1,274Welcome, darlings, to the final act! Please buckle up because this is sure to be one hell of a ride.
Thank you endlessly to Mel for her beta work!
ACT III
DYNASTY
PROLOGUE
22 Years Ago
"Dynasty is not just about bloodlines and genealogy, but about the shifting sands of power and the ruthless pursuit of ambition."
― Tom Holland
It was the middle of the night when the black car pulled up outside the average-looking apartment building in the North Hill neighborhood of Akron, Ohio.
Three adults piled out of the car—two men and one woman—the latter of which kept a small swaddled bundle pressed against her chest.
Charlie Bourgault didn't bother examining the street—he left that vigilance up to his bodyguard. Instead, he strode forward, his hand pressed to the back of the young woman who was clutching the infant.
With his free hand, he opened the door to the lobby. There wasn't security here—one of the things he didn't like—but there was also no one around to see them move in in the middle of the night—one of the things he did.
Charlie ushered the young woman into the elevator and impatiently hit the button for the top floor. When the doors slid shut, he could see her young face reflected in the smudged metal doors in front of them.
"What will you call yourself?" Charlie asked as the elevator whisked them upwards.
She turned to look at him. "I don't know," she said after a moment. "I've always liked the name Renée."
Charlie looked at her and nodded. It was different enough from her actual name for him to accept it.
The elevator came to a stop and they stepped out of the car just as the baby against her chest let out a small cry. Charlie glanced at the child in annoyance before striding down the hall toward their waiting apartment.
The one bedroom apartment was unextraordinary, with yellowing floral wallpaper pasted on every wall and worn stained carpet underfoot. The windows looked too old to work properly, the panes of glass smudged with paint where some handyman had been careless in his touch-ups. A transition to cracked linoleum distinguished the kitchenette from the living space.
Charlie recoiled. It was perhaps the most depressing place he'd ever seen.
"I can still hide you on my yacht," Charlie pointed out, huffing as he looked around the cramped room. "It has to be better than this hovel."
Renée looked up at him with one shrewd eyebrow raised. "You know why that won't work."
Charlie's mouth snapped shut and he let out an annoyed breath through his nose.
"What are you going to tell people?" he asked as she moved around the apartment, taking it in.
She glanced at him. "Loser ex who was too busy screwing everything in a skirt in my hometown," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "No one is going to press that."
Charlie nodded.
"And what will you tell her?"
Renée's eyes dropped to the child in her arms. The infant was asleep, her long eyelashes splayed across her rosy cheeks. "Anything but the truth."
Charlie nodded. "Good," he said, turning to take in more of the room. He didn't want his daughter to learn about him, not until it was time. It was too dangerous for her to know at any point sooner.
"And what if—"
"Charlie," Renée said, interrupting him. He turned to face her. "I can handle it." She shifted the baby in her arms. "You aren't the only one who went to that school. I know how to cover something up."
Charlie grunted. The difference was, she hadn't been raised there like he had. She'd been an ordinary person before she arrived in his world.
He wasn't exactly sure he could trust her because of it.
"My men will keep tabs on you and—"
"No," Renée interrupted again. "They can't be seen here, or even remotely near here. You have to keep your distance, Charlie. Or they'll come for her." She held the babe up slightly and Charlie's eyes landed on her. "You have to stay away."
Charlie let out a long breath.
"Fine," he agreed. "But you know how to get in contact with me?"
Renée nodded. "Yes."
He looked at her. She was taking his daughter, his only heir. She might have given birth to the baby, but that child was his.
He was trusting Renée with the most precious possession in the entire world, his lineage wrapped up in the tiniest, most fragile package.
The thought of giving up control of her was abhorrent to him, but he knew he had to be smart. Already, death threats were being issued against the child. If she stayed in his world, his legacy would be snuffed out like a candle at an open window.
She had to stay secret, she had to stay safe, and one day, when she was ready, she would come home to him …
And Charlie's dynasty would endure.