I left the house to my car, my brothers had gone before me probably to clear off their heads too, we all had our hands tied, grandpa was the head of Hartwell corporations, and while my brothers somehow ran the company and other branches too my grandfather was the head and his word was basically the law.
When I got into my car I didn't start the car right away.
I sat there with my hands on the steering wheel, staring at the iron gates of my grandfather's house as they slid shut behind me. The engine was still off. The air inside the car felt thick, like it always did after being in that house too long.
Either Ivy. Or me
The words kept looping in my head, no matter how hard I tried to focus on the road instead. My grandfather hadn't raised his voice when he said it. He hadn't even hesitated. That was what scared me most.
This wasn't a threat. It was a plan in motion.
I turned the key and pulled onto the road, my body going through the motions while my mind ran ahead, trying to calculate how much time I had left. Three days, he'd said. Three days before Zane Whitmore walked into that house and looked at Ivy like she was part of a deal he'd already agreed to.
I couldn't let that happen.
But wanting something wasn't the same as knowing how to do it.
How do you reach a man like Zane Whitmore before he reaches you?
I barely made it two blocks before my phone rang.
I glanced at the screen.
Ivy.
My chest tightened instantly.
I answered on the second ring. "Hey cupcakes."
"Oh my God," she said, and the words rushed out of her like she'd been holding them in. "Elaine, I'm losing my freaking mind."
I pressed the speaker button and eased off the accelerator. "What happened?"
"What do you think happened?" She let out a frustrated breath. "Grandpa called me this morning and said I have another date tonight. Again. Another one. That's three this month."
My grip on the wheel tightened.
"A date?" I asked carefully.
"Yes," she snapped. "Another perfectly acceptable, perfectly boring man who wants to talk about family values and long-term expectations of a stay at home wife and mom. I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm being interviewed for a job I don't even want."
I closed my eyes briefly, using my free hand to rub at my forehead.
So this was how he was going to do it. Ease her into the idea. Normalize it. Let her get used to being evaluated.
"I told him I was busy," Ivy continued. "He didn't care. He never cares. Elaine, I can't do this anymore."
"I know, cupcakes " I said softly. "Just breathe for a second."
There was a pause on the other end, her breathing uneven. I could picture her perfectly. Hair half pulled back, phone clutched in one hand, pacing her room like a trapped animal.
"I'm at home," she said. "Can you come over? Please?"
"Yeah," I replied immediately. "I'm already on the road."
"Thank you," she said, the relief in her voice making my chest ache. "I just… I need you."
"I know," I said again. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
I ended the call and slowed at the next intersection, my turn signal clicking as I changed direction. I'd been heading back to my apartment. Instead, I turned toward Lucas's place.
Toward home, in every way that mattered.
Lucas's house sat behind a gated entrance, understated from the outside but solid. Secure. The kind of place built to protect what was inside. He'd bought it years ago, not long after Ivy's parents died. Twelve yeats ago