I tighten my grip on my phone and take a calming breath.

“Hannah, you promised we’d go together. This is the third time this month you’ve canceled on me at the very last second. Couldn’t you at least have given me proper notice?”

The phone rustles, and Hannah sighs.

“I’m sorry, Ares. I really wanted to be there tonight, you know that. I wanted to support Raven and be there with you, but I just can’t get away. I need to reshoot some scenes, and things just haven’t been going very well.”

“It’s always the same excuses, Hannah. I’m trying to be as supportive as I can, but you’re making it really difficult. I can’t always be the one making compromises.”

“I know,” she says softly. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Is this because you don’t want to be seen or photographed with me? Hannah, we’re getting married in a month. Don’t forget our agreement. The moment we’re married, we’re taking our relationship public, so what’s the harm in us being photographed together tonight?”

“Ares, it isn’t that. I promise. I’m taking so much time off for the wedding that I really want to work extra hard to make up for it. I don’t want to be the reason production falls behind schedule.”

I run a hand through my hair and look up at the ceiling.

“I get it,” I tell her, defeated.

And I do understand it, but I’m starting to lose hope that things will ever change.

I used to think I was the luckiest out of all my siblings. Dion never speaks to his fiancée, and my other siblings don’t even know who they’ll be marrying yet. I was the only one lucky enough to fall in love with the girl my grandmother chose for me long before we were supposed to get married.

Yet lately, this doesn’t feel like a love match anymore, and I’m not feeling very lucky.

Everything feels mechanical and forced, and the excitement we should feel about our upcoming wedding is missing.

“She isn’t coming, is she?”

I look up to find one of my younger brothers, Lex, leaning against the doorway.

His expression is carefully blank, but his eyes betray his annoyance.

My first instinct is to defend Hannah, but I just don’t have it in me today.

“Nope.”

“It’s going to be annoying going without a date. You know what women are like at these kinds of events. You’ll get harassed all night long. I wish I could’ve made it.”

I shake my head.

“It’s fine. You have an early flight to catch, don’t you? Besides, you hate the entertainment industry.”

Lex is in charge of Windsor Motors, and if I remember correctly, he’ll be unveiling our newest electric car soon.

Each of us runs a different division of the Windsor empire.

I handle our entertainment companies, Lexington oversees motor vehicles, Sierra handles real estate, Zane manages our hotels, Luca handles asset management, and Dion oversees all our foreign holdings.

Between the six of us, we practically run all of Windsor Corp, dominating far more of the market than most people realize.

“I’ll be fine,” I tell my brother. “It’s just a fashion show. I’ve sponsored plenty of them. I’ll make an appearance and leave.”

Lex smiles at me.

“Raven will be there, so you’ll survive. She’s the star of the show tonight. I don’t know how, but she just keeps getting more and more beautiful. I really wish I could’ve made it.”

I tense involuntarily and narrow my eyes at Lexington.

Since when does he think Raven is beautiful?

She’s always been like a little sister to all of us.

Has the way he sees her changed?

“How do you know she’s going to be there tonight?”

Come to think of it, they recently went to an art gallery together, just the two of them.

Is something going on between them?

He smirks and holds up his phone.

“I spoke to her earlier today.”

What?

She almost always declines my calls, but she has time to talk to Lex?

Lex chuckles, his gaze unreadable.

“Tell Raven I said hi, will you?”

I nod, fully aware that I’ll do no such thing.

Something about the idea of Lexington with Raven unsettles me deeply, and it isn’t just because of the recurring dreams I keep having about her — dreams I shouldn’t be having in the first place.

I’m in a terrible mood by the time I head to the event, unable to pinpoint exactly what’s bothering me so much.

I should be used to Hannah standing me up by now, but somehow, it never gets easier.

For years, we’ve hidden our relationship, wary of the media attention it would attract. Hannah has always been terrified people would accuse her of nepotism if they found out we were together, and I get it. I know how hard she works, and that kind of media scrutiny would only create problems for her.

I understand where she’s coming from.

I’m just tired of all of it.

The room is buzzing when I walk in, and I pause near the corner, my eyes fixed on the catwalk.

I rarely even watch these shows. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, and I couldn’t care less about fashion.

Yet tonight, I can’t tear my eyes away from the woman dominating the stage.

Raven walks down the runway in a tight dress that leaves very little to the imagination, and I take a moment to admire her.

She works just as hard as Hannah does, if not harder, yet she never lets down the people she loves.

I know how often my sister shows up at her office unannounced, and my grandmother does the same.

I can’t help wondering why Hannah can’t be more like her.

They’re sisters, yet they’re completely different.

My thoughts drift back to the time my grandmother first mentioned a marriage between the Windsors and the Du Ponts.

Back then, Raven was the one they wanted me to marry.

I sigh as she turns and walks back across the runway, a strange sense of loss washing over me.

“Mr. Windsor!”

I force a smile onto my face as I turn toward the organizer of tonight’s event, making the necessary small talk.

So much of show business is about seeing and being seen, and I’m sick of it.

I’m tired of the pretentiousness, the fake smiles, the constant performance.

I’m craving something genuine.

“Several of your models walked our runway tonight,” Jonas tells me proudly. “Windsor Media truly is a powerhouse. Is there anything you don’t own? You have your hands in several popular magazines, a newspaper, the fashion industry, and of course, your production studio. I honestly don’t know how you manage it all. I’m honored you were able to make time to attend my event tonight.”

I nod and try my hardest to continue the conversation, but my thoughts keep drifting back to Lexington.

Is something actually going on between him and Raven?

I’m just about to come up with an excuse to escape the endless ass-kissing when a conversation behind me catches my attention.

“I’m afraid I can’t.”

I tense and turn around at the sound of Raven’s voice.

She’s upset, but she’s smiling brightly at the man standing in front of her.

“Excuse me,” I tell Jonas, annoyance simmering beneath the surface of my polite expression.

What could possibly have upset Raven?

“Just one date,” the man says. “I’ll pay you more money than you make in a year.”

My jaw locks involuntarily, anger curling my hands into fists.

I force myself to relax the moment my eyes meet Raven’s, relief flickering across her expression.

I smile at her, never taking my eyes off her as I slide an arm around her waist and pull her against me.

“There you are, Raven,” I murmur before turning toward the man standing opposite us.

He looks furious for a split second, but then recognition hits him, and he immediately averts his gaze.

“Mr. Windsor,” he says, his tone far gentler than before.

I know exactly who he is, but I’ll be damned if I acknowledge him.

I stare at him blankly for a moment before turning back to Raven.

“We spoke recently regarding a script I sent to Windsor Media,” he reminds me.

He’s a well-known director, and I was just about to approve funding for his new movie since Hannah desperately wanted the lead role.

Too bad.

My thumb moves in slow circles over Raven’s waist, and she leans into me, her body pressed against mine.

Raven is one of the strongest women I know, so the fact that she’s taking comfort in my presence can only mean one thing.

This isn’t the first time this asshole has harassed her.

“All I remember is hearing you proposition Raven,” I say coldly. “Interesting choice, considering you can’t afford to offend her.”

I let out a humorless chuckle.

“You want to pay her more than she earns in a year for one date? She’s the highest-paid model in the world, and you? Well, I’m not entirely sure who you are. What I do know is that you can’t afford to come within five feet of her, and if you do… I’ll make sure you regret it.”

His eyes widen with regret as he stares at Raven.

I don’t even want him looking at her.

She deserves better than this kind of bullshit.

“I didn’t know,” he says softly.

I tighten my grip on Raven and smile.

“Now you do. So fuck off.”

He nods stiffly and walks away, his jaw clenched, but I don’t give a damn.

All I care about is the smile on Raven’s face.

“Still convinced you don’t need a bodyguard?”

She looks up at me, exasperation flickering in her gaze.

“Ares. I wasn’t in any danger, so what’s the point?”

I let go of her and shake my head.

“How often does this happen?”

“It’s super rare,” she tells me, but the quick glance she darts to the left gives away the lie.

She’s done that whenever she lies for as long as I’ve known her.

“You shouldn’t be alone at these kinds of events. You didn’t bring a date?”

There’s only one man I’ve seen her with in recent years, but he recently got married — much to my relief.

There’s something about Silas Sinclair I simply don’t like, and it isn’t because he’s one of the very few people completely untouchable to me.

I’ve tried convincing Grandma to drop his firm as our security provider, but she refuses to budge.

I’m not entirely sure what it is about him.

Maybe it’s the way he looked at Raven.

Or rather, the way he didn’t.

Raven deserves to be the center of someone’s universe, but she barely seemed to register on his radar.

His heart was clearly set on someone else.

“No. It’s just me tonight. My agent will join me shortly, but he’s backstage right now.”

My eyes roam over her, and I shake my head.

“I’ve never understood it, you know? How has a woman like you never been in a serious relationship? How do you stay single?”

She grabs a glass of champagne from a passing tray and smiles at me.

“I just haven’t found a man who can keep me captivated. I’m not willing to settle for anything less than complete devotion. I want epic love, and I’m willing to wait for it.”

Complete devotion, huh?

Yeah.

That’s exactly what she deserves.

I find myself wondering what kind of man will eventually win her over.

For a moment, an image of her with Lexington flashes through my mind, and my blood runs cold.

“Raven!”

She glances to the side and smiles before turning back to me.

“It’s my agent,” she tells me. “I guess it’s time for an endless amount of supposedly necessary socializing. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

I nod and watch her walk away, my gaze drifting toward the man she’s heading to.

Her agent is looking at her in a way that cannot possibly be described as professional.

He looks utterly captivated, and I shift my weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

I want nothing but happiness for Raven, but the thought of her falling for someone else fills me with dread.

I suppose that’s what older brothers feel, isn’t it?

It might not be exactly the same as how I feel about Sierra dating, but it’s pretty damn close.

That has to be it.