Towering Contract, page 1
part #1 of Fairy Tales Are Forever Series
Towering Contract
FAIRY TALES ARE FOREVER
ALEXA RILEY
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Read Me Romance
Stalk the Author
Copyright © 2023 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
For those of us who first fell in love with romance because of a fairy tale!
Towering Contract
BY ALEXA RILEY
Zelly Prince has given up on finding her happily ever after. When the only man she's ever loved breaks her heart, she's shocked when fate decides to throw her into his arms once more.
Flynn Evermore has waited around long enough and it's time to put his plan into action. Now all he has to do is convince the woman that hates him to be his bride. Locking her in a tower might do the trick but he's got a better idea to get her to open up.
Warning: Fairy tales are forever so grab your pajamas and get ready for the best kind of bedtime story. We've given these classic tales our own sprinkle of love and can't wait for you to roll around in them.
Chapter One
ZELLY
“You really grew these yourself?” Ella beams at me. She gets so excited about everything, which is so sweet. I can’t help but adore my brother's new wife. She has been a ray of sunshine not only in his life but mine as well. It’s something I didn't know I was missing.
It’s strange since I can often spend hours at a time in my garden with it shining down on me. Where else was I going to go? I hated to leave the property, so I had to find things to keep me busy. Gardening has become one of my favorite things to do.
When you plant something, it’s new and has a fresh start. It’s a blank slate really. I can be a bit obsessive about my garden since I want everything to come out perfect.
“Yep. Fresh pumpkin pie.” I set down the pumpkins I’m holding and I see Ella grabbed a giant one. Mine are smaller because they always make for the best pie.
“How much pie are you making?” she laughs, knowing I still have a bunch out in the garden that need to be picked.
“I never end up using all of them.” I start washing the ones I grabbed and then use the rest for a holiday display. I’ll try to use them all, but there’s a lot.
“Are we going to carve some for Halloween?” she asks, and I pause at her question.
There’s a tension rising inside of me, but I quickly try to hide it by getting back to cleaning my pumpkins.
“If you want.”
“I used to do it with my dad.” I glance up to see the sadness in her eyes. Both of us have lost our fathers, which is one of the many things that helped us grow closer together. But not too close. I’ll never let that happen. Not anymore.
“You can if you want,” I offer, wanting to make her smile.
While Ella was locked away by her stepbrothers, I chose to hide on our estate. At least I think it’s me that hides away. If people forget about me, then maybe no one will request my hand in marriage. It’s a prison of my making but only because of the traditions of my family. If I didn’t fear a suitor, then I would venture outside of the family estate more often. Though I think I might be running out of time.
My mom and brother have brought up my betrothal several times, but I try to avoid the topic. I might have peeked at some of the offers that have come in, but each time I’m disappointed because I don’t see the name I hope for. Flynn Evermore. My brother’s best friend.
I would do anything I could to hang out around my brother and Flynn when I was younger. My brother Leo was never annoyed with me so he would let me tag along. Which only made me crush hard on Flynn, and then I thought it turned into love.
There was a time I believed he might see me as more than his best friend's little sister. Until that night. Until the night I wasn’t perfect Zelly anymore. If anyone knew about the aftermath of my accident, it would be Flynn. He was the one to find me, after all.
“I’m going to start simple.” Ella cuts into the pumpkin, making the scars on my back tingle. The ones I always cover with clothes and when I can’t do that I use my hair. I keep it long to help me hide, but that was something I never used to do.
I used to always be adventurous and not shy to let someone know how I felt. Which is why I’m sure Flynn knew of my crush. Now I have to force myself to not be shy. It’s all an act so no one knows how deep the scars really cut. I didn’t know how deep they truly were until Flynn treated me differently after that day.
I went from thinking he was my knight in shining armor to loathing him with each day he put more space between us. I tried to pretend it was because he went off to college to build his career, but I was wrong.
The thing about scars is they never go away. I’ll always see them. That’s all I see when I hear his name or see his face.
Scars.
Perfect Flynn Evermore would never want me. He’s too good for anyone. He couldn't even be bothered with his own family's business. Shamelessly, I can’t help but keep up with gossip about him. Circles can be small when it comes to our world.
“You okay?” Ella stops carving into the pumpkin, but I don’t get a chance to answer her before my mother comes into the room.
“We should have a Halloween party. It would be fun,” my mom says with her eyes on Ella.
She’s spent a lot of time trying to pull Ella out of her shell. We both have. I thought my parents' love was rare, but seeing my brother find it too has been hard. I want that for him, but it makes my insides ache knowing I’ll never have it.
“We’ll plan it together,” my mom pushes, sitting in the chair at the kitchen island next to Ella. She already has her tablet in her hand. I’d bet my life she’s made a handful of calls already, wanting to get invites out.
“I’ve never planned a party,” Ella says softly, but I can tell she’s intrigued by the idea. I force a smile. My problems are silly compared to what she’s had to endure. She’s spent years thinking love was something she’d never have.
I have it. It’s just not the kind a girl dreams about late at night when she lies in bed thinking of her future.
“There’s a first time for everything,” I force past my lips to encourage the idea.
The last thing I want is to throw a party. Flynn might not have time for anyone else, but he and my brother have always stayed in contact. If my brother has a party, Flynn will have to show up.
It’s too bad I know he’ll never show up for me again.
Chapter Two
FLYNN
“You’re sure you want to clear out all the trees?” The lead contractor looks up from the plans and to the wooded area behind us. “I think you might be taking away from some of the scenery with this design.”
“For the last time, yes. These plans are clear on what I want. If you can’t follow the instructions or need me to reiterate my choices, I’ll find another contractor who will.”
I stare coolly at him, but his eyes don’t meet mine as he straightens the blueprints and clears his throat. “Of course. It was just a precaution. There are a lot of trees in that section of the woods.”
“There are over two hundred acres behind this house full of trees and wildlife. I want this section cleared.” I point to the acre immediately next to the house. “Follow the plans. Do we understand each other?”
The reason I bought this house to begin with was because of the land and all of the surrounding woods. There was so much to work with, and I knew that she would love the space. It’s also the reason I’m having the trees cut back so that more light can come in for planting vegetables.
“Yes, Mr. Evermore.” He takes off toward the group of guys in the distant clearing and gives them a signal to proceed.
The sigh I let out is heavy, but I guess this is part of the job. Only it’s not exactly a job. I’ve hired a crew to do some extensive landscaping to get ready for the spring, so I should have expected there to be some bumps along the way. Too bad I couldn’t go to school for landscape design like I wanted to and am only able to pursue it now as a passion.
My father was insistent on a business degree and forced my hand. I graduated high school early, but I should have expected that my father would keep the strings on my trust tight until I was twenty-one. So I bided my time, and after I graduated and got my trust, I put both my middle fingers up to him and Evermore Holdings.
When I was growing up, I changed my mind a lot about what I wanted to be in the future but one thing I knew for certain, deep in my bones, is that I never wanted to be like my father. Sure, his company is one of the most successful of its kind and he’s well respected by everyone he works with, but that changes when he’s behind closed doors.
“So this is what you’re wasting your money on?”
This is what happens when I think of him. It’s like I can summon the devil without meaning to.
“Hello, Father,” I say but don’t bother turning around. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as he walks onto the terrace and peers down at the men working.
“Leave it to you to piss away millions on a dump in the middle of nowhere. The resale value is plummeting by the second.” He pulls his hand away from the railing and pretends to wipe off some kind of dirt.
The house is an old estate that was abandoned for a few decades, but I managed to get it in a private sale, and I’ve spent every moment since making it perfect. For her.
“Good thing Grandfather left me more money than I could spend in a lifetime.” I know better than to engage in conversation when he’s like this, but he knows exactly how to get under my skin. By insulting me, demeaning the things I love, and worst of all, reminding me that he’s still alive. Why do all the worst people live the longest and the good ones die young? My grandfather was a wonderful man who loved and guided me but died before my fifteenth birthday. How he was able to produce the spawn of Satan, I’ll never know.
“If it was up to me, he wouldn’t have left you one red cent,” he sneers, and I feel my lips twitch in a smile.
“I know. My lawyers told me how many times you tried to take it.”
The way his cheeks turn red lets me know that I’ve had a direct hit. Maybe this visit won’t be so bad, after all.
“He must have known you’d grow up to be a deadbeat.”
Fuck. I should know better than to play tag with a shark.
“Why are you here?” I say, getting to the point. I can’t spar with my father for too long because my soul ends up dark and withered for days afterwards.
“Your seat on the board is still open.”
I can’t hold back the audible scoff that comes out of my chest at his mention of my seat. “As it will remain until the day you die.”
With the last name Evermore and being one of the majority shareholders of Evermore Holdings, he’s desperate for me to come to the dark side. It will never happen. I’ll eat my own ass before I agree to work for him. For now, I send a proxy to vote for me when the need arises, but I keep my power locked away. It’s the other thing my grandfather left me when he died and I’ve always wondered if he did it to bring my father and me closer. Or more likely, he knew that my father would try to control me for the rest of my life and this slice of EH would give me the freedom to do what I want.
“You’re a spoiled little shit,” my father hisses. “I’ve given you every advanta—”
“Along with the bruises, right?” I cut him off, and if possible, those cold blue eyes of his turn glacial. “You gave me every advantage while beating me to within an inch of my life. Isn’t that what you were going to say?”
“You got what you deserved for your insolent behavior. And it wouldn’t hurt you to have another smack or two.” His fists clench at his side, but it’s been a long, long time since I feared him physically.
“I’m sure it’s frustrating that I got bigger than you and now you can’t beat on someone weaker. Thank God Mom’s dead.”
“Don’t you dare mention her name.”
“I’m glad you loved something in your life,” I admit as I look out over the vast land in front of me and try not to let him get in my head. “Truly. I’m glad you didn’t treat her the way you treated me.”
“You were out of control and wouldn’t listen. I did what I had to do to get you to behave. Stop being so dramatic about it.” He huffs. “It’s called punishment. Which is what more of your generation needs, if you ask me.”
There’s a stretch of silence between us as I scan the area where the men are working. My mind is already picturing her here and all the things she could create. I don’t want my dreams to be stained by this monster, so I decide it’s time to end the conversation.
“When you leave, take a good look at the house,” I say as I tuck my hands in my pockets and take a step off the terrace. But before I walk away, I pause and glance back. “Because it’s the last time you’ll see it. If you show up here again, I’m calling the cops.”
“Flynn, you can’t be serious,” my father tries, but then I give him my back and step onto the cobblestone path.
I smile when I remember how much Zelly loves cobblestones.
Chapter Three
ZELLY
“Have you come up with a costume for the Halloween party?” Ella’s eyebrows pull together as she pushes her hands against her cheeks. Mom wanted to do this party to make Ella feel like a part of our family, but I think we might be giving her anxiety instead. That makes two of us, but I’m better at hiding it.
“The point of Halloween is that you get to dress up extra sexy and no one can give you shit.” The second the words leave my mouth, Leo is out of his seat.
A sister has to get her jabs in here and there. God knows I wouldn't be showing up bearing it all. I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering how it would go over if I could ever bring myself to do it. Would it get a reaction out of Flynn? There were a few times I thought he might be a little jealous, but I’m sure showing off too much skin would only remind him of my scars. I keep hiding them in hopes he’ll forget and we can go back to the way it was before.
It’s an insane thought because I never give him the time of day. All I do is allow these fantasies between the two of us to play out in my mind. If I could stop them, I would, but they hit me out of nowhere all on their own.
I can try and pretend Flynn didn’t break my heart, but it’s bullshit. The scar lingers, and it always will. More than anyone, I should know there’s no point in running from it because it’s not going anywhere.
“Not happening.” My brother moves over to Ella as if to protect her from me and my naughty ideas.
I smirk, relishing my small victory. If he can drive me insane with possible suitors, I could do the same but in my own way. I think it’s fair.
“You think I can’t be sexy?” Ella’s bottom lip puffs out.
“You’re already too damn sexy,” Leo grumbles. My whole plan to poke at my brother backfires on me as I watch the two of them fawn over each other. It’s disgusting.
And yet I want that kind of love.
“I think I’m going to be Princess Gilda,” my mom says, not glancing up from her giant iPad. She’s got a freaking TV screen in her lap.
“Who?” I ask.
“From The Wizard of Oz.”
“She’s not a princess.” What the hell is she talking about? Her sister is The Wicked Witch of the West. That could be fun to dress up as. I’d drop a house right on Flynn’s head.
Ugh. Why do all my thoughts circle back to him?
“Of course she is,” my mom counters.
“She’s a witch,” I say, and that’s when my mom’s eyes lift from her tablet.
“No, she’s a princess.”
“Mom, are you…” I trail off, catching on to her.
“See? I can poke too.” She gives me the same smirk I gave my brother.
“We could dress up together,” Leo suggests to Ella. “Cinderella?”
“Why Cinderella?”
I roll my eyes at the cliché. It makes me a hypocrite because I eat that shit up in my books, but they don’t know that. I’m being spiteful, and I really need to get it together.
