Kieran slips out his little pill canister again and I bat at it with my palm, grabbing it away from him.
“You can’t seriously be taking more already. Are you insane?”
He rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t fight me as I shove them in my pocket instead.
“Whatever,” Kier says.
I breathe deeply, trying to center my thoughts.
Kieran is looking over at the Onyx table intently as multiple alumni execs sit down across from Roman, Wes, and Noah.
One of them is handing Noah a wrapped gift box.
Roman is smiling and shaking hands with all of them.
I can’t deny it all looks very bad. But I have to believe that Wes is doing the right thing. He always does the right thing.
Don’t you, Wes?
19
Weston
“We can definitely make that happen for you,” Trenton Von Harrill is telling Roman now as they make a toast with Scotch.
Roman just opened one of the gifts they brought for him, which was a bottle of single malt that probably cost more than some people’s rent.
All around us the event is in full swing, more opulent than I’ve ever seen it before.
And inside, I’m dying.
Noah’s parents are known for their obscenely stylish events and displays of wealth.
Ever since his mom and dad got divorced, theybothdonate money like they’re trying to compete with each other, too.
Noah comes from a family with a ton of siblings and disgusting generational money, but the silver lining is that they tend to spend heavy amounts on charitable causes and donations instead of hoarding every dime they lay a hand on.
I should be enjoying myself.
But I feel like I’m…
About.
To fucking.
Blow.
All I want to do is make up for the past wrongs that my father committed.
I’m constantly trying to prove myself and distance my image from the memory of my father forever.
And over and over again, that feels impossible.
I keep glancing over at the asshole across the table from Sev, wearing Dad’s gaudy cufflinks and acting like he belongs here. I have to be here at my table, where Roman is having crucial conversations with these business executives that I couldn’t care less about. Noah poured heavy into my last drink and the world seems to be spinning around me even worse than it was before.
And it’s all just more pressure.
Pressure I thought would dissipate after my father died.