The Reluctant Bride (Arranged Marriage #1)(2)

The knowing look on her face is obvious. She’s just as ruthless as Winston. Swear to God that’s where he got it from, not Dad.

Clearing his throat, Winston sits up straight, resting his arms on top of the table. “Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get down to business.”

“Winston,” Mother murmurs.

I frown at the both of them. “What exactly is this business we’re discussing this early in the morning anyway?”

Mother clears her throat as well, glancing over at Winston before she turns her attention on me. “It has to do with…you.”

I frown. “What about me?”

“Perry, darling. You’re not getting any younger.” Her expression is dour, as if she’s discussing something that displeases her. “It’s time for you to settle down.”

I snort. So does Winston.

“I’m only twenty-four,” I remind her. “Winston didn’t marry until he was forty.”

“Thirty-nine,” he corrects.

“Whatever,” I say to him, returning my attention to our mother. “There’s no one I want to settle down with anyway, so I can’t.”

“Ah, but you can.” Her smile is serene. “I’ve found someone for you, Perry. And you’re going to absolutely adore her.”

Wait a minute.

Back the fuck up.

“You’ve found someone for me?” My frown deepens. “What exactly do you mean?”

The room is quiet. Not even my brother says anything, which isn’t normal.

“Jesus, just cut to the chase. Put him out of his misery. I have a call to take in—” Winston checks his watch. “—twenty minutes.”

“Winston, please.” Mother sighs, her hand fluttering around her face. As if she’s…

Nervous?

“If you don’t tell him, I will,” my brother growls, his gaze cutting to mine, his lips parting as if he’s about to speak.

But she beats him to the punch.

“You’re going to marry her,” Mother says, her voice so quiet I almost don’t hear her. “It’s already been decided.”

Say the fuck what?

I can’t help it.

I start to laugh, because this is unbelievable.

“Great joke, really.” I glance at the both of them. Mother appears anxious. Winston seems frustrated—and even sympathetic.

And he’s never sympathetic. Especially toward me.

My laughter dies, and I sober up fast. “You’re serious.”

Mother nods at Winston who picks up a slim black folder I didn’t even notice and offers it to me. “All the details are in here,” he says.

I snatch the folder from his fingers and drop it on the table with a loud slap, flipping it open to find a thick stack of papers full of legal jargon and a bunch of bullshit. I see my name.

I see the name of my…

Future fucking bride?

Charlotte Lancaster.

“Oh hell no.” I lift my head to find them already watching me. “The Lancasters are fucking lunatics.”

There are a bunch of Lancasters all over this city, but if she’s the one I’m thinking of, I’m not too far off the mark. Blonde—they’re all blonde. Pretty—they’re all that too. Sheltered.

Batshit crazy thanks to her overprotective father who won’t let her out of his sight.

Or maybe he keeps watch on her because she’s batshit crazy? I’m not too sure.

“They are one of the oldest, most established families in the country,” Mother says, putting on her dignified airs. “The Lancasters are extremely wealthy, and very well connected.”

“They’re also a bunch of assholes,” I mutter.

The Lancaster men are notorious for their rude behavior. They just flat out don’t give a shit—and they don’t have to. They’ve been running this world for hundreds of years.

Mother doesn’t acknowledge my statement, which I’m sure she knows is true. “It’s a power move, merging the two families.”

“Why do I have to be involved with this power move?”

“You’re all that I have left. Everyone else is taken. Your younger brother has his fiancée. Winston is married. There is no other male in this family who is single, and when Reginald Lancaster came to me with the idea, I couldn’t resist.” Mother smiles warmly, as if she hasn’t a care in the world. As if she hasn’t asked me to completely change my life and marry some woman I don’t even know. “You’re going to marry her.”

“What does she even look like? How old is she?” I can’t even believe I’m contemplating this. And from the sharp glance Winny just gave me, I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.

“There’s a photo of her in the back of the folder, behind the contract,” Winny bites out. “She’s twenty. She has three brothers, and they’re all assholes.”

“Winston,” Mother chastises.

“What? You know it’s true. Even that youngest one who’s still in high school. I hear Crew Lancaster is the biggest asshole of all. As bad as Whit,” Winston says.

Everyone knows Whit Lancaster. He’s a complete dick who’s the oldest of Augustus Lancaster’s children. And Augustus is the oldest son of the oldest Lancaster of many generations. They’re the elite branch of the family.