(Calla)

I check myself in the full-length mirror on the back of my bathroom door. The white and blue flower peasant-style dress makes me look like a pretty painted teacup. I hate it. After the meeting with my mother and future in-laws, I got a scathing message from my mother for not looking more feminine. My tits here hanging halfway out of my shirt, but sure, not feminine. She should be happy now. The dress is girly as fuck, and it's low cut with an unnecessary slit in the full skirt, making me happy at the same time.

I leave the bathroom to find Dominik standing at the end of my bed, looking around the room. "I really did set you up nicely in here."

He's completely full of shit. He knows this room is annoying as hell because I have to walk through his room to get to mine, but I'm not going to complain. At least he isn't making me sleep in his bed.

"You're so generous," I snidely reply, drawing his attention to me.

Dominik stills as his gaze travels over me. "You look... terrible."

I roll my eyes as I bend over and slip on the blue heels that match the floral pattern on my dress. He can try to deny it all he wants, but I catch him always checking me out. Even now, his eyes are glued to my chest. When the strap of my dress falls off my shoulder, his gaze sets on fire. Dominik Song might not like me, but he is attracted to me.

"I would have dressed nicer, but then I remembered who my date is." I finish slipping on my shoes and give him a once-over.

He looks much more casually dressed in his black slacks and a black Polo shirt that's painted on.

"Are you ready?" I ask, wanting to get this party over. We have to announce our official engagement to the other four families, not they don't know about the arrangement.

"I am but you're not," he tells me. In three long strides, he closes the gap between us. He hooks a finger into the loose strap and slides it back into place.

"Feel better now?" I ask, annoyed that he keeps trying to put moves on me. I know he can make girls swoon, and maybe once upon a time, he had a chance even to make me melt. But that opportunity passed before it could even start when he made it clear how much of a player he actually is.

I try to sidestep him, but he reaches out, grabbing my side and keeping me in place. Dominik slowly leans in closer, probably coming in for a kiss. Not again. I stop him by pushing my hand into his face, making him grunt in shock. "What do you think you're doing?" I ask. I thought not reacting to his kiss a couple of days ago would be enough of a hint, but apparently not.

Dominik holds up the blue velvet box containing my engagement ring. He must have been leaning in to grab it. "Your mom is going to expect you to wear this," he says. Dominik opens the box to reveal the beautiful diamond ring. He takes my hand in his and slips it on my finger.

The ring glistens on my finger. It's beautiful, and if I were to pick out a ring for myself, this would probably be it, but now it's just a weight on my left ring finger that I don't want.

I look up to find Dominik too close for comfort. I swear he's trying to take any moment he can to flirt with me. Not to woo me but to get on my nerves.

"Please tell me you're not planning on kissing me again."

He smirks as his gaze drops to my lips. "I think I'll pass, peaches. You're not exactly a good kisser."

I raise a brow. He can't seriously think that's how I kiss. I didn't even pucker the other day. "Who said I was kissing you back? You're the creep that kissed me. I wasn't even trying."

"Is that so?" Dominik leans in closer. "Do you want to try now?"

"So tempting," I breathe as my gaze drops to his lips and slowly closes the small gap between us. Our lips almost touch before I turn my head and drop back on my heels. "But no."

Dominik chuckles and shakes his head. "Such a prude."

If he only knew how wrong that statement is.

I don't bother responding to him. Once again, he's only trying to get me to snap at him. Instead, I grab my pocketbook off the bed and leave the room. Dominik follows me with his hands in his pockets.

"You know," he says as we cross the glass catwalk that overlooks the foyer. "We're eventually going to have to produce heirs. That will be challenging if you won't let me touch you."

Crud asshole. "There are so many ways to accomplish that and the old fashioned bump and grind is just one of them. I'd take a turkey baster over you."

In two steps, Dominik catches up with me. "Turkey baster wouldn't be as fun."

"That's debatable." We reach the stairs, and I gracefully jog down them, trying to put some space between us.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I find Lily dressed and ready to go to this stupid garden party. It's meant to be a grand celebration to announce our engagement to the other four families officially. It's just another mundane protocol party. Everyone has known about our betrothal for years.

"Lily." Dominik comes up beside me. "You look beautiful."

Is he just being a sarcastic asshole? Not that I think Lily doesn't look stunning. She does. She always does, but Dominik is never nice. But when I turn to glare at him, a charming, kind smile is plastered on his face. He's actually volunteering a real compliment.

Lily looks just as confused as me for a second before a soft smile appears. "Thank you."

When we walk outside, I only see one car sitting in the driveway, with Kwan standing next to a black Bentley. He looks nice. I dare say he is dressed nicer than Dominik, in a black dress shirt and matching slacks.

He looks a little put out, probably not dreading today. The last encounter with his dad, I'd say, didn't go well. Lord knows Mr. Song didn't impress me much with how he talked to his son.

I must commend Kwan for walking into this with his head held high. He is a good fighter, I've seen it myself over the years, and deserves respect.

Dominik walks to the front passenger side and opens the door. If he thinks I'm riding up front with him, he's sadly mistaken. I climb in the back with Lily, leaving Dominik stupidly staring at me from the front.

"Shouldn't we arrive together?" He asks.

"We are. We're still in the same car."

Dominick rolls his eyes before getting into the passenger seat instead.

The garden party is being held at my mother's house, which means a long drive of Dominick watching me in the rearview mirror the entire ride over. I take a deep breath and try to ignore the situation's awkwardness. I look out the window, pretending to ignore Dominick's gaze. Finally, we arrive at the party and I can escape his stare.

"Aren't we supposed to be acting like a happy soon to be married couple?" He asks after I get out of the car before he gets a chance to open my door.

"What's the point of this party? We're getting divided up. The girls are stuck out back sipping tea, while the guys hang out in the den drinking." When we reach the steps of my mother's house, I glance up at him. "Besides, everyone here knows what this is."

"I need a drink," Dominik grumbles.

I could use one, too, but that's not going to happen today.

"Enjoy your little tea party, peaches," he tells me before he and Kwan jog up the stone steps to the front of the house.

There no point in walking through the house, mom is hosting the party on the back garden. "God, I don't want to do this," I grumble to Lily once the guys are out of earshot, and we head down the stone path that leads to the backyard. "I'm not sure what's worse. Celebrating this joke of a marriage, or having to spend a couple of hours with a bunch of snobby bitches."

"It's the bitches." Lily nods. "They're always worse."

The back garden is fully decorated in soft pastels. The waiters meander through the flock of fancy flamingo guests with appetizers. The guests are all dressed up at their finest, laughing, talking, and sipping their flutes of champagne. Mother went all out.

"Calla!" Cissy Sullivan screams in an excited high pitch, peeling my skin from my bones.

"Kill me. Kill me now," I mutter through a forced, stretched smile. Cissy is the only daughter of the Sullivan clan and is close to Lily and me in age. With her are our cousin Harper and the two Perez princesses who are our age. They're the group of girls that Lily and I are forced to hang out with.

Lily gives my arm a squeeze. "I got your back."

As Lily and I walk over to the excited, jittering groups of girls, I scan the lawn for Mother. I caught her attention when my gaze lands on her in a nice fit white gown with a giant hat. She gives me a firm nod hello and a look I know all too well. 'Be nice.' is written all over her face.

"Afternoon," I greet as I walk up to the group. "We seem to be a little late." I suppose that's my fault. I put off getting dressed until it was time for the party to start and took my time getting ready.

"Oh never mind that." Cissy waves it off. "You're here now and engaged! Out of all of us." she gestures to the other girls, including Lily. "I would have never of guess that you'd be the first one to get married."

A waiter passes close enough by that I snatch two flutes off the tray and hand one to Lily. "I'm not sure why it's that surprising, Cissy. Everyone's known about arranged marriage between Dominik and I for a decade."

Cissy chuckles and flips her soft wavy hair over her shoulder, looking a little irritated that I called her out on her terrible acting of being surprised. "Yes, well, you're actually going through with it now."

"Congratulations," Carmen adds in. "Though I have to say, I am a little surprised your family is going through with the agreement. Dominik Song? What was your father thinking?" She asks.

I've asked myself the same question a million times, but I get the feeling that Carmen is asking for different reasons. "Why not Dominik?

Carmen scoffs as her attention drifts away.

"Well," our cousin timidly joins in as she smooths out her lavender dress. "They aren't exactly a well established family. I've heard daddy talk about it a few times. He said that Uncle Callum's choice was an embarrassment to the family."

"The only thing embarrassing to the family is how often Aunt Elena's been pulled over for drunk driving," Lily mumbles before taking a sip from her flute.

Harper's eyes narrow on Lily, giving her a look she wouldn't dare give to me. "Excuse me? What was that?"

"Nothing," Lily answers with a fake smile, waving her off.

My jaw clenches, knowing that Uncle is bad-mouthing Father even after he's gone. "The only family that would have been equal in status is the Kings, and I'm a little too old for Dicky, aren't I?" I bite.

The girls give me glares; I'm sure the Perezs don't like the idea of me shooting down two of their brothers. "Besides," I add on, "I can't exactly ask my father what his thought process was, now can I?"

"Well, I think he made a mistake." Cissy offers her unsolicited opinion. "I'm sure your father had no way of telling, but look how the Songs turned out. Dominik is the don now, and look who he picked as his second."

"What about his second," I snap so hard that all the girls jump in shock.

The stunned looks on their faces enrage me even more. The confusion on Lily's face though quickly reminds me that I might need to fill her in on a few things.

"I mean," Carmen studders over her words a little and looks around at the rest of the flock, looking for backup. "Haven't you heard? He's a bastard."

The others gasp, each of their heads turning to look at the windows lining the back of the house. Specifically the ones to the right that give us a perfect view of all the men hanging out in the den. I can't seem to spot Dominik but Kwan is clearly posted up against the back wall while none of the other men bother to talk to him.

"I mean," Nina tips her head to the side. "He's hot."

Harper nods with a smile. "I'd give that one a ride, but marriage is out of the question. Daddy would never and marrying a bastard heir is worse than marrying a nobody."

Lily's grip on her flute tightens as she glares daggers at each of them. I'm almost worried she might break the fragile glass in her hand at any second.

"Better a bastard than a bitch like you, you fucking cunts." The fake friendliness falls from my face as I throw my ice walls up. "You don't know one fucking thing about Kwan Song. I'd rather have him by my side than any of your worthless asses."

"Calla," Cissy gasps, holding her hand to her chest. "Everyone know Dominik only picked him because he's his half-brother."

"Don't Calla me. You're a bunch of spoiled princesses sitting on their daddy's power for years while Kwan has been busting his ass, making something of himself in our world. Don't under estimate Dominik's choice in a second. Kwan is more than qualified to do the job."

Lily nods beside me, her gaze off the girls and now starring at the bubbles in her flute. Her brows are knitted tightly together with deep thought.

Carmen clears her throat and lifts her nose into the air. "I suppose you have to say that now."

"I suppose you all should keep your mouths shut if your fathers want to keep doing business with us." I might not have complete power yet, but when I do, I have no problem cutting all of their families off.

My threat seems to have worked, though. All the girls stiffen and glance at their fathers through the windows.

"Enjoy the party, ladies, and please feel free to trip face first onto our patio, you'll do your looks a favor." I give them a forced pursed smile before looping Lily's arm in mine and pulling her along with me.

I'm barely ten minutes into the party and already fucking done with them all. "I need something stronger than Champaigne," I tell Lilly.

Her brows are still knit together, lost in thought. I tug on her arm to pull her back to the present. 

 When her eyes finally meet mine, I can see the confusion and frustration reflected in them. "Want to grab something from the bar and hide in mom's green house?" I ask, wanting to get away from these overly primed princesses.

Lily nods before looking over at the girls watching us leave and says loud enough for them to hear, "Snobby bitches are always the worst."

Lily and I sneak into the side door when Mother isn't looking and use the servant's entrance into the bar area, hoping that many guys won't notice me as Lily keeps watch on the other side of the door. The den smells heavily of whiskey and cigars, a smell that would choke a horse, but Dad would have loved it. This event would have had him on cloud nine. He would have been thrilled to showcase our stunning home and the family he loved. Despite what anyone might think of Dominik, Dad would have put a lot of thought into it. He wouldn't have let just any man walk into our family. Dominik would have been a new pride to show off. His future son.

Most of the men are focused on a billiards game going on as I round the front of the bar and scan the bottles on the shelf. A half bottle of Burbon catches my eye. My chest tightens, seeing it on the shelf, untouched. It was Dad's favorite. I grab the bottle and a couple of glasses just as Dominik returns. He stills when he notices me, and a look I can't quite read crosses his face. There's a seriousness about it that I find it so unnerving. Whatever he's feeling seems to shift away slowly, and an impish twinkle comes back to his eye before he blows me a kiss.

I grunt and roll my eyes before sneaking back out. "Ready?" I ask Lily. When she gives me a nod, we sneak to the outside door. I glance through the window, wanting to spot my mother first to make sure she isn't going to see us before the two of us make a mad dash to her elaborate greenhouse. Mother has turned her glassed-in garden into a sanctuary. The Lush foliage is vibrant and well taken care of.

This is the one place where my mother can be herself. She lets down her guard in here. For all three of us, this place has been a refuge.

I lead Lily to the back, where a wooden platform is. A comfortable seating area with love seats and a coffee table is set up. Lucky for us, Mother's magnolia tree is blooming, filling the area with a heavenly scent. I set the cups down and fill both with a hardy three-finger shot.

"Did you know about Kwan?" Lily asks, sitting on one end of the loveseat, that deep thought expression still etched on her face.

"About him being Dongmin's illegitimate son?" I ask and slowly nod before taking a sip of bourbon. "Yeah, I only just found out. I've seen him around a lot, training with Dominik though the years and on his own, but I didn't realize what their relationship was exactly until a couple of days ago. I get the very strong feeling that what the group of snobby bitches said is basically everyone's view of him."

"Shit...I didn't realize," Lily says, downing half her drink.

I take a deep breath and sink back into the couch. "I might have flipped out on them too hard, but it just. It just reminded me of mom, and what she had to go through when she and dad first got married." I rub my temples, recapping the conversation in my mind. "Not to mention, they're wrong about Kwan. He's a better fighter than Dominik. Plus, he's smart. Dominik didn't make this choice based on him being his half brother.I know Dominik well enough to know he's going to want someone good at their job by his side."

Lily nods, still looking as if she's staring into space. "Of course. It strikes a nerve for me too. Mom had to deal with that bullshit for so long. I get it...and even I have to admit that the few glimpses I've gotten of Kwan working show he knows what he's doing. And like you said, Dominik's smart. Even if everyone doubts them, we know better."

I study my sister as I watch her finish off her drink and pour another glass. Something's off about her, but I can't tell what. "You okay? Every since we got here, you've been a bit of a space cadet."

"Gee, thanks," she finally looks my way with a half-hearted smile before staring at her drink again. "I just...feel a little guilty. I said something to Kwan the other night and now I'm worried he might have taken it the wrong way."

"What did you say?" I'm not sure why she's having a potentially offensive conversation at night with Kwan Song, but it'd be nice to know what was said before Dominik rips my head off for it.

A grimace forms on her delicate face as she tips her head to the side. "I might have said something about not needing attention from someone like him."

Apparently, I'm missing something. I frown before asking. "Why would you tell him you don't need his attention?"

"Um..." She takes another big sip from her drink. "It was nothing. I was just trying to tell him we should...be civil. You know, get along or something since we're around each other so much now. But he was being a dick and then this girl blew up his phone and—" She freezes and glances my way, her dark blue eyes swimming with fear as if she's said too much. "I didn't mean it like how it sounds. He's just known for being a player. Always has. That's what I meant by someone like him."

"Is he giving you issues?" I ask, getting a little on the defensive for her sake. "And what does a girl texting him have to do-" I shake my head and set my glass on the coffee table. "You want to be civil with him, but a girl texting him bothered you?"

Lily's head jerks back. "No! I don't give a shit who texts him. It just reminded me who I was dealing with." She nods almost to herself. "That's all it was..and he's not giving me issues just...being his usual self I guess."

"So you don't like him because he's a player?" I sit back, a little shocked. "You must hate half the guys we know."

"It's...complicated. But not a big deal, honestly." She scoots a little away, and I can actually feel her trying to put a wall between us. Something she's never done with me before. "Anyway, what about you? Anything spicy to spill about Dominik?" She asks, her face lighting up with life again as if the past few minutes of conversation never happened.

I shrug and take a big gulp of my drink. "No. I mean maybe. I don't know." I sigh. "He kissed me a couple of days ago."

Lily's eyes double in size as she smiles wide. "Holy crap! How was it?"

I shrug while watching the dark liquid swirl at the bottom of my glass. "It would have been hot if I would have kissed him back." I tilt my head, thinking about the kiss. "Dominik did a hell of a try to make it heated. I stood there like a statue."

"Why? I mean, if you have to be married, why not just enjoy what you can?"

"Because, he's just trying to inflate his ego." I finish off my drink. "Dominik has no issues finding girls to be his plus one, two or threes and I know it drive him nuts that I could really not give a shit about him." I try to hide my smirk, thinking about the looks of irritation he throws me when he thinks I'm not paying attention. "He's just trying to get me to worship him like other girls do."

Lily nods. "Makes sense. I'm just saying...he's a good looking guy and he clearly wants you to enjoy it. So you might as well since you're stuck with him. Could be worse, you could've been paired with Diego Perez." She giggles a little. "Now that would have been a nightmare."

I snort. "God no. Thank you, Dad, for at least having that much foresight to see that would have been a hell of a bad idea. But you might be right about Dominik. I might as well enjoy it and-" I flash her a mischievous smile, "it might be worth seeing the shock on his face when he realizes I'm not the prude he thinks I am."

She returns the smile, showing that despite some of our physical differences, at least we resemble each other in some ways. "Oh, now that's going to be good. Boy is going to lose his damn mind."

I groan, needing more of a release than this drink in the greenhouse. "I'm itching to go to the Funhouse." Lily and I haven't gone to our underground gambling and worldly pleasures place in forever.

Lily's face lights up. "Yes!"

I can't hide my mischievous smirk. "Do you want to try and make a break for it on Saturday?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Lily answers dramatically, pretending to faint against the back of the loveseat with her hand to her head. "It's been too damn long. Plus, I have a class at Sugar Dolls late tomorrow night after studying, so I'll get some practice beforehand. I might not need the cash but I sure as hell need the outlet."

"Agreed. This shark needs to go sniffing for some blood in the water." I reach down and adjust the skirt of my dress. "From what Cash has told me, there's a bunch of amateurs wanting to take on the Hurricane." Little do those idiots know the Hurrican is a woman, much less myself.

Lily sits back up and fishes her phone out of her bra. "They'll regret that later but I'll text Romeo to get the word out."

"Great idea-"

Muffled noises behind us cut off our conversation and draw our attention to the commotion outside the greenhouse. Several of the dons and their seconds, including Dominik and Kwan, are dragging a man along the grass. The man is already beaten up pretty badly, tied, and gagged. Through the foliage, Dominik glances over and catches sight of me. A dark, serious look is plastered on his face.

"Someone's about to have a really bad day," I state before going to take another drink, but quickly realizing my glasses is empty. "I should have been invited to go with," I grumble and quickly fill my drink as I watch them drag the guy into the basement. "I'm going to be the Monroe don."

Lily pats my back. "Sure you are, sis."