My gaze volleys between them. Dad’s nostrils flare as my doctor crosses her arms.
What do we have here?
“Back to your designated corners,” I joke, grinning at the sparks between them before continuing, “It’s fine. He can stay.”
“Very well,” Dr. Jaffri concedes, breaking their stare off to grab a blood pressure cuff. She wraps my arm, starting the machine.
I hate these stupid things. They always hurt.
At the sound of the beep, Dr. Jaffri tsks. “Lower than before but still too high.”
My eyes widen at the number. One-forty-five over ninety-five. Maybe I do need to relax more.
Sighing, I massage my temples. There’s so much that needs to be done. I still need to change how the Fraternitas works or overthrow it altogether. As daunting a task as it’ll be, it pales in comparison to finding a way to co-parent with any of the Heirs. That shit feels insurmountable.
“Breathe,” Dad whispers, clasping my hand. “We’ll find a way.”
I look into his matching gray eyes and see the determination in them. He reads me like a book. “I’m so tired, Dad,” I whimper through stuttered breaths.
My dad lifts his hand to my face, thumbing away my errant tears. Then he leans forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “We’re asking too much of you, Ry. We’ll find another way,” he promises, sitting back. But even as he says the words, I know there isn’t another way. Not after the meeting I had the other day. It’s me, or Calloway will be wiped out.
Inhaling, I center myself, calming my racing heart and slowing my scattered thoughts before I speak. “I can do this. I just. . . I just needed a moment.”
“You’ll need more than a moment,” Dr. Jaffri scolds, reminding us she’s in the room. “You’re on bed rest for the next three days, and if your blood pressure isn’t back within normal range by my next visit, it will be extended to two weeks.”
My eyes bulge at the thought of being bedridden for two weeks. “But??”
“Don’t you ‘but’ me. Rest. Whatever war you’re waging will have to wait until Thursday,” she commands.
The rebuff is on the tip of my tongue before I swallow it down. She’s right. A few days’ rest to ensure the babies’ health and, most importantly, my own is warranted.
Arching a brow, Dr. Jaffri waits for my acknowledgment of her orders.
I nod. “I understand. I won’t do anything but rest until our appointment on Thursday.”
Satisfied with my answer, she replies, “Good. Now, continue to stay hydrated, take your multivitamins, get lots of rest, and eat. You’ll be back to taking over the world soon enough.”
My dad grabs my hand. “I love you, Ry.”
I smile. “I love you too, Dad.”
He gently squeezes my hand as he leans in to kiss my forehead. “I’m going to walk Dr. Jaffri out, and then I’ll bring you some dinner.”
Humming my agreement, I watch as they both leave the room. Before the door fully closes, my eyelids get heavy, and the idea of resting becomes increasingly appealing.
I’ll take over the world next week.
ROWAN
“Yes, I’m sure. I want three dozen-a dozen white lilies, a dozen red magnolias, and a dozen lewisia flowers. And instead of baby’s breath, use the wild carrot flowers, the white ones.”
I pace the length of my room as I finish instructing my personal shopper. “Yes, the carrot onesie. The one that says, ‘I don’t carrot at all.’ Two of them.”
Once I heard Emma was put on bed rest due to stress, I punched a hole in the wall outside the lecture hall. It was made even worse by Samantha’s gloating. It took Liam and Sebastian to pull me off her. I would’ve choked the life out of the skank otherwise. I didn’t care who saw me, but luckily, there wasn’t anyone in the hallway at the time.
After that, I stormed out of the building and ran all the way back to the house. Once I calmed down, I got on the phone with Julie, our personal shopper.
If we can’t be there in person, we’ll be there in spirit- with the help of a few gifts.
“What was that?” I ask, sitting on my bed before I wear a hole in the floor. My knee bounces as she reads everything off the list, confirming she hasn’t missed anything. “That’s right. A charm bracelet with each of the fruits I’ve mentioned,” I confirm.
My room door opens. Liam steps inside and closes the door behind him. “Is that Julie?” He mouths, and I nod. “Tell her to add carrot cake cheesecake, no nuts or raisins, and red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.”
I relay his request to Julie. “No, don’t put who it’s from. Just do it like we’ve done the last few times. We don’t need the credit. We just want to make sure she’s cared for.”
Liam walks across the room and then sits at my desk as I finalize the last of our purchases before ending the call.
“Any updates?” I inquire. I stormed out of the building before I heard the full report. There wasn’t a chance I could remain there with my fuse as short as it was.
“Karl almost sliced Sam’s throat open when she refused to leave. Then August basically dragged her outside when she threatened to set off Karl’s chip because we aren’t treating her like fianc?s should.”
My lips thin. “She’s pushing us. I almost think she’s trying to goad us into activating the damn thing.”
Liam shrugs. “It’s that, or she really gets off on us manhandling her.”
“It’s the manhandling,” we both say simultaneously.
I snort, “It’s definitely more that. She’s the definition of a masochist.”
“The problem is that Samantha’s also a sadist,” Liam states.
Standing, I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. She yearns to be degraded, even more so when pain is inflicted. Outside of sex, she’s a power-hungry opportunist cunt.”
Liam pauses, assessing my words. “So, you don’t think it’s you she’s after? She’s been obsessed with you for years.”
“No. She thinks she wants me, but it’s the power I represent that she truly wants. I’m an Calloway. My family name is everywhere, and my father is the head of the Council. Samantha knows attaching herself to me would open more doors than she’s ever dreamed of.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.