I Loved the Wrong Kane Brother

Five days after my mother's birthday party, Eileen Kane sent her longtime butler over with an invitation. She wanted my mother and me to join her for afternoon tea at the Kane estate.Lucy looked at the gold-embossed card, a little worried. "Is Mrs. Kane going to make Leon apologize to you?""She owes my family an explanation." I put the invitation in a drawer. "Whether Leon will apologize is another matter. She may not be able to control him."Eileen was Leon's mother and the second wife of Richard Kane, the current head of the Kane family. She controlled the casinos in the south end of the city and several taverns, and she was a master at making everyone believe she was only protecting the family's good name. She wanted Leon to take over the entire family, but the casinos alone weren't nearly enough. My father's warehouses and railway freight lines were the key to moving the family's underground business into legitimate trade.When I arrived at the estate, Clara was already at Leon's

On my wedding day, my mother fastened the last pearl button on the back of my gown herself.She'd been busy all night, and there were faint shadows under her eyes, but she still managed a smile. "When you were little, you always said your wedding had to have the most beautiful white roses. I had 200 pots brought over from the greenhouse. You'll be able to smell them all along the route."I turned and hugged her, breathing in the familiar scent of face powder on her collar. For the past ten years, I'd been so busy trying to make Leon happy that I'd forgotten what my mother liked, and I'd never stopped to think how much she'd put up with for my sake. And she still believed this wedding would be the start of my happiness."Mom, no matter what happens today, don't plead for me," I said. "I'm grown up now."My mother paused and was about to ask why when the driver called from outside to hurry us. Our cars wound slowly through the old town and finally pulled up in front of the Kane family's

It was already dark when we got home. My mother held my hand the whole way, and only once we were in the living room did she ask, "Ivy, what is going on between you and Ronan? Why would he come back today of all days?"I didn't hide it from her anymore. "I wrote to him. We'd made our plans for today in advance."My mother stared, forgetting even to take off her gloves. "Since when have you two been in touch?""Remember the civil service exam I took for the city finance office last year?" I asked.That year, at a dinner party, Leon had announced in front of everyone that following him around was the only thing I was good for. Clara had even made a point of pulling out a page of botched accounts, saying that a woman like me, who didn't understand numbers, would only be a burden to Leon once I married into the Kane family.In a fit of anger, I'd signed up for the exam. When the written results came out, I ranked first among all the candidates. But the appointment letter never arrived, and

Ronan hadn't brought many men. His driver had simply parked across the street. He came up and knocked twice, then said through the door, "Ivy, there's a document you need to sign in person today. Mr. Whitmore is waiting for us in the study."I opened the door. Leon was still standing on the steps, his eyes red, his face ashen. Ronan walked past him without shouldering him aside. As he went by, he said only, "You've already chosen Clara. Stop pestering Ivy."Ronan handed me a supplementary clause to the letter of intent. It stated that the property I owned before marriage would remain mine to control, and I wouldn't have to give up my work afterward. At the bottom was an old sheet of paper, yellowed with age and written in his own hand."This is..." I looked up at him."I wrote it a year ago," Ronan said frankly. "After I saw you at City Hall, I went to see my father. I wanted to wait until you were ready to leave Leon, and then propose to you properly."Something in my heart stirred. "