Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“I don’t need to tell you that we need to reestablish your position in our society. There’s no secret that there have been issues between you and the Morellis. And by now, everyone knows the Morellis came out the victor. So you can tell us you are licking your wounds, but no way in hell can that be the appearance beyond these walls,” Cora lectures.
I respectfully nod because I do value what the woman says. She raised me during my darkest times and taught me how to become the phoenix rising from the ashes. And who better to teach how to become a ruthless, cold-hearted mastermind than the ice queen herself. The only thing that has ever softened her heart is me. For me, Cora Pillar lowered the drawbridge to her fortress and schooled me on how to become a king.
“If you want this birthday theme, fine,” she says, sipping from her martini glass. “But make your intentions very clear by your actions. You are moving on from anything to do with the Morellis and that girl. That girl is nothing but a distant memory in the past. A passing fancy. A fun little game you played. Show that she, and this entire situation has never been anything but a wicked way to get your dick slicked.”
“Cora…” I swallow back the warning in my voice. I don’t like a single word she’s saying, but I’m trying to keep my high esteem for this woman in the forefront of my mind rather than my annoyance.
“It’s true,” she adds, not backing down. “You fucked up with that girl. What’s her name? Lilly rope? Lee ropey? Fucking ridiculous.” She flicks her long, manicured fingers in the air. “She made things messy. She made you messy. A goddamn disaster.” Her eyes narrow in on me. “You may not like to hear this, but she lowered you down to average. She made you mediocre. She weakened you and made you the fool in Italy. You lost an auction that was beneath you. You shouldn’t have even been part of the negotiations because you don’t get in the mud with pigs. But not only did you dive into the pen, you came out covered in shit.”
My teeth clench and I struggle to not make a remark that I’ll regret once my rage settles. When Cora lectures, she truly gives it. She doesn’t hold back and never has. She says it like it is and doesn’t care how sharp her words are or how deep they cut.
“What about the guest list?” Martha cuts in, clearly reading the room and sensing that she needs to change the direction.
“The usual,” I answer, taking a deep breath to soothe my nerves. “And don’t leave the Morellis off it. I want an open invite to every single one of them.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Harrison asks.
“I’d be surprised if any of them have the balls to enter my domain.”
Cora nods with a devilish smile. “Smart. Very smart. It’s a manipulation that gives you the upper hand. You’re right in believing that none of them will come. Not this close to Italy. But it’s a way of taunting them and”—she takes another sip of her martini with her smile growing—“and I fucking love it.”
My reasoning for inviting all Morellis wasn’t to please Cora, wasn’t to taunt the Morellis, but because I want to show Bryant that I’m not going to cower in the shadows. Yes, Cora is right that he came out the victor and the taste of losing is sour with an edge of rancid disgust. But the biggest reason of all, and a reason I’m surprised that Cora or Harrison aren’t calling me out on, is that maybe Lyriope will attend. It’s a long shot, but maybe…
I turn my attention to Martha. “I want them to have to work for it, to find the location. An epic scavenger hunt.”
“Cookies? With the directions?” she asks.
I nod, quick to agree with our go-to scavenger hunt idea, but then pause as an idea comes to me. “No. I want a true hunt. Mushrooms hidden in Central Park. Golden mushrooms. Make our guests go foraging.”
Harrison shakes his head with a smirk. “I’m not sure where you come up with these things.”
“I’ve always told him that he has the mind of a genius. A creative madman,” Cora says as she stands from her seat with an empty glass in her hand. She pauses and locks eyes with me, visibly her thoughts still focused on Lyriope and not Wonderland planning. “Promise me that you will let this issue with that girl die. Don’t see her again. Can you promise me that?”
My eyes dart to Harrison whose face says it all. He wants Cora’s request to be followed as well but isn’t stupid enough to believe I will.