Elias Lennox's eyes flickered with resentment at the words.
But the moment he thought of Theo Vale, he lowered his gaze again and stopped fighting it.
I watched him, a faint scorn surfacing in my eyes.
Elias was a gifted actor. In my past life I'd loved him to ruin, never once catching the patience and loathing he hid beneath the smooth Capo's calm.
Seeing that I said nothing, Arthur Marlowe tapped his signet ring twice against the long oak table and pressed me. "Miss Hale, who exactly did you choose? Name him early, so the Commission can prepare a fitting tribute for the man."
Even as he asked, his gaze had already settled on Elias.
I glanced, as if by chance, at Lucian Ashford sitting in the far corner of the room, and smiled.
"At the Family gathering in seven days, I'll announce the name of my successor."
A ripple of murmurs went through the room, and every eye drifted, deliberately or not, toward Elias.
Without a word between them, every Capo at the sit-down had already decided Elias was the one.
The gloom on Lucian's face deepened.
I said nothing more. In my heels, I walked out of the estate without a backward glance, the enforcers at the door stepping aside as I passed.
That Capo had been right. Everyone in the Five Families knew I'd loved Elias to the bone.
In my past life, I had thrown every resource the Hale name commanded into raising him up, laid my own place at the head of the Family into his hands, and willingly carried his child.
I never imagined that from beginning to end, the only one in his heart was Theo.
For her sake, Elias tore the Hale Family apart, sold us to a rival syndicate, drove my parents to their deaths, and killed both me and my unborn baby.
At the thought, my eyes stung. I took out my phone and sent Lucian a message.
He replied almost instantly. "I'm a mad dog that bites anyone in reach. Are you sure you want to hold my leash?"
I stared at his message, lost for a moment.
If Lucian was a mad dog that bit anyone in reach, then Elias was a white-eyed wolf who'd devour a person and not spit out the bones.
My gaze darkened. Without hesitation, I answered him.
"Yes."
Lucian didn't reply, and I thought nothing of it.
That evening, I attended the bidding, a gathering where the wealthiest names on our side of the territory came to test their standing against one another beneath the glitter of chandeliers and the low watchfulness of a hundred soldiers.
I hadn't expected to see Elias there, standing at the center of a crowd, soaking up their flattery like a man born to it.
The instant he saw me, his brow furrowed, displeasure flashing across his face.
"Miles Hale, are you following me?"
"I've already told you. I can name you my successor and hand you the Family, but I won't marry you."
"I, Elias Lennox, don't climb by riding a woman's skirts."
Just like in my past life, in front of others Elias always wore this aloof, cold façade.
As if he were the one being forced into the arrangement.
Yet without the Hale name behind him, Elias wouldn't even have qualified to set foot on this floor.
At his words, the eyes of the men and women around us shifted, again and again.
Almost in unison, their expressions took on a fawning cast, the way a room bends toward the man it believes will soon hold the power.
I nearly laughed from anger, and looked at him with something strange in my eyes.
"When did I ever say I was naming you my successor?"
Elias's tone was thick with contempt, his thumb sliding once along the underside of his signet ring.
"Miles, so now you've learned to play hard to get. But I'm not falling for it."
I couldn't be bothered to argue with him and turned to walk deeper into the hall.
Behind me, the whispers rose over the clink of glasses.
"I heard the Hale heiress spent ten years chasing after Elias like a lovesick girl. Isn't he giving her a little too much of a public snub?"
"Miles's humiliated in front of everyone and doesn't even fire back. Guess she really is head over heels for Elias…"
"So Elias must be the successor she's picked. We'd better hurry and get on his good side, before the Don's chair is his."
I stopped, just as I was about to set the rumors straight.
Out of nowhere, Theo came rushing over and slammed hard into me.
Before I could react, she was already on her knees, eyes brimming with tears, bowing her head to the floor before me.
"Miss Hale, I know you don't like me, but Elias and I really are just childhood friends. There's nothing between us at all."
