The Wrong Bride: Ares and Raven’s Story (The Windsors)

I’m reluctant as I walk over to Zane’s house. If the boys hadn’t warned me that they’d throw me out of our poker club if I didn’t show, I’d have stayed home with my wife.

We usually meet once a month to play poker and catch up, but I’ve been skipping it ever since I got married to Raven. It’s odd how hard I find it to leave her for even just a single night. I want to be around her every second of every day, and even then, it isn’t enough.

I bite down on my lip, wondering if I should just lose tonight so I can go back home to my wife as soon as possible. I suspect they’d see straight through me, and I’d never hear the end of it.

I pause halfway toward Zane’s front door and frown at the figure darting through the trees. “The fuck are you doing, Xavier?”

I watch him as he glances around before jogging my way. “Can’t be too careful,” he says, smiling. “I’m fucking dead if your sister catches me here. She’s been extra strange lately. Best not to provoke her.”

I shake my head as we walk to Zane’s door. He presses his finger to the scanner, and the door opens. Sierra would lose her shit if she knew Xavier is close enough to us for his biometrics to be in our system. “At some point, my sister is going to find out that all of her brothers are friends with you, and there’ll be hell to pay for all of us.”

Xavier looks horrified at the mere thought of it, and I can’t help but chuckle. “Xavier fucking Kingston. Billionaire. Real estate magnate. Pussy.”

He shoots me a glance. “Your sister is fucking psychotic, mate. I don’t doubt that she’d try to fucking gut me if she caught me here. Did I tell you she sent me a fucking fish bomb last week?”

We walk into Zane’s living room, where the rest of the boys are all set up. The only one we’re missing is Luca. “What the fuck is a fish bomb?”

“She sent me smoke bombs that smelled like dead fish. My entire goddamn office reeked for a full week.”

I raise my brow. “The hell did you do to her?”

He runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head. “Fuck if I know. It arrived shortly after that charity gala I threw.”

I smile then. “The one you took a date to? You created a PR nightmare for me with that bullshit. Why the fuck did you bring that girl if you didn’t want it blasted all over the gossip papers? You never bring a date, Xav, so you should’ve known that the first time you do would attract attention.”

He hesitates and looks away, piquing my curiosity. “She’s special to you, huh?” My smile drops at the thought of it. My brothers and I have always been certain that the hatred between Xavier and Sierra was really just thinly veiled love. Looks like we were wrong. I clear my throat and look away.

Lexington walks up to us, a concerned look on his face. “Does Sierra know about this girl?” he asks.

Xavier frowns. “She saw me with Valeria at the gala, but I don’t see how that matters.”

“Valeria,” I murmur. He says her name so reverently. It’s no wonder Sierra sent him a stink bomb.

Zane looks at me, and I shake my head. I don’t know who she is either. She showed up on Xavier’s arm two weeks ago, and none of us had ever heard of her before.

“So who is she?” Zane asks. “I remember seeing her. She’s beautiful, that’s for sure.”

Xavier turns around to face Zane, a chilling smile on his face. “Stay away from her,” he warns. “Don’t fuck with me, Zane. I don’t want any of you anywhere near her.”

“Hmm,” Zane says. “You’re protective of her, huh?”

Lexington and I glance at each other before mutually agreeing to let it go. In the end, Sierra’s match will be decided by Grandma, anyway. Perhaps this is for the best, after all.

I walk toward the table and grab Zane’s deck of cards, shuffling it absentmindedly. I’ll have to tell my wife about this. I wonder what she’ll think of it. I know she also thought there was something between Xavier and Sierra.

Luca walks in, stumbling, a bottle of scotch in his hands. I can’t remember the last time I saw Luca drunk. He doesn’t like to lose control, and excessive drinking is one of those things he hates doing.

“Luca,” Zane calls. “You alright?”

Zane slams his bottle down on the poker table and sits down, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. “Of course I’m fine,” he snaps. “Why wouldn’t I be fine? I can do without her. I don’t fucking need her.”

Lexington glances at me in question, but I’ve got no idea what’s going on either. Usually I’m the one that stays on top of my brothers’ bullshit so I can prevent scandals, but I’ve been preoccupied with my wife. “Is this about your fiancee?” I ask, confused.

He looks up at me. “I can’t even remember that girl’s fucking name,” he snaps.

“Valentina,” Xavier says, a knowing look in his eyes. “This is about Valentina.”

Luca looks up, his gaze filled with torment. “She left me.”

Lex frowns. “What do you mean, she left you? Did you… were you two seeing each other, or something?”

Luca waves his hand in irritation. “No, of course not. It’s Valentina. I wouldn’t… I’d never risk it. Not when I don’t know if I’d be able to marry her. She… she quit her job, man.”

I sit down next to Luca and lean back, shocked. “She’s been with you for what? Eight years?”

He nods. “Yep. Fresh out of college, both of us. I just thought that… I don’t know, man. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Xavier starts to tidy the table, clearing away the poker chips while Zane hands each of us a glass before pouring Luca’s scotch into them. “We’ll need ice,” he says matter-of-factly.

“We’ll need a whole lot more than that,” Lex adds.

“Did she tell you why she quit?” Xavier asks.

Luca chuckles darkly. “Said she wanted a fresh start and a life of her own. She feels like she’s given me too much, and she doesn’t want to spend the best years of her life overworking herself for someone who doesn’t appreciate her.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Can you believe that? I gave her a house of her own and a company car. She’s even got a driver and bodyguards. She’s one of the highest fucking paid employees in the company, man. There’s nothing I haven’t given her. How fucking dare she claim that I don’t appreciate her?” He looks up at the ceiling for a moment. “I don’t get it. I asked her to send some flowers to my fiancee, and she just quit, right there and then. For years, she’s been sending flowers to Raven and Sierra on their birthdays and special occasions, but now it’s suddenly beneath her?”

I smile at him and shake my head. “You’re a fucking idiot, aren’t you?”

He looks at me so fucking helplessly, and I bite back a smile as I throw Zane a look. He smirks back at me.

“I suppose it’s good for her, though,” Zane says. “She should go on some dates, find someone to settle down with. She’s right, you know? Val has been overworking herself. You’ve got her on call 24/7, and she barely has a social life of her own. She attends family dinner with us more often than she sees her own family, because you can’t fucking function without her. I hope she finds a wonderful man to marry. Maybe have a baby or two.”

The fucking horror on Luca’s face makes it hard to keep a straight face, but somehow, we all manage it. Luca rises to his feet in a rush, his chair clattering to the floor loudly. “Get me a driver,” he tells me. “I need to go somewhere.”

Zane nods and grabs his phone, a small smile on his face. Meanwhile, Xavier just looks on, confused.

Luca rushes out the door, and Xavier turns to us. “I thought all of your engagements were decided by your grandmother? How is sending him onto this path even remotely a good idea?”

I cross my arms and shake my head. “Grandma is wrong about Luca,” I tell him. “She might have gotten it right for Raven and me, but she nearly got it really fucking wrong. There’s no way Luca and Valentina don’t belong together. Everyone can see it but them.”

He looks worried, and in all honesty, I share his concerns. When it comes to them, though, this is a risk worth taking. If he doesn’t act now, there’s a chance he’ll lose her. But if he does? He could end up having everything he’s ever wanted.

I should know.

I feel the same way about Raven.