xan

d tighten my grip on the phone in my hand. This t

nching involuntarily. "Make sure these

one of my closest friends and he might well be the best hacker alive. Thanks to that, he has no qualms about extorting me

s. There are no excuses anymore, no more made-up business trips, no more lies. Now he

mother doesn't know. I click the email away, revulsion settling in my stomach. Their supposedly hap

ekly lunch date with my mother. It never gets easier to hide these things f

I drive every single Wednesday-purely because it's a convertible, and my mother loves the way the wind blow

t of our mansion. I get out of my car and walk arou

arling,"

as I run back around my car. My mother grins when I lower the roof, and my heart warms. Th

nt, barely even present as we sit down. It isn't u

weetie," she says. "I g

Jennifer?"It looks like I was the last one to find out. Looks like ever

"Jennifer isn't like us. I

like us? What? Bec

nnoyance crawls

ody. Everyone might act like they've forgotten, but that doesn't change the truth. I

ly. "Mom, I'm sorry," I say, shaking my head. "

because of Dad. I worry she tries to excuse his behavior by telling herself that all their issues resulted from them b

acade. The perfect wife, the matriarch of the Kennedy family. The mask she wears carefully crafted throughout the years. Each time my father walked out on us, another part of her facade

ut photos on the table. "These girls and their families are all interested in forming an alliance with the Ke

eyes. "Just meet them, Alec. You never kn

's been through, all the times my father has abandoned her,us, she

aren't married by the end of June, the position is automatically Dylan's, no matter how much more you deserve it. Do you really want

e his only daughter-you know he has a sweet spot for you. Won't he reconsider? I've worked myself to t

u. Any member of our family that wants to take their seat on the board must be married. That includedme too, sweetie. That has always been the rule, and it a

fall into Dylan's hands. There's no way I'll let all my hard work go to waste. I've spent my entire

rmur. "Go ahead and start arranging meetings with the gi