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Smoke drifts down over the bannister Calluazes up the staircase, confused

“What’s going on—”

“Never et out of here”

I start dragging him in the direction of the service kitchen, but I can’t quite take my own advice I cast one look back overat the head of the stairs, glaring after us with a murderous expression on his face

We sprint through the kitchen, knocking over a tray of canapés, then we’re out the door, back out on the lawn

“You find Sebastian, I’ll get Dante,” Nero says He abandons the blonde without a word, jogging off across the yard

I run in the opposite direction, looking for the tall, lanky shape of est brother

Inside the mansion, a fire alarm starts to wail

2

Callum Griffin

Nessa’s party starts in less than an hour, but I’m still holed up with gest rooer than the , because business is the center of our family—the core purpose of the Griffin clan I’m fairly certain my parents only had children so they could mold us into our various roles within their empire

They certainly meant to have more of us There’s four years between aps contain seven failed pregnancies, each ending in e or stillbirth

The weight of all thosechildren lays on my shoulders I’m the eldest and the only son The work of the Griffin men can only be done by acy

Riona would be irritated to hear me say that She’s infuriated by any intimation that there’s a difference between us because I’e her name Or bear children, either That part really pisses my parents off

Nessa is much more pliable She’s a people-pleaser, and she wouldn’t do anything to annoy dear old Mo fantasy world She’s so sweet and tender-hearted that she doesn’t have the tiniest clue what it takes to keep this family in power So she’s pretty much useless