Chapter 5

Liam O'Connor

I adjusted my tie, the silk slipping easily through my fingers as I looked in the mirror. I hated suits, had never been a fan. I preferred a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but I needed to dress the part today. I’d seen Jade pull up in her car this morning, for her first day, through my bedroom window. Living in my haunted mansion in my own little private area upstairs had its perks. For some reason, knowing she was in here somewhere, moving through the rooms of the haunted house, did something to me. Made me feel almost like there was an itch I couldn’t quite scratch about her.

I was good at reading people. I had to be with the kind of business I dealt with. She had the kind of beauty that could make a man forget his own name, with curious eyes that held secrets darker than any of our staged horrors. But I couldn’t deny that I was curious about her too.

I caught a glimpse of her, laughing with Derek as he’d led her through a tour of the place, and it had been like sunlight piercing through storm clouds. It didn’t fit here, or maybe it did too well.

“Mr. O’Connor, your guest has arrived,” one of my workers’ voices crackled through the walkie-talkie on the bathroom counter.

“Copy that. On my way,” I replied, tucking away my thoughts of Jade. I didn’t need a woman distracting me from one of the biggest deals I’d made in a while. The one I’d been looking forward to the most. Plus, she was my employee now. She was off-limits.

The floorboards creaked beneath my steps. I made my way to the private parlor, where a member of the Croix family waited. They were spiders at the center of a web of crime, and I walked into it willingly.

“Mr. O’Connor, a pleasure as always,” greeted Marco Croix. He carried a smile on his face that never reached his cold eyes.

“Marco, good to see you,” I said, shaking his hand firmly. The deal we were about to make would thread another needle through the fabric of our mutually beneficial arrangement. I acted as if I took money to balance their books and kept silent while doing it. And in return, I kept building their trust in hopes to get them all in the same room one day. And today, we’re signing a deal to make just that happen.

“Your events are quite… unique,” Marco remarked, glancing around the room filled with gothic antiques. “Marianna insisted on her wedding being here.”

“Only the best for our esteemed clientele,” I assured him, allowing a half-smile to play on my lips. A haunted house was a perfect place to do dirty dealings—screams were expected and questions weren’t asked. From an outsider’s perspective, we were a world-renowned attraction known for our venue and spooky events. But underground, we were mixed in with all the crime families. They paid handsomely, and I did what was asked of me until I could work my way up the chain to earn their respect. And now we were here…

“Shall we?” Marco motioned toward the table where the wedding contract awaited us.

“Let’s,” I agreed, my mind clear. This was the game, and I played it not for the profit, but for the day when all the debts would be settled.

Marco slid the contract across the table, a neatly printed document illuminated by the flickering candlelight on the desk. I leaned forward to scan the terms, brushing my fingers against the paper, feeling the weight of the moment.

“Everything seems in order,” I said, my voice steady.

“Excellent.” Marco’s lips twitched with satisfaction. “Once this is signed, we’ll proceed with our normal arrangements as previously discussed.”

The pen felt heavy in my hand. With each stroke of my name, I sealed more than a deal. I forged another link in the chain that would drag them down. Revenge for my mother, for my sister—whose memories haunted me more and more each day that I got closer.

As Marco stood up, oblivious to the storm raging within me, the deal was done. I watched him leave, and a thin smile crept onto my face. I was the closest to the endgame than I had ever been. Marianna didn’t know it, but it would be the happiest and saddest day of her life.