The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy

by Melissa Devenport

  With that, Pearl stood up from the bed, glared at her younger sister one last time and left the room. The door slammed shut behind her and Lily groaned at the thought of having to move. She had closed the curtains the other night and they hadn’t been opened since. She didn’t want to face the world, she didn’t want to face reality.

  If I’m doomed to be miserable forever then why make an effort? I just want to stay curled up in bed. They’ve won. Can’t they just be happy with my misery?

  After another hour ticked by, Lily decided it was time to start getting ready. They may have forced her against her will, but they didn’t need to see the pain they had put her in. She wouldn’t give them that satisfaction just yet.

  Pulling open the curtain, she took of Van’s shirt for the first time. There was the faintest scent of him still upon the shirt so she refused to put it in her laundry pile, instead hanging it neatly in the wardrobe. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw how the last days had affected her. She had dark rings under her eyes and they were swollen and bloodshot from crying. Her hair was a knotted frizzy mess and her skin was unusually pale.

  “Pull yourself together,” she told her reflection.

  The bruise from when Vincent grabbed her arm was still visible, but she reckoned a bit of concealer would do the trick in hiding it. If her sister wanted to bury her head in the sand then Lily would just have to oblige with covering the darker side of her future husband.

  The shower was warm as it streamed down her body. She could feel her muscles relaxing as she lathered soap onto her skin. It felt good to be clean again even if she wasn’t in the mood for anything but sleeping. Afterwards she ran a washcloth under the cold water before sitting on the toilet seat with her head back and the washcloth covering her eyes. After ten minutes she checked out the results in the mirror and the bloodshot and swollenness had disappeared. The dark circles had slightly faded but once again she would leave it down to makeup to finish the job. Her teeth brushed and her face washed, she headed back into her bedroom to tackle the nest on her head. It was a rather painful experience but she finally managed to brush the tangles out before setting to work with a hairdryer and straightener. Lily decided to rid herself of her usual carefree waves and let her hair fall pin-straight. She was just finishing up when the guards called through the door that there was a delivery for her.

  Lily stood up and opened the door wide, as a lady came bustling in with a garment bag. She hung the bag in the walk-in wardrobe before bowing out the room. One of the guards checked Lily was safely contained in her room before closing the door and giving her privacy back to get ready. Lily cautiously wandered up to the bag and slowly unzipped it. She dreaded to think what her sister had picked out, if it was anything like the dress she had worn on her first date. Lily was surprised to see the designer gown on the hanger. It was crafted from a silk-blend, the satin fabric draped from padded shoulders with a plunging neckline that met at the waist in a crystal-embellished buckle. It was secured with a series of press studs, the fabric spit again at the upper thigh, spilling down the length of the leg to the floor. Although revealing, it had built-in briefs which ensured she didn’t unveil too much accidentally. Lily looked at herself in the mirror and thought that her sister had actually made an effort in picking a dress, that made her look elegant rather than slutty.

  Along with the dress were a pair of heels. They featured a sleek suede upper in a flattering two-strap design. Perched atop a metal toothpick heel, they featured a pair of metallic wings in silver leather, carefully laser-cut for a light finish. They matched the belt of the dress perfectly and added that extra touch of class to her appearance.

  Lily was about to leave the room when she noticed a small bulge at the bottom of the garment bag. She reached inside and pulled out a box. Upon opening the box she saw a typed letter.

  To match your engagement ring ~ Vincent.

  Lily felt nauseous as her attention was drawn back to the sparkling gem on her finger. She wanted to tear it off and toss it down the toilet to rot in the sewers along with her dreams, but she knew that she would be expected to wear it constantly now. Lily carefully reached into the box and pulled out the necklace. It was an exquisite halo of diamond pavév dancing around a single diamond like a radiant light. The 18k white gold pendant was prong set with a stunning heart shaped diamond solitaire. The diamond was internally flawless and sparkled in the overhead lighting. Lily fastened it around her neck before crumpling the note from Vincent into a ball and tossing it in the trash can as she walked back into her room.

  Sitting in front of the mirror, she put a lightweight moisturizer onto her face before getting to work with the concealer. It appeared to make the dark circles disappear. The dress seemed to cover most of her physical marks. An extensive makeup later and Lily could barely recognize the woman staring back at her in the mirror. She knew she needed the mask to convince everyone around her that she wasn’t hurt. Inside or out.

  There was a knocking on the door before Joe came striding into the room. He was in his usual attire of a suit, but he had clearly had the guys give his shoes an extra polish before the party got started. He glanced around the room before finally finding the courage to make eye-contact with his younger sister.

  “Are you ready to go? Everyone is waiting downstairs and Vincent should be arriving soon. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you’re safe.”

  Without thinking, Lily reached out and grabbed her brother’s hand before he could leave the room. He blinked in surprise before looking at her.

  “Why are you letting her do this, Joe? Why are you letting Pearl force me to marry this man?”

  Joe stared her down, “It’s just business, Lily. If you had stayed around to do your part instead of running off to join the army, you would realize we all have to make sacrifices to survive in this world. Plus I think Pearl is scared of losing you again. This is her way of tying you down.”

  “Tying me down?” Lily sneered, “If she wanted me to stay, all she had to do was talk to me like a human! Not threaten to kill everyone I know! And why him? He’s insane and cruel. Please don’t make me marry him.”

  “I’m not going against Pearl,” Joe pulled his hand from her hold, “He may be a bit of a tyrant when it comes to his leadership of the crew, but he’s assured us that you will be looked after. He says you get anything you point at and that he will care for you. We have no reason to believe he is lying, and you need to get it into your head now that there isn’t any other options. I suggest we get down to the party now before your sister comes up. She won’t be happy at either of us if we are not there for Vincent’s arrival. Now come along.”

  Joe turned on his heel and strode out the room. Lily stood for a second in shocked silence before bowing her head low and following him. The guards grunted as they walked past before following her down the stairs. They wouldn't leave her side for a second as she made her way through the house and out into the large garden where the party was being held. Pearl waved her over and Lily headed over to her where she was seated at the head table. Pearl was talking to some of her men, but she reached under the table and gripped Lily’s thigh tightly as a silent threat.

  “I’ve got the call that Vincent is running a couple of minutes late. That works for me as we have some ground rules to discuss for this party,” she waved the other men off with her hand, “To begin with, I expect you to treat Vincent with courtesy and caring. He has shown nothing but love for you and you have tossed it back into his face. Secondly, there will be no mention of your adventures to him or anyone else attending this party. I would be surprised if he isn’t already aware, but he doesn’t need to think his future wife is a little whore sneaking around behind his back. It was hardly subtle, the clothes you arrived back to the house in. And finally, you are to speak as little as possible. I’ve told Vincent it would be wise if he took the lead when it comes to discussion with others and for your introduction as a couple to the world. He had no issue with this and I only
hope you can respect this deal and keep that mouth of yours shut today. Do you understand everything? Oh, and it should go without saying that you are not to leave this party for any reason. If I even suspect you’re sneaking away, I’ll have one of the servants killed in front of you. Their blood will be on your hands.”

  Lily gulped as the severity of the situation was once again thrust upon her. She stared out across the party at the gathering of people chatting at their tables. They seemed oblivious to the suffering of the bride-to-be at the front of it all. Lily nodded her acknowledgment to her sister’s requests before signaling for a waiter to come over. She quickly put in her drink order.

  I’m definitely going to need a drink if I’m going to have to handle Vincent King tonight. I’m going to have to stand by his side and grin and take every little thing he says. I should be getting an Oscar for the acting I will be putting on to look like his happy fiance. But I must. For Jin’s, the servants, Van and every other person who is at risk here.

  The drink arrived quickly and Lily was sipping at it when her sister elbowed her.

  “Look, there’s Vincent. Stand up and go to him, stupid child. Remember everyone must be convinced of your love for one another, especially him. You have a lot of making up to do.”

  Lily took a deep breath before forcing herself to her feet. She let them carry them over to where Vincent was standing. The crowd’s eyes were upon them, expectantly. He leaned in close to her ear.

  “Now, you’re mine.”

  The words sent shivers running up her spine but before she could do anything, his lips were upon hers. She had to fight her instincts to shove him back but instead she let his mouth smother her. The kiss went on for a couple of seconds before she pulled back, sure that the crowd had been convinced enough for the time being. The smile he gave her was not from caring, it was from winning. The corners of his mouths twisted up in the corner giving the impression of a snarl rather than a grin.

  “Your sister is waiting,” he put a hand onto her lower back and led her back to the main table where Pearl was smiling.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Vincent. I really must apologize for my sister’s behavior last time. She was feeling sick,” she offered her hand.

  He shook it vigorously before smirking, “Yes, she was so sick that she did a disappearing act on both of us before returning in another man’s shirt. It leads me to wonder what kind of medicine she received while she was missing.”

  The smile on Pearl’s face disappeared within an instant, “It won’t happen again. I have no idea what came over her. Lily, explain yourself, please.”

  Lily turned to look at the still grinning man, “I apologize, Vincent. I was not thinking straight and I went to stay at a friend’s. I’m just so excited to be marrying you, my stomach took a turn for the worse.”

  Vincent hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up at him, “I told you to call me Vince. And it won’t happen again, I’m very sure of that. Just remember, you’re mine now and no one else’s. I can tell we are going to be fine together after you stay in place.”

  She let him peck her on the lips before they both took their seats at the table. Every touch he laid on her skin made her crawl and itch. The kissing made her nauseous and even the thought of food right now made her want to hurl across the table. Vincent turned to talk with Joe on the other side of him while Pearl went back to talking to the men she was dealing with earlier, leaving Lily to her own. She stared up at the blue sky, it was starting to get an orange tint as evening drew closer, but for the time being it was cloudless and warm. Once again she felt close to Van, knowing he was under the same sky as her. She just wished he was the one by her side. She looked down at the rock on her ring finger. Lily had thought about the day when she would be engaged. She imagined it to be romantic and heartfelt, but instead she had been used as a business deal and the ring had been bought by a personal assistant, instead of the man himself.

  “Hey, you must be Lily Romano.”

  Lily was stirred from her thoughts by a full-figure woman standing on the other side of the table. She shook the woman’s hand before responding.

  “Yes, that’s me. Sorry, we haven’t been introduced. You are?”

  “This is my personal assistant, Rosaline,” Vincent interrupted, “I’m glad you two have met because you need to figure out the final details of the wedding. Rosaline is very special to me.”

  He winked across at his personal assistant and Lily was both surprised and disgusted to see her blushing. She stared daggers at the Vincent’s bride-to-be before plastering a fake smile back onto her face.

  “I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends by the end of this. I’dd better take my seat, it looks like dinner is being served. It was nice to meet you and I will catch up with you later.”

  Rosaline flicked her long hair over her shoulder before striding back to her seat. She was wearing a tight-fitting sleeveless dress. Her curves were clearly unnatural and everything about her screamed plastic.

  And she’s clearly fucking my husband-to-be. Great, she can have him as long as I don’t catch any sexually transmitted diseases in the process. I’m quite happy to let him get his goods from somewhere else, if he could only leave me alone. I’m sure he’ll soon get bored of me and go back to whatever woman he has on the side.

  The appetizer was lobster tails with a New England-style cracker and crab meat stuffing served on a bed of rocket leaves. Lily picked at her food before making a grab for her drink. She preferred the liquid courage to anything served to her on a plate at the moment. Vincent noticed and grinned at her before giving her hand a squeeze.

  “You’re going to need a lot more to drink if you’re going to keep up tonight.”

  “Vince, please. Can we just wait until our wedding night?” Lily pleaded.

  “Didn’t Pearl talk to you?” his face turned serious, “I say jump and you say how high. It’s not a difficult concept. I’ve been waiting for you since the day I met you at that party and I’m not willing to wait any longer. You will be having sex with me tonight, one way or another.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “It’s a promise, sweetheart. You don’t stay in my line of business without the power of persuasion. Maybe I should get you another drink?”

  He waved the waiter over who soon replaced her empty glass. Lily stared at the vodka and cranberry before politely taking a sip. Vincent smiled and slapped her on the back.

  “No, that’s the spirit. Oh look, the mains are being served. Make sure you eat up so you have energy for the pounding you’ll be getting later.”

  Lily looked at the man next to her in disgust. Once again she resisted the urge to slap him and instead concentrated on the food being placed in front of her. The main dish was a filet mignon with rich balsamic glaze served with steamed asparagus and baby red potatoes. The meat had been cooked to perfection and melted in her mouth, but the discussion earlier had left her feeling sour. The only reason she managed to finish the entire plate was due to his hawk-eyes upon her. She had just placed her napkin on the table when she heard a clinking and looked up to see Vincent towering above her. Hastily, she was handed a champagne flute by one of the waiters and she gazed up at the man drawing the crowd’s attention.

  “To begin with, I would like to thank all of you for coming here today. It may have come as quite a surprise to everyone to know that the Kings and the Romanos would be uniting. I am very eager to step into the future expansion of both our businesses and see what it has to offer however, for now, I am most eager to marry the love of my life, Miss Lily Romano.”

  There was a small eruption of clapping around the tables. Lily felt her stomach churn as she heard the words leave his mouth.

  “Although we have only known each other for a short while, we knew we were destined to be together from the moment we met at Lily’s homecoming party. It may seem like we are rushing into things but I don’t think they’re going fast enough. I can’t wait t
o have this woman by my side for the rest of my life. So please everyone, raise a glass to the future Mrs. King.”

  There was an eruption of cheering and clapping as everyone toasted their engagement. Lily took the tiniest sip from her glass before placing it back onto the table. She forced herself to smile graciously as he sat back down next to her.

  “Now everyone knows and there will be no escaping. You won’t be able to sneak off again without someone watching you. You’re all mine,” he whispered into her ear.

  Before she could respond, the dessert was served. Brown sugar Pavlova with caramelized peaches took pride of place on the plate. With eyes upon her, she forced it down but the sweetness overload had her stomach doing flips. She could contain it no longer and looked over to her sister.

  “I need to use the bathroom, Pearl. I really don’t feel well.”

  “You’re not worming your way out of this. The guards will escort you to your bathroom but you’re coming straight back after. If you’re not back within twenty minutes I will have you forcibly removed. Don’t test me, Lily,” she snarled back.

  Pearl signaled for the guards and they came rushing over. Lily excused herself from the table and they made their way back into the house and upstairs. She quickly rushed to the bathroom where she held her head over the sink. No matter how much she tried, nothing would come out so she quickly splashed water over her face, careful not to smudge her makeup. Lily was about to make her way back to the party when she heard her bedroom door open.

  “It’s not been twenty minutes, Pearl!” she called over her shoulder as she dried herself, “I’m coming down now.”

  “Why come down when the party is right here?”

  Lily felt her arms prickle at the sound of his voice. She turned to see Vincent standing in the doorway smiling at her. Lily forced her way past him and was about to make it to the door when his hand gripped tightly around her arm.