Chapter 8 - The Price of Vanity
I looked down at Lauren kneeling on the sidewalk.
For twelve years, this girl had walked past my room without acknowledging my existence. When our father fell ill, she refused to visit him because the hospice smelled like antiseptic and depressed her. When she sold my mother’s jewelry, she told me to my face that losers don't get keepsakes.
And now, she was begging on the wet pavement, not because she was sorry for how she treated me, but because the fantasy world she had built on lies was collapsing around her ears.
"Get up, Lauren," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet night like ice.
"Lucas... please..." she sobbed, looking up with red, swollen eyes.
"Get up. You’re staining your twenty-thousand-dollar dress."
Julian reached down, grabbing her arm with obvious revulsion, hauling her to her feet like an unwanted burden. The fairy tale was already dead. The romance had evaporated the second Richard Thorne realized the bride’s family had no money.
"Lucas, what do you want?" Julian pleaded, his voice breaking. "Name it. What will it take to stop the foreclosure on our downtown towers? You want the venue fee? I’ll write a check right now. You want an executive seat on our board? It’s yours."
"I don't need your board seat, Julian," I said, meeting his panicked gaze. "Summit Bridge already bought forty percent of your debt from the secondary market on Tuesday. By next month, we won't need an invitation to your boardroom. We will own the chairs."
Julian stumbled back as if he had been struck across the face. "You... you planned this. Before the wedding."
"I didn't plan for Lauren to throw me out," I said quietly. "I actually came tonight to give you the deed to The Monarch as a wedding gift. It was supposed to clear your father’s lease liabilities and give you both a clean start."
Lauren gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "What...?"
"The envelope," I whispered, holding her horrified gaze. "The deed was inside. It was a transfer of title, fully executed, free and clear of all liens. All you had to do was let me walk in, eat a slice of cake, and wish you well."
May you like
The realization hit her like a physical blow. She didn't just insult her brother; she had thrown away the single most valuable asset her new family would ever possess, simply because she couldn't bear to let an unglamorous guest be seen in her wedding photos.
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