, I’m emboldened.
Working with Gabe will be a challenge, but I’m a Blackburn. Challenges are what we thrive on.
In the back of my mind, a voice whispers that this is more than just a business arrangement. It’s a dance on a tightrope strung between past and present, hatred and something dangerously close to fascination.
CHAPTER 2
Gabe
The stark modernity of my parents’ contemporary mansion echoes the chill of their affection—or lack thereof. I didn’t live here by choice or necessity but rather by lack of caring to live anywhere else. The twenty-two-thousand-square-foot abode ensured I could have complete sanctuary from their icy influence but all that space feels suffocating now.
I can’t really bemoan the gilded cage I grew up in or the fact that my parents were emotionally absent from my and Alaine’s lives. My father, Lionel, was always at the helm of our bourbon empire and my mother, Rosemund, was always at the country club drowning her woes in dirty martinis. But that was the only life I knew and it never felt lacking to me in all the years I’ve been alive. Many people consider me as cold as my parents and they wouldn’t be wrong.
Even now, I don’t think I’ve missed out on anything, but it feels wrong staying here. The halls are tainted with Lionel’s treachery and I’m drowning in guilt by association because of what he did to Sylvie. I might be a hard-hearted bastard but if there is one person on this earth who owns whatever softness hides within me, it’s my niece.
How can I stay in this place when it shelters such betrayal? Such downright evil?
Rosemund’s voice cuts through the air, sharp and unyielding as I head toward the front door, a designer leather duffel bag in hand. I’ll send someone else for the rest of my bags but for now, it’s enough to make my escape. “Gabe, you cannot be serious. Leaving now is madness—abandoning your father when he needs us most.”
I set my bag down, adjust the cuff of my custom Italian suit and face my mother. “You mean sticking by the man who tried to kill his own granddaughter for profit? That’s where you set the line of family loyalty?”