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“My man.” We share a handshake before I walk into my room.
***
It was ten a.m. in Lyon, France, when I walked into the dining room, meeting my parents for the first time since my arrival about an hour ago. The dining room is enormous, and as I walk across the large expanse towards the table, I see a smile on my father’s face. He has always been more lenient than my mother, but I resent him because he’s never been able to call her out on her extremities. Several times, I’ve wanted to put her in her place, but my father always stopped me.
“Alec.” My father draws me into a warm hug. “My son.” He ruffles my hair affectionately. “It’s so good to see you.”
“And you too, Father.” I’m reminded that despite my resentment and annoyance, I still love my parents.
I turn to my mother, who is sitting stoically, her beady eyes on me. She’s dressed regally as always in a tweed skirt suit and a colorful fascinator. “Hello, Mother.”
“You are one minute late,” she says. “An Ace is never late.”
“You should be glad I’m here,” I tell her. “I almost didn’t come.”
“Alec!” My father scolds me when my mother flinches at my retort. How’s this my fault? She’s the one whining about being one minute late.
“I’ll pretend you never said that” she says with an air of importance. “You haven’t been sleeping. Your eyes are swollen.”
“It’s work,” I answer distractedly.
“Work,” she spits. “Isn’t Damien supposed to do all the work?”
“Not that type of work, Mother.”
“Then what type?” She insists with a deep frown. “Do you have a job in New York? You know you can’t do that. Your father is retiring soon, and you’re taking over this business. …”
“Mother, please,” I return calmly. “Can we eat? I’m starving.”
The table is full of assorted drinks and dishes; I can’t wait to have some. I haven’t eaten in about twelve hours.
“Not yet,” she says stiffly. “We’re expecting guests.”
“Guests?” I glance at my father. “Who are they?”
As if on cue, the doors to the dining room swing open, and three people walk in. I instantly recognize them, and my blood boils. The long-legged beauty in front is Eve Sicily, and the two older adults a few steps behind are her parents, Lugard and Dorcas Sicily, owners of Sicilian Corps, another billion-dollar enterprise headquartered in France.
I dislike Eve immensely, not because she’s spoiled, which she is, but because she’s the embodiment of the life that I do not want. Since I was ten years old, my family has drummed it into me that I was going to marry her someday. The marriage would birth the alliance of two powerful conglomerates, resulting in a business force unlike the world has ever seen before. I have always been weary of that notion, but now I hate it. I don’t want Eve—I want Jasmine.
“Oh, Alec,” Eve cries, throwing her arms around me. Her sweet scent floats into my nose, giving me a headache. I politely stand to embrace her. “It’s good to see you, Eve.”
To my shock, she presses her lips to mine for a moment. “It’s always a pleasure, Alec.” She turns to my mother. “Oh, Lillian, you’re so good at surprises.” While the two women greet each other, I do the same with her parents. A few minutes later, we were all seated.
Eve is beside me, and she won’t stop touching me. I’m still annoyed that she kissed my lips, but I struggle to remain polite and get through breakfast. All I can think about is Jasmine. Is this considered cheating? I know I’ll go crazy if some other guy kisses her on the lips. My blood boils just thinking about it.
“—Alec?”
I blink to see the entire table staring at me, my mother’s judgmental stare the harshest. “Eve was speaking to you,” she says.
“Are you okay?” Eve touches my arm. “You seem distracted.”
“I’m fine.” I coyly shrug her arm off. “Can we start breakfast?” I meet my mother’s gaze. “I’m starving.”
Thankfully, my mother calls in the servers, and another few minutes later, I have food in front of me. This is the most challenging breakfast I’ve ever had with my family, and it would have been better if Eve wasn’t around. Usually, I pretended to tolerate her. But today? It was almost impossible, and I struggled to even smile at her.
Thoughts of Jasmine drive me crazy, and it takes everything in me not to storm out of the dining room and take the jet back to New York. After breakfast, I have a business meeting with my father. It will be a long few weeks, and I hope I get through it.
Chapter seven
