ASHES TO EMPIRE

The Golden Boy

Marcus's POV

The moment I see Zara standing in the doorway, my blood turns to ice.

Her face is white as paper. Her mouth hangs open like she can't breathe. The engagement ring on her finger catches the light as her hand trembles.

I push Lily away from me so fast she almost falls off the bed.

"Zara!" I jump up, my heart pounding against my ribs. "This isn't... we were just..."

But Zara doesn't say a word. She just stares at me with those big brown eyes that used to look at me like I was her hero. Now they look at me like I'm a monster.

Lily sits up slowly, fixing her hair like nothing happened. That weird smile is still on her face. She looks calm, like getting caught kissing her sister's fiancé is no big deal.

"Hi, Zara," Lily says sweetly. "We were just talking about the party."

Talking? TALKING? My hands shake as I try to button my shirt. How can Lily be so calm right now? This is the worst thing that could possibly happen!

Zara's lips move but no sound comes out. A tear rolls down her face.

That tear hits me like a punch in the stomach. I love Zara. I really do love her. She's kind and smart and everyone in town loves her. She's perfect for me. She's exactly what I'm supposed to want.

But that's the trouble. She's what I'm SUPPOSED to want.

"Zara, please let me explain," I beg, taking a step toward her.

She takes a step back, shaking her head.

Then she turns and runs.

I hear her footsteps stomping down the stairs and the back door slamming shut.

"Well," Lily says, standing up and smoothing down her dress, "I guess she knows now."

I spin around to face her. "What do you mean, she knows NOW? Lily, what we've been doing... it was a mistake. A big mistake!"

Lily laughs, and the sound makes my skin crawl. "A mistake? Marcus, you've been coming to see me for three months. You've been telling me you love me for three months. That's not a mistake. That's a choice."

My stomach drops. She's right, and I hate that she's right.

It started small. Just friendly talks when I came over to see Zara. Lily would ask me about my day, laugh at my jokes, look at me like I was the most interesting person in the world. Zara was always so busy with schooling and helping her dad with business stuff. But Lily had time for me.

Then the talks got longer. The looks got more fierce. She started texting me late at night when Zara was asleep.

"You deserve someone who puts you first," she would say. "Someone who thinks you're amazing just the way you are."

Zara loved me, but she also wanted to change me. Make me more serious. More responsible. More like her father.

Lily loved me exactly as I am.

But I never meant for it to go this far. I never meant to hurt Zara.

"I have to go find her," I say, headed for the door.

Lily grabs my arm. "Marcus, wait. Think about this. Everyone is going to ask where you two went. What are you going to tell them?"

I stop. She's right again. Downstairs, the party is starting. I can hear people laughing and music playing. The mayor is probably here by now. The newspaper photographer is definitely here. My parents drove three hours to be here tonight.

Everyone expects me to announce my wedding date to Zara. Everyone expects me to be the perfect golden boy who never makes mistakes.

"What am I supposed to do?" I whisper.

Lily's eyes get bright and excited. "Tell them the truth."

"The truth?"

"Tell them that Zara has been acting strange lately. Tell them she's been stressed about taking over the business and you've been worried about her."

I look at her. "What are you talking about?"

Lily moves closer to me. "Tell them that Zara has been having trouble. Money problems."

"Money problems? Lily, that's crazy. Zara would never—"

"She's been stealing from the business, Marcus."

The words hit me like a slap. "What?"

Lily nods, looking sad and worried. "I found out last week. She's been taking money from Dad's funds. I think she has a gambling problem or something. I've been trying to help her, but she got angry and threatened me."

My mind spins. "That's impossible. Zara wouldn't steal from her own family."

"I have proof," Lily says quietly. "Bank records. Transactions with her name. Marcus, I love my sister, but she's sick. She needs help."

I feel dizzy. "Show me."

Lily pulls out her phone and shows me pictures of bank records. There are payments for thousands of dollars, all with Zara's signature.

My heart sinks. The marks look real.

"I've been trying to protect the family," Lily continues. "But if this gets out, it will destroy Dad's business. It will destroy everything."

I stare at the phone screen. "But why would she... I mean, we have everything planned. The wedding, taking over the business..."

"Maybe that's the pressure that broke her," Lily says softly. "Maybe she couldn't handle being perfect all the time."

Suddenly, things start making sense. Zara has been acting weird lately. More stressed. More away. She's been working late at the office almost every night. She's been getting mysterious phone calls that she always takes in secret.

I thought she was just nervous about the wedding and the business. But what if Lily is right? What if Zara has been stealing money to pay gambling bills or something worse?

"We have to help her," I say.

"We will," Lily vows. "But first, we have to protect the family. If this comes out tonight, in front of the whole town, it will ruin everyone."

I hear voices getting louder downstairs. People are asking where Zara and I are.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask.

Lily takes my hands in hers. "Go downstairs. Tell everyone that Zara is feeling sick and needs to rest. Say the news will have to wait. Then tomorrow, we'll figure out how to get her the help she needs."

It sounds fair. It sounds like the right thing to do.

But something in Lily's eyes makes me nervous. She looks too happy about all this.

"Lily," I say slowly, "how long have you known about the money?"

Her smile gets bigger. "Long enough."

"Long enough for what?"

She stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. "Long enough to make sure everyone will believe me when I tell them that Zara forced me to help her steal it."

My blood turns to ice. "What?"

"Go downstairs, Marcus. Our guests are waiting."

She walks past me toward the door, then stops and looks back.

"Oh, and Marcus? You might want to pick which sister you really love. Because after tonight, you can only save one of us."

Then she's gone, leaving me standing alone in the empty room, finally understanding that I've been played by a master.