Page 17 of Merciless Promise
“Quiet down, Garmhac. You will remember your place in this house...in this family...You will show me the respect that I deserve.”
“Apologies, Daideó. It changes nothing. I have already put the plans into motion, and by the end of the week, Ekaterina and I will be wed in Adare. Our wedding will be a traditional Irish one, then we’ll return to New York City and continue to run things from there.”
“This is crazy.” My grandfather then turned to Cillian. “Wipe that fucking smirk off your face, garmhac. Are you really so willing to pass our empire down to that Russian whore?”
“You require us to marry and produce heirs, then you try to put conditions upon it,” Cillian said. “You reap what you sow, and you have yet to pay for anything you’ve done.”
“Enough!” our grandfather said. “I should disavow the two of you completely.”
I looked at my cousin, who seemed to give zero fucks about that. He might be willing to walk away from the family business, but I was not. I refused to let the Brannington name die with the two of us.
“The arrangements are already in place. We’ve reserved the castle, and invitations will be going out soon. I suggest that you ready yourself with the idea that any heir of ours will have her blood, or you can be cut out of our lives for good.”
I had no intentions about walking away, but my grandfather paled anyway. He looked between me and my cousin, then returned his gaze to Cillian. “You must marry, too.”
“I tried at one time, and we see how that turned out.”
I arched a brow. Cillian had tried to wed someone before? When had this been? Was it here in Ireland? Or back when he was in New York City? I had so many questions, but the way my grandfather narrowed his eyes in anger, I suspected that neither of them would fill me in even if I asked them to.
“That whore is unworthy of the Brannington na?—”
“But she will carry it nonetheless,” I interrupted.
“You two are going to be the death of me yet,” he muttered under his breath, before clearing his throat. “Princeton was the chosen one until she’d killed him in cold blood. Have you no respect for your own brother? Would you really trade a piece of pussy for the vengeance you should’ve sworn to get for your sibling?”
I narrowed my eyes this time. That very vow was the reason I was doing this. She was in a perilous situation that only I could help her through, and in return, she would give me what I needed to maintain my stronghold on this family. After, I would see that vow through when I snuffed the life out of her as I had so many others at the elder Brannington’s orders.
“Princeton is gone,” and as I pointed to my cousin, I added, “And this one is even less interested in your demands than me.This is what you wanted, and now you’re going to have to deal with the consequences. Unless Cillian over here wants to take a wife, too.” The blond threw his hands up. “Enough said. I’ll send you the exact details of our nuptials. I expect you both to attend.”
And with those words, I finished the drink I had in my hand, then returned the glass to the bar. I could already see my grandfather and Cillian arguing about something before the younger Brannington stormed out of the study. I took a final look at the old man, and I followed in my cousin’s footsteps for once and left the room, too.
ADARE, IRELAND
The last week had been a whirlwind, and as if he thought I would try to renege, Kingston had kept his hands and eyes on me the entire time. He’d also called all the shots where the wedding was concerned, and I let him. After all, I didn’t want to marry him, and I refused to pretend as if I did. Like most girls, I’d always imagined getting married one day, but it would’ve been to a man of my choosing. It certainly wouldn’t have been to a man whose very brother had caused the most traumatic moment of my life. And it wouldn’t have been to a man who hated me for the very act I was forced to commit.
I had no idea what to do. I was being blackmailed, so it wasn’t as if I could simply tell Kingston that I changed my mind and leave, or even escape like some runaway bride. My mother had passed away when I was just a young girl, so she wouldn’t be here to offer motherly advice as she played with my hair before the ceremony.
My father was also in hiding, so I didn’t even have him to walk me down the aisle. I’d thought about inviting Rebekah to at least be my maid of honor, but ultimately decided against it. I’d told Kingston that I wanted as small and simple a ceremony as possible, and I trusted that he would at least give me that much because he no more wanted to marry me than I wanted to marry him.
“This world dictates what it wants,” I mumbled to myself.
Many mafia princesses succumbed to the same fate as me, and while I hated the man whose name I would soon be taking, he was at least sexy as hell, and he could make me orgasm without effort. We’d need that since I knew he was in a hurry to get me pregnant which was why he stopped using condoms with me.
I almost wondered if he’d already succeeded in that because I felt physically ill. A quick couple of tests were confirmed to be negative, so this nausea was likely nerves and stress. Maybe it was also disgust. After all, I did feel all three of those things.
“Are you almost ready?” I heard from the doorway, and knowing who it was, I simply looked back at him over my shoulder.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I then noticed the kilt he was wearing, and I smirked. “Nice attire you got there.”
He mumbled something about tradition before clearing his throat. “I appreciate you not desecrating the sanctity of marriage by wearing white. The blue looks nice on you, and it’s more traditional.”
I rolled my eyes at him before responding. “This feels more like a funeral than a wedding, so perhaps black would’ve been a better color.”
“The ceremony is starting in ten minutes. We only need to get through this day, then we can return to New York.”
“Uhh, I need to go back to Saint Pet?—”
“Yes, I remember. Well, we get through this day and night, then we’ll head to Russia before returning to the States.”
