by Kayla Myles
If I was going to trace the moment this mansion stopped feeling like home, I’d probably trace it back to that day. A bitter taste in my mouth always rose up whenever I remembered it. How my good-for-nothing father pissed away my mother’s money and left his family behind, taking one of the most important heirlooms of the Drake Family with him. And when the storm passed, and the clouds dissipated in the sky, so did my mother, who died from a broken heart.
I was 15 when she passed, and I was suddenly thrust into the responsibility of caring for my siblings. My grandfather was too distraught over the death of his daughter, that he drank his sorrows and neglected the business. The partners and stockholders grew frantic, so I had to cast away my youth and put myself out there, determined not to abandon my family.
Eventually my grandfather got over his slump, but no matter how many times he tried to mend our relationship, I just couldn’t forgive him for allowing the full burden to ride on my shoulders. Back then, all I knew was that he gave up on me, and my brothers, at the moment we needed him most.
The experience may have turned me into one of the best goddamn business moguls in the country, but the damage had been done, and I could never get that part of my life back.
“Hunter. I was expecting you to arrive a bit later,” I turned around and looked at my grandfather, standing over by the stairs wearing a crisp suit and tie, his grey hair immaculately styled even when he was in his own home.
A closer look at him and I suddenly realized why he called. Rowan Drake was getting along in years, and it showed. Despite his kingly stance, his impeccable posture, and stiff gait as he climbed down the steps to shake my hand like I was some stranger, it was obvious he couldn’t keep up the charade for long. His breathing was a little labored, his bottom lip quivering a bit, and the white rims of his irises indicated his vision was going.
Nevertheless, I answered him with a lazy drawl, shutting off any and all pity I felt for him.
“The earlier I come here, the earlier we get this over with,” I said. His eyes lowered unhappily at my answer. I dismissed it with a shrug. If he thought it was going to be a touching reunion between us after all these years, then he’s got another thing coming.
“Let’s talk in my office,” he said, going down towards the parlor.
I was about to follow him in there when I heard the sound of someone stomping down the stairs behind me.
“Hunter!” I heard someone cry out my name, and I turned around and smiled as River came down in cleats and soccer gear. I chuckled as my youngest brother ambushed me with a hug, despite him almost reaching my chin. The way he was acting, you’d think he was younger than a 16-year-old.
“Hey, sport. Why so excited?” I said, chortling, and he pulled away from me.
“It’s been a while since I saw you. I guess I got a little excited,” he said, embarrassed. I raised my hand up and messed his hair like I was petting a huge Great Dane.
“A little?” I parroted, and he punched me on the shoulder.
“Logan told me you brought a pretty girl with you to his launching party. Is that true?” he asked.
That Logan, ever the gossiper. “Yeah, it’s true. Why do you ask?”
“Nothing. I’m just really happy for you. I’m glad you finally have someone to care for you,” he said, grinning.
“Thanks, kid,” I said. “Now, let me go. Your Grandfather is waiting.”
“He’s your grandfather, too,” River called and I rolled my eyes.
“Please sit down, Hunter,” he said, waving his hand over to the seats in front of his desk.
“No thanks. I’d rather stand,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Are you really going to act like this every time you’re around me?” he said, despondent. I merely looked at him with eyebrows cocked and he sighed. “I heard about you closing another deal this month, and about opening a branch in Melbourne. Congratulations. Well done,” he praised.
“I didn’t do it for you,” I said automatically.
“No, of course not. I just wanted to commend you. You’ve been doing great things for the company ever since you stepped up—,”
“Which is more than I can say for you at the time, if we’re going to be honest about it,” I added darkly, making him lower his head.
“Yes, that is true,” he sighed, closing his eyes tiredly. “Hunter, I know I failed to take care of you all, and I’ve regretted it since. I let the death of your mother, my daughter, affect me so much that I had forgotten she had left her four sons with me. I’m truly sorry I forced those responsibilities on you.”
“My time is near, Hunter. I can feel it in my bones that it won’t be long until I see Clara again. The Estate needs someone to hold it together. Your brothers need a stable foundation to hang on to. Logan, as brilliant as he is, is not yet ready to take the reins. They need you, son. You must lead them.”
I stared at him with fists clenched, my jaw taut, and my eyes steely. No. I couldn’t accept this at all. After all these years of waiting for him to grovel, to beg for mercy, to hear how sorry he is for leaving me to the wolves to fend for myself, he gives me this? A flimsy apology and an order to lift the burden on his shoulders?
“You bastard,” I hissed, my eyes burning with hatred. “You’re doing the exact same thing you did to me when my mother died.”
“Hunter, please,” he begged, his plea coming out in a choked whisper.
“Save your own company yourself. I’m through anchoring your ass so you could relax.”
I walked out of there brimming with rage, slamming the door behind me. I was so caught up with what happened that I didn’t notice Logan getting out of his car until he cornered me, blocking my way to my own.
“Brother, what’s the matter?” he asked, seeing the fury in my face immediately, he looked back at the house, quickly figuring out why I was so upset. “I know a place nearby. Let’s talk,” he said, not taking no for an answer.
I took one last look at the mansion before getting in, and watched it fade away in the distance as we sped away.
Chapter 19
Jamie
I looked at my clock and couldn’t believe how much I missed Hunter already. It had only been a couple hours since he went to see his grandfather, and I was missing him already. He didn’t tell me any of the details, but it was obvious they didn’t get along well. I wonder if it had something to do with that portrait he was looking for.
I sat up on my bed and crossed my legs, deep in thought. I asked him if he found what he was looking for back at the auction, and he said no. I couldn’t help but keep wondering what it looked like, and maybe I could ask around for it? I mean, I did work at an auction house, and I could’ve reached out to our connections there.
I really want to do something special for him, and this seems like the perfect idea, I thought to myself.
I only needed some information, and maybe a picture of the item, and I knew just the person who can give it to me.
I scrolled through my contacts and dialed the appropriate number, hoping I wasn’t calling her at a bad time.
The receiver picked up and I greeted her brightly.
“Hello, Lark? It’s me, Jamie…”
I explained to her what I was going to do, and she was eager to help me out, sending me a couple of pictures of the portrait, and telling me the date when it went missing and the name of it. And then I set to work calling everyone I knew.
***
“Oh, that’s too bad. But can you please keep me updated if you find anything? Thanks, I owe you one…bye,” I said, feeling crestfallen as I hung up the phone. I sighed. I got a couple of promising leads about where it could be, but not one of them had the portrait. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, and I was so close to burning the whole barn just to get it over with.
“Maybe I should bake something. That always makes me feel better,” I murmured to myself before jumping off the bed and stretchi
ng my arms up in the air. Yeah, that would probably be best, and Hunter really liked eating my cookies…
I was busy mixing the flour when Mrs. Blossom entered the kitchen, holding a basket of fresh linen sheets under one arm.
“Mrs. Blossom, would you like some help with that?” I offered, putting the bowl down immediately.
“Oh no, this is nothing. Are you making those for Hunter?” she asked kindly.
“Yeah. I was feeling a bit stressed out, so I’m taking the edge off,” I admitted, going back to my mixing.
“Oh, what is it? Is something the matter?” she asked, concerned.
“I was just…,” I sighed, dropping the bowl on the counter again. “I just really wanted to find that portrait Hunter’s looking for. I thought I would be able to find it easily with my connections, but it didn’t turn up, and now I’m just disappointed I couldn’t find it for him.”
“You really care about him, don’t you?” she said, looking at me affectionately.
“I do,” I said, blushing pink. “I’m only realizing it now.”
“Well, dear, let me give you a piece of advice,” she said, holding me with her hands and squishing my face slightly. “Something worthwhile takes a lot of work and incredible patience,” she said, and I frowned at her revelation.
“It’s Hunter’s grandmother you’re looking for. He’s looking for her portrait?” she said.
“I didn’t know it was his grandmother…,” I trailed off.
“Yes, dear. It’s his grandmother’s name. ‘Clara Louise’.”
“She was a very beautiful woman up until she died. She doted on Hunter so much when he was little, and he loved her very much.”
“So that’s why this portrait is so important to him,” I said, my stomach fluttering as I thought about how warm Hunter’s heart was. “But do you know why it went missing in the first place?”
Mrs. Blossom’s looked down at the floor, growing a little despondent at my question.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful to remember,” I said quickly, but she raised her hand and shook it.
“No, dear. Perhaps it is about time you knew what happened,” she said, pulling out the high chair from the island and sitting down, folding her hands over her lap before beginning her story.
“Clara Gandy was a very intelligent woman, and very much ahead of her time. She met Rowan Drake, Hunter’s grandfather, and together they started a business that soon became one of the most profitable companies in the country. With her brilliant mind and Rowan’s determination and keen flare for business and marketing, their wealth prospered, and after the birth of their only daughter, Emilia, their life was finally complete.
Emilia was bright and frivolous, too innocent with the ways of the world, and thought only the good in it. It was because of this blind faith that she met and fell in love with Hunter’s father. Clara and Rowan didn’t like him one bit, but they couldn’t convince their daughter otherwise.
Clara dearly loved all of her grandchildren, and she set about leaving them each one of her worldly treasures once they were old enough. Since she didn’t trust Emilia’s husband one bit, she hid the treasures in a few places, and when Hunter was old enough, and she was nearing death’s door, she told Hunter his treasure lied with a painting of herself.
Unfortunately, Emilia’s husband found out about it, and since Rowan wouldn’t give him anymore access to Emilia’s money, he left the estate, towing the portrait and other treasures with him. Emilia was so distraught that the man she loved betrayed her by stealing from the family, that she died not too long after, leaving her sons under the care of her father. But Rowan couldn’t stop grieving over the loss of his wife Clara, and now his daughter too, and the company began to crumble. Hunter had no choice but to try and takeover and do what his grandfather should’ve done to protect them.”
The whole story left me completely gob smacked. I didn’t know there was so much history behind Hunter’s past, and now I understood why he was that way. His heart had hardened from everything, and it was difficult for him to open up.
“It’s so sad. I can’t believe he had to go through so much at such a young age,” I said.
“Yes, but now he has you Jaime, he is not alone in this anymore, he has found someone he can trust and believe in.
Chapter 20
Hunter
“Want another?” Logan asked, holding the bottle aloft. I shook my head, covering my glass with the palm of my hand.
We were sitting by the counter at a bar near the estate. It’s where Logan took me so I could tell him everything that happened.
“No. Jamie’s there and I don’t want to go home drunk,” I said. He snickered and shook his head at me like he doesn’t recognize me at all.
“Do you hear yourself? Do you hear the way you’re talking?” Logan asked, tilting his head. “You actually sound like a different person right now.”
“I don’t think I’ve changed a lot,” I protested lightly.
“But you admit that you are changing,” Logan stated, making me shrug. “It’s because of that girl, isn’t it? The girl you brought to my party.”
“I still haven’t known her long, Logan. God knows it’s only been a few weeks since we met. But there’s just something about her that…holds me together. Like she can see through all my fronts and soothe my pain,” I said, getting lost in my thoughts of her.
“Huh. You make me wonder, Brother, if I’ll ever find someone who’ll put a spark in my eyes like that,” Logan mused, and I clapped him on the shoulder.
“If it happened to me, Logan, it’ll happen to you,” I assured him. “Out of all of us, I would say you’re the most decent one Logan. I’ll see you later.”
I took out my wallet and paid for our drinks before leaving.
“I think you’re wrong about that,” Logan murmured.
***
When I got back home, Jamie was sitting by the counter waiting for me, a cute smile on her face as she swung her legs back and forth. I smirked back and caged her in my arms, feeling something different about her. Her cheeks reddened and she turned her head away.
“What?” I asked, trying to make eye contact with her.
“Nothing. I’m just glad you are home,” she said.
Home. I noticed she’s grown accustomed to calling my place her home now. I realized further in that moment that my place became a home to me was when she started living in it.
“So, I have something to tell you again,” she started, biting her lip nervously.
“Oh, really? What is it?” I asked, giving her my full attention.
“Well, I’ve been calling the people I know from different auction houses since this afternoon, asking them if they have any idea where your grandmother’s portrait is—,”
“You what?” I exclaimed, surprised.
“—and I got a couple of leads I’m going to try to check tomorrow and oh my God, please don’t be mad at me for butting into your personal life,” she said quickly, shutting her eyes tightly like she expected me to yell at her.
“I’m not mad,” I said, in shock from her efforts. She popped one of her eyes open and stared at me.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m surprised,” I admitted. “I’ve never had someone do something important for me without me ordering them to do it.”
She blushed crimson at my explanation.
“Well, I wanted to do it for you. I couldn’t let you do all the work in this relationship,” she said, shrugging. “I mean, I want to help you too.”
This girl was unbelievable.
I stared at her unblinkingly for a while, still unsure if she was being real.
“Um, Hunter? Are you—,”
I cut her off again, using my mouth to cover hers and meshed our tongues together. She tasted like cookie dough again, and she smelled like apples and cinnamon.
She wrapped her ar
ms around my neck and responded to my kiss, pulling my tongue back into my mouth with her own so she could do her own exploration. I dropped my hands to her waist until I was cupping her buttocks, squeezing them before picking her up and putting her against me, forcing her to wrap her legs around my waist.
I anchored her head with my hand while I kept a firm grip on her ass with the other, and then I walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. It was perilous to kiss and climb on the stairs, but we managed it beautifully. She reached behind her and managed to turn the knob of my bedroom door until it swung open and we went inside.
I kicked off my shoes while still kissing her, and I pushed her down on the bed, crawling on top of her. We pulled away from each other so I could take my shirt off, and she cradled my head softly with her hands, her eyes half-lidded and hazy.
“You taste like alcohol,” she whispered, licking her lips as she stared at my mouth.
“Do you hate it?” I whispered back, pecking her lips slightly. She shook her head, rubbing her fingers against my bottom lip.
“I think I’m getting drunk from it,” she said. I pulled her top off and slipped my fingers underneath her bra, feeling her soft breasts, and pebbling her nipples with my fingers until she shivered from my touch.
I fiddled with the lock on her bra straps while she kneaded the muscles on my shoulders and chest, her fingers working their magic enough to make me groan. I finally released the clasp and she slipped her bra off her arms, her breasts jiggling as she leaned upward. I cupped them with my hands reverently, admiring them.
“You’re perfect for me,” I whispered, lowering my head to lick at her nipple before blowing on it, the cold making her push up and quiver. I took it in my mouth and warmed it with my breath and tongue while I fondled the other breast, massaging it the way she massaged me.