Drawn to You: Volume 1: The Prequel (Millionaire's Row Book 5) by Vanessa Booke

Author:Vanessa Booke [Booke, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

TEN

TRISTAN

Tonight, I did the one thing I thought I would never do—I broke. In the four years that have gone by, not once have I cried over the shit storm my life brought. There were plenty of times where I felt myself being tested. When I wasn’t looking for work, I was trying not to starve. Or I was trying not to drown in the surmounting amount of debt we had incurred over the years of taking my mother to the ER when she took to the bottle too hard.

These thoughts continually plague my mind as we gather for dinner in the dining hall. Somehow, I’ve found myself in yet another clusterfuck, except this time I’m not sure how I’m going to walk away in one piece. As I enter the room, Stefan leads me over to a chair fixed between Nicholas and Emily. Despite my growing desire to leave, I smother my fears and sit down. Surprisingly, Alexander is absent from the table leaving the five of us to dine alone.

“Tristan, are you okay?” Emily asks, placing her hand on my forearm.

I’m tempted to tell her the truth—that part of me isn’t sure if I’ll ever be okay. My life feels like it’s constantly spiraling out of control and the only time it isn’t is when I’m at the Pleasure Chest. My time there is a peaceful escape from reality. It’s the only time I ever feel in control of what’s going on around me.

As the excitement of dinner dies down, I find myself yet again thinking about the possibility of living here with Emily and Nicholas. My thoughts are quickly disrupted by the sound of Evelyn entering the room in red high heels. I smirk at the sight of the apron draped across her Vera Wang dress. It’s an amusing sight given the fact that I doubt she’s much of a cook other than baking. She places a tray of chocolate chip cookies on the table before taking a seat directly across from me. Her gaze flickers over me before quickly returning to her husband.

“These look great, Mom.”

She swats Nicholas’s hand away from the hot tray as he tries to snatch one.

“Eat your dinner first.”

“This is my dinner,” he says as he pops a fresh cookie into his mouth.

You’re going to burn yourself,” Emily laughs.

I watch them, taking in their words and easy smiles. They’re the kind of smiles on someone who has never known what it feels like to not know where your next meal is coming from. The contrast between them and me doesn’t go unnoticed. A small part of me begins to wonder if I could actually fit back into their lives and become part of the family that I’ve desperately wanted over the years. It’s ironic that although I’m an adult now, I’ve never felt more like a child.

Stefan clears his throat drawing everyone’s attention back to the head of the oval table.

“I have something to announce,” he says.

“Sweetheart, can’t this wait until after dessert?” Evelyn asks, eyeing me with a curious but irritated gaze.

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