Read Chapter 1 of Royally Similar

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Chapter 1
Fiona

After a long night of going over the cards her father left for her, Fiona felt as if she had more questions than answers. Not only did a few things not make sense as far as the why of it all, but she wasn’t sure if she named the right people through the cards.

With so many possibilities, her head hurt, and she had thought too long about people she had not wanted to think about.

She needed Alex’s help more than ever. After he had hung up on her, she had vowed not to bother him again—but she was utterly alone in this.

It wasn’t as if she could confide in Lucy, who had betrayed her by talking to the press, or Silas, who was already freaking out when she mentioned the gun trade. Not to mention his own family was named with the Two of Diamonds. It had to mean Connor and his old man. Silas was an angel and well loved by her father, never doing him any harm. But that didn’t mean he would keep his mouth shut and not tell Connor about the cards.

He would also probably tell Fiona she was about to get in over her head, and she was looking for more of a partner than another man telling her what to do.

Fiona had to make Alex help her. She had to talk sense into him somehow.

Knowing she’d regret it, she picked up the phone and called him back. She was prepared for him to hang up on her again, so she knew she had to act fast to convince him.

The phone rang, and it rang so long that she began to wonder if Alex had blocked her. “Pick up,” she said with frustration in her voice.

But he never did.

She called back, determined to get him on board. After the fifth time she called back, he finally answered. “Oh my gosh, Fiona. Take a hint.”

“You didn’t block me,” she said, surprised.

“Yet. I’m seriously considering it, though.”

“Well, you aren’t going to want to do that. And I can explain it all if you’d just hear me out.”

“I’m really busy, Fiona.”

“I understand, but it’s about my father. And yes, I know you’re not on the case, but—”

“Then you know you should be talking to Chief Swanson, right? Because I’m not allowed to discuss the case. Especially with you.”

“It’s not about the case,” she said. “If you’d just let me finish talking instead of being so hellbent, you’d already know what’s going on.”

“And do I care?”

“Did you care about my father at all? I mean, you owe your stupid career to him, and all you can do is ignore me when I need your help.”

“Fiona, if Jack sees us together or knows that we’re talking, it is not going to be good for either of us.”

“Remember when you said that shit about me not caring what the world thinks in regards to my stepbrother? Because I’m pretty sure you give a shit what Jack thinks by the sound of it.”

“I’ve made a deal with him, Fiona. He could take back that deal any minute if he thinks we’re messing around.”

“My father’s dead. Who I date is hardly a problem now.”

“Do you believe that Jack’s really going to let you date anyone your father wouldn’t approve of? Look, just let whatever this is go.”

“I can’t. It’s my father. He won’t let me let this go. He sent me a message, Alex. He’s practically screaming to me from the beyond. I have to help him.”

“Fiona, you’re distraught. Your father is gone. And any delusions you’re having are not messages. They are simply you missing your father.”

“First of all, they are not delusions, and I resent you thinking that I’m crazy.”

“I don’t think it. I know it. You’re crazy for calling me. Haven’t I made your life hard enough?” 

He hung up the phone again, and Fiona sank back against the couch.

“What an ass.” She groaned and cursed, tossing the phone to the sofa cushion beside her. “I can’t believe him. What’s his fucking problem?”

She heard a woman’s voice from the hallway as if someone was passing her doorway, but she knew it wasn’t Helen’s voice singing a pop tune. It just wasn’t the woman’s style.

Fiona went to the door, and when she peeked out into the hall, she startled the young woman who was walking toward the stairs. 

“Oh, you scared me,” said Poppy, holding her heart. “I didn’t know you were here too, Fiona.” She rested her glasses on top of her head.

“This is my house. Of course, I’m here.” She knew Poppy was there because Jack was. But when he said he was staying, she had no idea that it meant he’d have company.

“Well, it’s just that Jack said you lived in the guest house. But it’s cool. There’s more than enough house here for all of us.”

Fiona’s blood boiled at the woman, inserting herself as if she had any stake in the claim of her home. “I beg your pardon?”

“Oh, it’s just that Jack said we’d be staying a while. I’m going to take a morning swim. I like the pool here much better than the one at Jack’s.”

Fiona took a morning swim almost every day, but she wasn’t about to go with Poppy. She had other matters to take care of anyway. “Well, enjoy it while you can.”

She and stormed back to her room and got dressed, all the while thinking of how miserable it would be to have Poppy in the house. She decided to keep the cards on her or locked up at all times. She had a safe in her closet that no one knew about, and she went to it and put the cards inside. The only person she wanted to show might take convincing.

After making sure she was ready to meet the world head first, she walked downstairs to the veranda to find Jack, who had never left, sitting at the breakfast table where her father always sat. It was as if he was trying to make it apparent that he was now the ruler of the house. He had the papers in front of him and had nearly made it through the entire stack.

“How long are you both going to be here?” asked Fiona. “I didn’t expect Poppy. And I’d appreciate it if from now on, you’d tell me who you’re going to invite over to the house. It’s not easy having people around while I’m mourning, and I’d appreciate the privacy at this time.”

“Someone woke up thinking she had rights.” He reached for a grape that was included in the spread of fresh fruits and muffins that Helen had laid out. 

Fiona sat in her usual seat, taking a blueberry muffin from the basket and smearing it with butter. “I do have rights. Rights to privacy and a right to know when there’s someone else in the house that my father was just murdered in. What if I’d have thought she was a prowler and called the police?” Or worse, shot her thinking she was a prowler? She knew where every gun was in the house, though the police might have taken them all.

“They would have wasted a trip. Unless you want to use it as an excuse to call your cop buddy, Alex. I’m sure he’d like that.” He took a bite from a large blueberry muffin he’d stuffed with strawberries and butter.

“Are you ever going to stop lording that video over our heads, Jack? Don’t you ever get tired?” She bit into the muffin, only to find it still warm in the middle.

“No.” He gave a wicked laugh. “Not when it comes to tormenting my little sister. Oh, and since you want warnings, I thought I’d let you know that I’m not selling the company. At least not anytime soon and not per this agreement. I’m going to run it myself. These numbers discussed were terrible. And I know that in a few years, I can double them.”

“You should honor our father’s wishes.” She sighed, knowing that Jack wasn’t like decent human beings. He would always look at things from his own point of view and would never do anything that truly honored anyone else.

“I’m not slandering the family name with wild sex videos, Fiona. I’m only backing out on a deal that was bad for us. I’m protecting you too. We stand to lose a whole lot doing this deal, and then there’s Bradley and Wallace, who would have come out smelling like roses. Not by the skin off my back they’re not. If they have any sense, they’ll not fight me either. I’ll make it worth twice as much to them in the future.”

“You’re taking a big risk. It would take more money to get things in order. Dad was selling it for a reason. He said we’re both set up with our own companies. We don’t need it. He never planned on us ruling over it.”

“Well, then he shouldn’t have trained me for it.” He patted the contract. “I have read this from top to bottom, and the only people who gain from this shitty deal are Bradley and Wallace. Don’t you think that’s wrong? It’s like they were taking advantage of an old, dying man. You should really think about that.”

She knew it wasn’t that at all. Her father had already given her the upscale rentals they managed and two of the newer apartment units. They would keep her a wealthy woman for the rest of her life. 

She wasn’t concerned about the older apartment buildings, the ones that were outdated and needed work. Fiona was glad her father hadn’t stuck her with them. If Bradley and Wallace wanted the burden of it, then more power to them. Managing them had been hell when she helped her father through college. And her father hadn’t wanted her or Jack to have to live with the burden forever. Jack might have had his training, but Fiona had some too, and she had seen enough to know what was going to be successful and what wasn’t.

She felt that Jack only wanted the properties for the added perpetual income, and he had never worked as she had on the receiving end of complaints. The rentals were work. Selling houses, making a deal, and washing your hands of the rest were so much more her speed.

Jack was ripe to be a slum lord, though, and he probably had no intention of fixing up the older properties anyway. He’d be the type to go in, raise the rents, and evict anyone who didn’t comply. He didn’t care at all. And he didn’t have a license to sell the new properties. Only she did.

“I just think we shouldn’t go against his wishes. But we can talk about that later.” She wasn’t going to bring up Mr. Holbrook, or the cards, or what he had told her about a new will. But she was curious if Jack had ever gotten a message from him about it.

“I’ll talk to Carter later,” he said, sipping his coffee. “He’ll know what’s going on. But I want you to be thinking about it, Fiona. I’m doing it, with or without you. You won’t be able to stop me.”

Carter was the original attorney, and her father must have lost his trust in him. By the old will, Jack and Fiona would split everything, aside from a special trust that was set up for her from her mother. It was the only thing Jack couldn’t touch, outside of extortion and blackmail, but so far, he hadn’t wanted any of her money. She knew if he wanted to assert his weight over the other properties, he very well could.

She only hoped that the new will would take care of any problems that Jack would try and cause. “Well, then, I guess we’ll see.” She got up, taking the muffin to go, and walked to the door. “Oh, and tell Poppy to stay out of Dad’s study, and if I see her snooping around the house, I’m going to break both of her hands.”

Jack laughed. “Wow, there’s a bit of our old man in you yet.”

Fiona turned and looked back on her way out. “Just enough.”