(BROKEN HEIR) 1: LIE, LOLETTE

LOLETTE.

These expensive balls always made me feel like I was suffocating.

Today, I had to be here though. For him.

The boy who wasn’t only my best friend, my closest confidant, but the man of my dreams.

The last part was a secret though.

And he was about to step into something even bigger than himself, becoming the next CEO of the largest petroleum company in the world, Emporio Dynasty Petrol.

My eyes locked in on the table in the centre of the large gathering, where you could find the most expensive Armani, the flashiest Rolexes, and the most iridescent diamonds. All because that table seated the richest family in the entire hall.

The Emporios.

The table was full of Emporio men. Adrian’s two younger brothers, Sebastian and Aleksander. Their grandfather and Uncle. As well as their father who was about to make an announcement.

“Thank you, everyone, for showing up to this special day.” He glanced behind him, asking loudly, “Where is that son of mine?” The banter elicited laughter from the audience, just as the crowd behind Alexei parted, and Adrian came into the center with a rising round of applause and claps on his back as he made his way to his family.

My heart soared at the sight of him.

“I’m about to embarrass you, son. Do find it in your heart to forgive me.” The laughter multiplied, and I drowned it all out the moment his eyes met mine.

His blond hair was gelled to perfection, those usual unruly curls tamed for once as he stared back at me with piercing blue eyes.

He winked at me, and my heart doubled in size.

I offered him my middle finger, and a crooked grin tilted his lips before he turned to his father.

“For as long as I can remember, Adrian has wanted nothing more than to step into the world of business my father blessed this family with,” Alexei began. “When he was a child, he often begged me for the role of the janitor just so he could clock into the office every day after school.” More laughter arose, and I could see the flush spread over Adrian’s cheeks even from where I stood. “He’s a keeper, this one. I’ve had him breathing down my neck since he could spell the word ‘oil.’”

I laughed too.

Alexei wasn’t lying, or exaggerating.

Adrian wanted this role more than he wanted to do life.

“And now, fifteen years after I promised he’d sit in my chair one day if he behaved... I’ve never been prouder of you. In twenty-four months, or less, it will all be yours.”

After the noise died down, Adrian spoke with a tightness in his voice, and I knew it stemmed from all the emotions he was trying and failing to keep off his face. “I’m honored, Dad.” Adrian looked behind him, nodding at his grandfather who was still seated. “Dedushka.”

His grandfather held up a champagne glass toward Adrian.

“Now please,” Alexei announced, “Enjoy yourselves! This is a celebration.”

The applause was deafening, as Adrian entertained every single guest, congratulations, and warm reaction that came his way.

Rai Emporio walked up to her husband’s side, not before pulling Adrian in for a hug and peppering a kiss to both his cheeks.

When I saw Mabel’s parents reach the table, my throat tightened and I turned away to distract myself.

After getting myself a drink, I perched by one of the less crowded tables trying to wait it out till Adrian could break off from the attention he was receiving and snatch me away from here per our agreement.

My skin was starting to crawl a little.

“Hey—”

Scratch that, it was full-blown creepies slithering underneath the surface of my skin at the sound of her voice, “—that’s mine!”

I turned around, just as she snatched the pink frill by the waist like she was inspecting it to be sure.

I slapped her hand away then looked around. “Mabel, stop!” When I saw no one was looking, I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and whispered, “I’m sorry, okay? I had nothing else to wear. You know that.”

My dread grew when three of her friends came over, surrounding me.

“Then you should have stayed home,” she slurred slightly.

“You’re gonna go in the back and take off my dress,” she whisper-hissed, “or you can get the fuck out of here.”

Panic flared as I stared up at her. “You know I can’t leave, Mabel,” I countered. “Please. I haven’t even spoken to Adr—”

“Like I give a fuck!” She bit back. “You’re wearing Chanel. My Chanel. How fucking dare you?”

I sighed, knowing I was getting nowhere with her in this state.

She was out for blood, and apparently refused to recall that she hadn’t been up in that attic for the last two years.

Reading her intentions, I took a sharp step back a second too late, and I wasn’t able to avoid the icy, blood-red liquid from splashing against the front of the dress.

“There,” she mused,“now it’s so much more you.”

Heat singed the backs of my eyes.

I wasn’t a crier.

But... God.

Mabel’s laugh was all I could hear, as I turned for the closest bathroom.

Once inside, the mirror made me want to choke the moment I saw the red stain.

Gathering wads of tissue paper, sticking them under the tap before dabbing at my dress did nothing to ease the stain.

I couldn’t walk around like this, or there would be hell to pay from Mabel’s parents back at home.

I had to leave.

My shoulders sagged in defeat.

I opened the door with a heavy heart, but stopped dead in my tracks when I came face-to-face with Adrian.

Adrian, and his scowling face.

His gaze dipped to my chest, and a muscle in his jaw ticked delicately.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing my arm, “Let’s go.”

Once at his house and in his bedroom, he shrugged off his tie and toed off his shoes, and I really wanted to stick around to see him take off his shirt as he reached for the buttons, but I figured getting clean was better than ogling him today.

Once I was clean and clutching a large towel that was practically swallowing me whole as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I bawled like a baby.

I hated crying.

I hated letting the vulnerabilities eat at me. I wanted every single hurtful tidbit of my life to bounce right off my skin and fall deep down in the abyss where bruises went to die.

But I just couldn’t stop the tears from coming.

Searching for any semblance of control, I wiped my tears, put on his t-shirt and clean briefs, then walked out of the bathroom.

Adrian was standing right in front of the door, hands folded across his chest and a scowl on his face.

He’d been listening to me cry.

He was wearing nothing but running shorts hanging low on his hips, and his sheer masculinity and attractiveness was almost enough to curb the yucky emotions that were refusing to go away. Almost.

I hiccuped, “I just––”

He held out his arms, “Come here.”

Like a moth to a flame, I sank into his embrace. He picked me up and walked us over to his sofa, sinking down on it and running a hand down my back and through my hair. “I’ve got you, Lol,” he breathed onto my forehead, “Let it out.”

My shoulders shook as my nails dug into his skin while I cried.

God, this wasn’t how this night was supposed to end.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” His voice was gravelly.

I shook my head.

“That’s okay,” he cooed, rocking me, “I’m still here.”

A moment passed before I whispered, “You’re good at this.”

He laughed humorlessly, “No, I’m not.”

I sniffled.

“I just care about you too much to see you hurting like this.”

He cared too much.

But not enough.

I pulled away slightly, my fingers playing with the stray blonde curls at the nape of his neck, “Bet you didn’t expect your call-up day ending with you practically doting after your little sister.”

Saying it hurt, but I needed to say it.

I needed to be reminded of my place.

“Little sister?” His words carried an edge now, low and dangerous.

My gaze dropped to his chest, anywhere but his eyes. “Not really, of course, but... we’re like siblings, aren’t we?”

Almost reluctantly, I looked up to see his reaction.

It wasn’t what I was expecting.

His jaw worked, blue eyes narrowing as he studied my face. “So we’re like siblings?” he asked, his voice suddenly a little tense, “That’s how you see me? Like an older brother?”

My gaze danced between his.

“Isn’t that how you see me?” I whispered the question, “Like a little sister?”

He raked his tongue over his teeth, saying nothing. Then his gaze dropped down to his lap. Slowly, his hands pulled away from me.

“Adrian?”

“You see the position we’re in, yeah?”

I looked down.

His gravelly voice cut in, eyes narrowing, “What on earth makes you think I see you as a sister?”

I pulled away again, my hands leaving his neck. But he reached for them, gripping my wrists and stopping me. “Answer the question, Lolette.”

Oh.

Lolette.

He only ever called me that when he meant business.

My heart was getting hopeful, and this conversation needed to end fast.

“I just... you never...” I took in a deep breath, “It’s a little obvious, Adrian.”

“Do you see me as a brother?” he asked, eyes drinking in every angle of my face.

Lie.

Lie.

Lie, Lolette.

Shit.

I shook my head slowly.

A dark breath escaped him.

“I may be a bastard for feeling this way given the situation,” he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled my body flush against his. My hips dragged closer, and that’s when I felt it. Felt him. Through his shorts. “But that,” he punctuated his sentence by lifting his hips, “is what you do to me sometimes. So to answer your stupid question––no, Lolette. I don’t see you as a fucking sister.”

I gasped out a breath, sinking my hands into his shoulders as his erection pressed against me.

We held eye contact, his eyes studying my face. Mine doing the exact same.

“Say something.” His voice was low. “How does knowing that make you feel?”

Out of fear my elation would put him off, I said nothing.

But there was a thrum underneath my skin, a drowsy feeling that made me feel like this might be a dream.

“Talk to me, Lol,” he leaned forward, and his lips brushed my neck, “Is this one-sided? Is it just me?”

Jesus.

I always thought––no, knew––it would be me to one day ask him that question.

“I always thought it was one-sided,” I breathed, “for me.”

He hissed against my skin, before pulling back and looking into my eyes. “I’m going to do something to you, Lol, and you’re not going to stop me.” His attention dropped to my lips. “You understand?”

Slowly, breathlessly, I nodded.

He leaned forward, drawing closer as we breathed the same air.

And then he pressed his mouth to mine.

Adrian Emporio was kissing me.

There was no way it wasn’t a dream.