Page 2 of The Queen's Game (Ruthless Games 1)

“That would be great. I’m using my cell. It’s a...personal call.” Meaning, I wasn’t discussing any dirty details that were inevitable in our business.

“What can I get you to drink, Becca?” Gian’s casual use of my name struck me in a way it hadn’t before, like being so close to Sebastien put a crack in my walls, leaving my emotions exposed.

“A shot of Grey Goose would be divine, Giancarlo.”

“Anything you want, Becca.” He smiled, and I felt it lingering long after I turned away.

Again, I caught Sebastien staring at me from the lobby bar, a glass of amber gold hovering under his gorgeous lips. It baffled me why he’d been pretending for five years nothing had ever happened between us.

The Messina entourage marched through the lobby like the kings they wished they were. Anthony Jr. blew right by me like I didn’t even exist. Sebastien and Anthony and the fun we had as teenagers felt so distant, it often choked me wondering who in this world had my back now. Given our business, I lived a sheltered life and kept to my work, a daily struggle to make Domenico Holdings finances look as legit as possible.

Dad and I entered the office with neutral colors, dark woods, and clean lines. “Dad, sit at the table.” I pointed to the round meeting table behind the cream sofa. “The wooden chair is better for your back.”

Grumbling, he took a seat. “Where’s my phone?”

“I gave it back to you.”

Patting his pocket, he said, “Giancarlo likes you.”

A chill ran through me, remembering Gian’s perfect-ten smile. “He was being polite. Showing us respect. Nothing more.”

“Nothing more is right. You are destined to...” My father stared at me. Then looked away as he pressed fingers into his temples, pushing the loose skin into unsightly folds.

I’m destined to do what? To take over? Was he finally acknowledging it?

Taylor appeared at the open door with our drinks on a golden tray, ending that conversation.

After he put one cut-crystal tumbler filled with Macallan and my tall, but skinny shot of vodka on the table, I reached for my purse to tip him. “Hang on.” I waved for him not to leave.

“Mr. Byrne took care of me, Miss Domenico.”

Giancarlo had my back. And the way he looked at me, I thought he may have wanted me on my back. I could never...

I needed to stop thinking that way, or I’d be alone my whole life.

“Shall I close this?” Taylor asked, holding the door.

“Yes.” I gave him a nod and with the door closed, I locked it.

I hated these events. Well, hated attending them on my father’s arm. My mother wanted nothing to do with the social scene in Manhattan anymore and preferred our family home on the north shore of Long Island.

Standing at the meeting table, I took out my phone, noting the time in L.A. “I’m calling Nate.”

“Good.” My father chugged his drink.

“Becs!” my brother answered.

“Hey, Nate.” I held a finger against my lips so my father wouldn’t say anything. “Dad saw you on Instagram. The posts and all those hashtags about Lacey were a little troubling.”

“What do you mean Pop saw posts about Lacey on Instagram?” Nate was already on the defensive about his fiancé, their lifestyle.

“His new assistant follows her and showed him.” Someone I had to have a talk with about going to my father with nonsense.

“We’re musicians. We do crazy shit. Did you and Pop just meet me?”

“Just be prepared to address it,” I said, letting my irritation from having to be the middleman, the peacemaker, slip into my voice.

“What’s going on?”

“He’s furious,” I said, turning away to whisper a warning to my brother.

“Why?” he asked.

“Put him on speaker!” my father rasped out of clenched teeth.

Rolling my eyes, I faced Dad sitting at the table and did what he asked. “It’s an embarrassment, Nate. A cheating fiancé is a bad look for the future King of New York.” I assumed Lacey being all over that other man on stage meant she was cheating on Nate. “That affects our business, Nate. All of us.” I played along because my father still thought Nate would come around.

“She wasn’t cheating, she...” Nate bit back what sounded like a curse.

“Just be prepared to address it,” I repeated. “Or...”

“Or what?”

“Don’t bring her to the annual meeting.” Our yearly family meeting was the following week.

“Where I go, she goes. She’s my fiancé.”

“Are you sure about that?” my father jumped in like I knew he would.

Nate stayed silent for a moment. Guilt crawled all over me for not telling him our father was listening. “Pop, we’re musicians. We were on stage. It was just for show.”

“We’ll discuss it more next week,” my father said harshly. “I second your sister’s suggestion. Leave that woman home.”

“No. It’s both of us or neither of us. I love her.”

“Then goddamn marry her,” my father yelled. “Put an end to the rumors I have to listen to about the woman my son wants to be our queen. Be a man. Force her if you have to.”

“Why aren’t you two married?” I figured I’d ask. “You’ve been together for nearly six years, Nate.”

“That’s between Lacey and me. We’ll be in New York tomorrow to discuss this. I’m not waiting for your bullshit meeting. I’m the fucking firstborn of this family. The only son. I’m carrying on the Domenico name and that gives me rights, Pop.” He wanted rights as the only son to do whatever he wanted, including staying in L.A. far from our business, our world. Nate went on, “I expect you to address me with the same respect I show you. Goodbye, Rebecca.”

The call ended, and my father flung his tumbler across the room. The glass bounced off the wooden door since he didn’t have any strength left in his arm. He released a heavy sign that pained me. I thanked the good angels above that no one witnessed his weakness.

There’d be enemies at the gate by morning, so to speak.

I swallowed down my shot in one gulp, the burn in my chest sizzling past the hole in my heart. “Let’s try to have a good time, Dad.” I tugged him by his arm to see how he liked being dragged around. I’d reached my aggravation limit, and it wasn’t even eight p.m.

Nate was as good as out of consideration. A blessing since he didn’t want this life.

I did.

This princess was ready for an upgrade to queen.

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