On Guard by Andi Jaxon & J.R. Gray

Author:Andi Jaxon & J.R. Gray [Jaxon, Andi & Gray, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Myth League
Published: 2024-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

Oliver

“Oliver, so good to see you.” Mr. Covington holds out his hand.

I take it in a firm grasp. “How are things?” I despise fake pleasantries.

“Couldn’t be better.” He releases my hand and places his on the girl’s shoulders, standing between him and my father.

“This is Cassandra. My youngest.” Mr. Covington smiles, meeting my father’s eyes. “Say hello, Cassie.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cassie half whispers. She looks no older than eighteen, and I’m irate.

“The pleasure is mine,” I reply, digging for even a spark of nicety to fake to my parents.

My father and Mr. Covington seem giddy, and I can’t help but feel like they think they are giving me some sort of prize in this girl. I hate the way our families do things, but for the most part arranged marriage is still very much alive and well in these social circles. But this seems low even for them.

“I hope you don’t mind showing Cassie around, helping her get to know people.” Mr. Covington winks at me. He actually fucking winks.

I barely swallow a gag. “I don’t mind at all. This is your first gala?”

“It is. It’s lovely. Your parents do such a good job.” She must have been in boarding school or something before this.

“Are you going to university in the city?”

“I don’t . . . yet . . . I graduate in May.”

I cough. “Pardon me?” I meet my father’s eyes. “You’re how old?”

Cassie blushes. “Seventeen.”

These motherfuckers. No wonder Colin is so mad. Not only is this his fucking baby sister, but she’s a child. I glance between my father and Mr. Covington again. The wink makes even more sense. They actually believe they are handing me a prize in this innocent girl.

My father knew about my proclivity for new and not letting people get attached, but why they thought this . . . I don’t want to know, and now I have to find a way to shut it down without giving them the opportunity to shop her off to someone else in the room. Fuck my life and fuck Colin for assuming this bullshit about me.

“Want to take a turn with me?” I ask Cassie, offering my arm. “I’ll show you around the museum if it’s okay with your parents.”

“Excellent,” Mr. Covington proclaims, and I have to get out of here before I punch him in the face.

“Where do you go to school?” I ask as soon as we are out of ear shot of her parents to get an idea of how worldly this fucking seventeen-year-old is.

“I’m homeschooled,” Cassie admits. “I got in with a bad crowd at fourteen, and they pulled me out of school.” Worst-case scenario.

“And now they’re auctioning you off before you turn eighteen and get pregnant?” And making it my fucking problem.

Cassie makes a face. “Oh . . .”

“Oh, is right. Let me guess, Colin isn’t happy you’re here.”

“He did seem pretty upset.” Cassie bites her lip.

Thank fuck I do not have a younger sister. Just a pain in my ass younger brother to manage.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.