Page 29 of Scandal
“You’ve tried this before,” I say, staring her straight in the eye. “You tried to strong-arm me last time, and I left…for over a decade. Don’t think I won’t do the same. I have property and houses in other countries I can go to. This isn’t my only option.”
She looks away briefly, then turns back, her eyes glassy. “Your father is dying, Asher.”
Of all the things I thought she’d say next, I never expected that.
“What?”
“He was diagnosed with liver cancer last year, and he’s stopped responding to treatment.”
I feel like all the air in the room is slowly being sucked out. I may not entirely like the man, but he’s still my father. I don’t want him to…
“But he looks so healthy.” My voice is barely a whisper.
She nods. “He has good days and bad days. He’s only let you see him on the good ones.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “So you don’t just want me to come back and be your doting heir. You need me to take over.”
“Yes.”
Fuck.
This is why they’ve been so demanding. That’s why my father has been at my door every day, why my mother keeps talking about wives and responsibilities. Not just because I finally came home, but because they’re running out of time.
“What if I refuse?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Then the title will pass on to your second cousin, Rian Kerr, and you will be the first generation in over five hundred years of Knights to lose it.”
“No pressure, then?”
“We prepared you for this, Asher,” she says, raising her hands in frustration. “None of this should come as a surprise. It’s your destiny.”
“My destiny?” I scoff. “And what exactly were you going to do if I hadn’t happened to come home just now? If I’d gone on another tour or decided to make another album? How does destiny factor into any of that?”
She turns away, guilt smeared across her face. My mouth falls open. “Please don’t tell me you had anything to do with those pictures, Mum. If you did, I will walk out this door and never come back. I swear to?—”
“We didn’t!” She holds her hands up in surrender. “We didn’t. Greggory, your father’s press secretary, is a leech. He would have done almost anything to get you back here, but not that. We didn’t want that.”
“Of course not.” I shake my head. “Wouldn’t want to tarnish the family name any more than I already have. Can’t imagine it’s easy to find a proper girl to date your salacious son, especially when there’s evidence of it all over the internet.”
“Finding a willing woman isn’t the problem. It’s getting the parents on board that’s been the issue. But it helps that you’re rich,” my mother mutters.
I stare at her, eyes wide. “Are you even listening to yourself? I am not marrying some random woman to make you look good.”
She has the audacity to look offended. “She wouldn’t be random. Isobel comes from impeccable breeding and?—”
“No.” I shake my head. “I told you. I’m with Mercury, and that’s final.”
“And you’re sure about that?”
I frown. “Yes, why?”
“Because if you’re going to inherit this title soon, you need to step back into the spotlight. No more hiding.”
The very idea makes my heart race. “The whole reason I came back here was to get away from the spotlight. Now you want to shove me back into it?”
“We don’t have much time,” she says quietly. “Your father isn’t improving.”
I ignore the pain in my chest and the conflicting feelings swirling in my gut. “You act as if I’m inheriting the throne, Mother. Last time I checked, it’s just a title. There’s no real power behind it.”
