2 - COLLISION

I cut the engine. The sudden silence was almost as loud as the exhaust had been.

I sat behind the wheel for a few seconds and stared up at the massive stone house. It looked more like a museum than a place where people actually lived. Valets were scrambling near the front steps. They pointed at my car, but none of them had the guts to actually walk over and approach me.

My mother had sold us out for this place. Helene always knew how to find the richest man in the room and make herself indispensable to him. I didn't blame her for doing what she had to do to survive, but I hated the rigid, suffocating world she kept dragging me into.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the car door open. The night air was cool, but I could hear the faint sound of a string quartet drifting out from the open windows of the ballroom.

A young valet in a red vest hurried down the steps and stopped a few feet away from my bumper.

"Sir, you can't park here," the kid said. He sounded nervous. "This is the main drop-off lane."

I tossed my keys in my hand and caught them. "Then drop me off."

"I need to move the vehicle to the back lot."

"The car stays here," I told him.

I slipped the keys into my pocket and walked past him. I didn't bother wearing a tuxedo for this circus. I had on a dark suit, but I left the collar unbuttoned and tossed the tie in the passenger seat during the drive over.

I walked up the marble steps and took my time doing it. I could see the shadows of the wealthy wedding guests moving around through the frosted glass of the front doors. They were probably inside drinking expensive champagne and talking about stock portfolios.

Just as my boot hit the top step, the heavy doors were thrown open from the inside.

He stood right in the center of the doorway. Levi Cross.

He looked exactly like the corporate profile pictures I had seen online, only much colder in person. His suit was flawless. There wasn't a single wrinkle on the fabric, and not a single hair was out of place on his head. He looked like a weapon dressed up in a tuxedo.

I didn't slow down. I expected him to step aside to let a guest into his father's wedding.

He didn't move.

I kept walking until I was close enough to step on his expensive shoes. He still didn't flinch or lean back. We ended up standing chest to chest on the threshold.

"You're blocking the valet lane," he said. His voice was quiet and incredibly flat.

"I know," I replied.

"Move it to the service entrance around back."

I let out a short laugh. "Are you the head valet? Because you dress a little too well for parking cars."

"I'm the man telling you to move your trash off my driveway."

"Make me."

Levi didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. "You think you can show up late, rev your engine, and act like you own the place? You are a guest here."

"Actually, my mother just married the owner. That makes this my house too."

"This will never be your house."

"It sure as hell isn't yours yet, Levi."

His eyes narrowed just a fraction of an inch. "Do you have an invitation?"

"My mother is the bride."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"I don't need a piece of printed paper to walk into my own family's party."

"You are not family," Levi said smoothly. "You are a plus-one."

I stepped even closer, crowding his personal space. He had to tilt his head up just slightly to maintain eye contact with me, but he refused to take a step backward into the foyer.

"Does that suit cut off the circulation to your brain?" I asked. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"I am perfectly fine."

"You look stiff. You should loosen the tie before you choke on it."

"If you don't step back, I will have security throw you out into the street."

"Call them," I challenged him. "Let's see how much of a scene we can make while your father’s elite investors watch through the glass."

Levi’s jaw locked. He knew I had him cornered. He cared way too much about the optics of this wedding to let a fistfight break out on the front steps.

"You are pathetic," Levi murmured. "You throw a tantrum with a loud car just to get attention."

"And you stand in doorways trying to act tough because you know you can't actually fight me."

"I don't need to fight you. I can ruin you with a phone call."

"Then make the call," I told him. "Stop talking and do it."

"Move the car, Dante."

"No."

"I will call the police and have it towed."

"Do it," I said, leaning in so my voice was right next to his ear. "Let the press take pictures of the cops towing the groom's stepson's car on his wedding night. It will look great in the financial papers tomorrow morning."

Levi turned his head, putting our faces inches apart. "You think you are so smart."

"I know I am."

"You are just a parasite trying to latch onto the Cross name."

"I don't want your name," I said. "I want to watch you lose it."

"There won't be any need for security."

Harlan Cross walked up behind Levi. He stopped a few feet away and smiled at me. It wasn't a warm smile. It was the calculated look a man gives a new piece of expensive property he just purchased.

"Dante," Harlan said. "I am glad you finally made it."

"Traffic was bad," I lied.

Levi didn't turn around to look at his father. He kept his eyes locked firmly on me. "He was just leaving to park his car in the back."

"Leave the car," Harlan said dismissively. "The valets will deal with it."

Levi’s shoulders went rigid. "It is blocking the main drive."

"It is fine, Levi," Harlan said.

Harlan stepped up beside his son and clapped a heavy hand on Levi’s shoulder. Levi looked like he wanted to shrug the touch off, but he forced himself to stay perfectly still. He played the part of the obedient son perfectly.

"Have you two introduced yourselves?" Harlan asked.

"We were just getting acquainted," I said.

"Good. You will need to get used to each other very quickly." Harlan looked between the two of us. "Dante is joining the company tomorrow morning."

Levi finally turned his head to look at his father. "You didn't mention that."

"I am mentioning it now," Harlan said easily.

"In what department?" Levi asked.

Harlan turned his attention back to me, ignoring Levi's tone. "Dante will be taking over as the new Vice President of Operations."

Dead silence fell over the doorway.

I watched Levi process the information. He didn't yell or throw his hands up. He didn't argue with his father in front of me. He just stood there and absorbed the massive blow to his carefully structured world.

"Operations," Levi repeated quietly.

"Yes," Harlan said. "He will be working closely with you and the strategy division. I expect you to show him the ropes and make sure he gets settled."

"I see," Levi said.

"He has a lot of potential," Harlan added. "We just need to channel that aggressive energy into something useful for the bottom line."

Harlan patted Levi's shoulder one more time and walked past us. He headed out onto the front steps to wave at someone pulling up in a limousine.

I looked back at Levi. He was staring at me, and this time, the polite corporate mask was finally starting to crack. The muscles in his jaw were ticking rapidly.

A sudden, sharp scent hit the air between us. It smelled like rain and cedar, but it was heavy and thick with absolute, unfiltered hostility. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, triggering a weird rush of adrenaline in my chest.

I didn't step back. I held his furious stare and let a slow, mocking smile spread across my face.