“Did you hit me?” Cassidy rounded on her sister, her eyes wide. 

Nina didn’t like the way Cassidy was looking at her. She’d seen that look in her sister’s eyes before. Usually, when she was planning on retaliating against someone she thought had wronged her. She’d been witness to her sister’s petty actions and knew they didn’t need solid justification. 

“This isn’t the time or place.” She whispered. Her eyes darted to the other occupants of the room. Even if they didn’t have the same social standing as the Granger family, they were Liam’s friends. How could her sister carelessly behave like a shrew in front of someone she wanted to marry? If he had even an incline of goodwill towards Cassidy that she could exploit, it would be gone now. 

“What could be more important than this? My marriage is the highest priority, and I demand it be perfect. You wouldn't understand because your finance has always been that creature.” 

Zach raised an eyebrow at the red nail that was pointing at him for the second time today. This time, something even more startling was coming out of her mouth. 

Nina wanted to slap her sister again. Better yet, she wanted to tap Cassidy’s mouth shut. How could she say that? This was another thing they were going to have to report to the head of the family. 

Her attitude towards him was bad previously because she felt resentful of the fact that they were paired together. Zach had no money, no standing, and no career prospects. The last update she got said he’d dropped out of school and disappeared. She was surprised to learn he was in Lor City clinging on to Tynan Blackburn. He was willing to sell himself to a man. How could someone that inferior become her husband? Nina was disgusted, but not worried. Tynan was famous for changing partners frequently, and since Zach could be bought, she only had to dangle the wealth and prestige of the Castor family for him to agree to marry her.  

She was smarter and prettier than her sister, but her fate had been sealed from the moment she was born. Someone would need to approach the mistake of Lance Castor and contain him so that he wasn’t a problem for the Castor family. 

The Mallory family had abandoned their daughter to ensure their survival, but they were always looking for a chance to retaliate and regain their footing in V Country. If Lisa Mallory’s son was outstanding and the Castor family couldn’t control him, he would be a big threat.

Nina grabbed her sister's arm, squeezing it. Contrary to what she wanted, her sister didn't sober up.  

“Will you stop that? Our families are already in talks about the engagement, and I don’t want my fiance to be seen galivanting around with a man. You can endure through that.” Cassidy brushed the hand that was restraining her off.

Zach didn’t know why they kept pulling him into this. He was minding his own business. Ron and Liam finally managed to figure out how to get their tongues back into their own mouths.

“You're still here?” Ron couldn’t understand this woman. She nagged and hit at them as though she were entitled to something.

Nina spun her sister around and slapped her harder. “This isn’t V Country.” Her sister had gotten too used to swaggering around with the name of the Castor family behind her. She seemed to have forgotten that her last name was Paige. The Castor family also wasn’t forgiving enough to accommodate a woman who’d lost her value. Isn’t that why they forced their son to divorce his wife and abandon his child? 

“You better stop hitting me. Even if you're my sister, I won't let it go.” 

Nina scoffed at the threat. She wasn’t valued by the family because she was to be married to Zach. Cassidy, on the other hand, was always slated to marry someone influential. Cassidy had lost her value. Nina was curious to see if her sister would still be arrogant when she saw the true face of the family. “You are going to explain this to dad.”

It took a single glance around the room to notice that the eyes watching them seemed amused more than anything else. Nina gritted her teeth as she realized she was reduced to a joke. 

Her eyes were drawn to Zach. He didn’t appear out of place in Theo Graham’s study. The men didn’t treat him like Tynan’s new toy. They respected his opinion, and on occasion deferred to him. Nina realized she’d made a snap judgment using only the biased information she received from Liam. She’d heard negative things about him all her life but did those people know him well enough to give accurate information.

They wouldn’t even be able to speak in his presence. The Castor family’s intelligence was wrong or lacking. Zach Mallory was already a threat, and they learned about it too late.

“Let’s go.” She tugged at Cassidy. Why couldn’t her sister feel the cold gazes sizing them up? Why couldn’t she see the laughter and scorn in their eyes? Nina wanted to get out of there before Tynan Blackburn showed up.

If Zach wasn’t a toy and they were in a serious relationship? She shuddered, her mind refusing to process the implications. The Blackburn family was in a league on its own. The Castor family didn’t have the history or resources to match it. 

The family had been in decline, and there were constant disputes about inheritance, but that all ended when Tynan took over. And it was a hostile takeover. He shoe-horned his father out of his position of CEO and chairman of the board. The only person in the family still trying to fight for control was Julius Blackburn, and he hadn’t made any headway. He was being restrained by his nephew.

Nina didn’t want Tynan targeting her. Cassidy and her big mouth might have gotten them both in trouble. She didn’t doubt that the Castor family would abandon the Paige family if the Blackburn's requested it. 

Cassidy shook Nina off. She couldn’t understand why her sister was behaving like this. She wasn’t demonstrating the pride that a descendant of the Castor family should have. The stench of fear and mediocrity coming off of her was unpleasant. However, considering who she would have to marry, it was hard to expect more of her. 

Yes, that was the woman he remembered. Zach could see the cunning light flash through Nina’s eyes as she puzzled through the situation. His wife was an excellent partner who’d aided him in his business and managed their social life to perfection. 

He’d thought she hadn’t developed those skills when he met her. She was only seventeen, but it was likely that she’d already formed a judgment of him and didn’t think he was worth the effort to be cordial to. 

If he was a toy Tynan was keeping, then Theo and Liam’s attitude would also be one of contempt, and she wouldn’t have been seen as being in the wrong for her behavior. She wasn’t as sharp as she was in the past, but that could be due to inexperience. 

Zach would have been fond of her if he’d learned of her poisonous personality in the past. It matched the ‘him’ right now perfectly. If she hadn’t watched his death and probably contributed to it, then chances are he would have chosen her again. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you come by yourself.” Tynan didn’t like the sparkly look in Zach’s eyes. His lover's head lolled to the side, and their eyes met as Zach looked over his shoulder. A light smile played on the young man’s lips. He looked more devilish than usual. 

“Is the company alright?” Zach no longer paid attention to the comedic duo. “You spend more time running to my side than doing work in the office.” Tyna stalked towards him. Zach accommodated his lover as he was pulled into a rough hug. 

“How should I punish you?” Tynan felt his teeth itch. Zach's gaze as he looked at his ex-wife…, whatever the fuck she was, made Tynan want to wring her neck. Zach’s gaze didn’t contain love or hate. It was an amused curiosity.  

Zach didn’t know how to comfort his vinegar jar. He was curious about her, but that didn’t mean he’d forgiven her or wasn’t going to deal with her. “I didn’t know they’d be here.”

Tynan took in Cassidy, who railed at Ron and Liam. Her cheeks were as red as the nail polish on her fingers. Nina tried to drag her sister out of the room. She kept glancing at the occupants of the room, getting more anxious as time went on. She was smart. If she was his friend, that was a good thing. As an enemy, he had to clip her wings before she became a threat.

“Turns out she was always supposed to marry me.” Zach was successful, but he never achieved as much as he thought he could. Opportunities would fall through, or the timing would be bad. It seemed like a coincidence, but when you added in a shadowy family following your every move, it took on a different look. His mother probably didn’t want him to waste his life battling the Castor family, or she genuinely thought they wouldn’t target him.

“Are you pacifying me or making me angrier?” Tynan was conflicted. He hated that Zach experienced death and suffering, but he was also aware that if Zach didn’t have those experiences, they wouldn’t have met.

Zach rolled his eyes. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what Tynan was thinking, but there was nothing he could do. Time was the best way to assuage both of their insecurities.  

“It doesn’t matter who or what she was supposed to be. You won’t be with anyone but me.” It was time the world started to realize what Zach's position in his life was going to be.

“Do you think the Castor family will try to bring me back into the family?” He felt a shiver down his spine. No, they wouldn’t be that shameless.

Tynan’s gut clenched. They would do it. For the Zach, who was his partner, they wouldn't care too much, but Zach the computer and investment genius. They would want that man as part of the family. 

Zach balled the thought up and threw it out of his mind. “Are you heading back to work?” He was done here. Theo could clean up the mess. 

“The next pow wow we are having at your house.” Theo noticed that they planned to leave the mess for him to clean up. Cassidy decided to calm down at last. She didn’t seem fazed about her uncivilized display or lack of manners.

If there was one good thing to come out of the day, Ron and Liam were at least talking to each other. Theo knew that Cain was worried about his brother. Even though there was a bit of estrangement in the family. They didn’t understand what Cain wanted to do for a living, and they were shocked when he rebelled against the path that the family laid out for him. 

“Not a chance.” Tynan didn’t want people intruding on his and Zach's life. It was already an unwelcome surprise when Rain showed up on the first day Zach was in Lor City.

“Let’s see if you turn me away at the door when I show up,” Theo said the words to Tynan’s back as he beat a hasty retreat with Zach under his arm.

“Don’t you dare.” Tynan knew he was wasting his breath. He wanted to bash the cheeky smile off Theo’s face.  

Zach made a mental note to inform Mrs. Brown that they might be getting some uninvited guests at the house in the future. 

They should meet at the Golden Pixie like they used to. Why were they intruding on his honeymoon phase? Thankfully, they will be going to Jell City soon.