Page 89 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

“Thomas and Lillian. And those are my sisters, Aubrey and Sofia. That’s Aubrey, next to me. She’s four years younger than me. And that’s Sofia, next to my dad. She’s six years younger. You’ll meet them all this weekend.”

The plan was to let Thea and Charlie explore the city during the week while I worked. I’d chosen to delay the introduction with my family so Charlie could do fun things in the city and Thea could settle into the penthouse. I wanted them both to feel at home here without the pressure of strangers invading. Then over the weekend, we’d take a trip to my parents’ place outside of the city.

“Charlie and Aubrey look a lot alike.” Thea nodded to another picture of Aubrey on the shelf.

“They sure do.”

While I’d simply trusted Thea to tell me the truth about Charlie’s paternity, my parents wouldn’t do the same. They’d been emailing and calling regularly to pressure me into a test. I’d continually refused because once they saw Aubrey and Charlie in the same room, they’d realize what I’d known all along.

Charlie was a Kendrick.

“Tell me about them.”

I let Thea go, taking her hand and pulling her over to a couch. “What do you want to know?”

She settled into my side. “Anything. Everything. What do they do?”

“Well, my dad is in charge of everything, really. He runs the business and all of the family affairs. He says he’s going to retire, but we all know he’s too attached to the business to step away.”

“What is your family’s business?”

“Investments mostly. At the turn of the century, my great-great-grandfather made a name for himself by investing in businesses throughout the city. Flower shops. Restaurants. Real estate developments. Steel factories. Shipping companies. Businesses of all sizes. You name it and he had his hand in it. He was a real go-getter.”

He’d built himself up from nothing, and his hard work had built the foundation for the Kendrick fortune.

“By the time he died, he’d amassed a huge wealth for the time. It all went to my great grandfather, who doubled it. And then to my grandfather, who doubled it again. And my dad has nearly tripled it from there.”

Billions of dollars, all because the original Logan Kendrick had made his first investment in a small bakery on Fifty-Seventh Street.

“But you didn’t go into the family business?”

“No.” I tucked Thea closer to my side. “It had always been the family plan for me to take over, but I went to college and never found a real passion for my business classes. I took one pre-law class and knew it was the right fit. So I broke the family chain. The eldest son of the eldest son went to law school instead of to work for the company.”

Since then, I’d been working my ass off, trying to prove to my family, and myself, that I hadn’t made a mistake. I was still business savvy. You had to be in corporate law. I just hoped that my success at the firm would show I was still worthy of the Kendrick legacy even though I hadn’t gone directly into business with my father.

“I am still involved,” I told Thea. “Just because I don’t work side by side with dad every day doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton for me to do with the family’s ventures. I spend a lot of time with the foundation, and I’m starting to take over some of dad’s responsibilities with our family.”

There was always a cousin in need of an internship or job referral. At times, Dad or I would step in to settle a squabble between my aunts or uncles. And as of a week ago, Dad had asked me to take over managing trust fund disbursements.

“Was your dad disappointed that you didn’t go to work with him?” she asked.

“At first.” I sighed. “But not long after I started working at the firm, Aubrey graduated college and went to work with Dad. It helped smooth things over. He named her his successor a few years ago.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Honestly? No. It was a relief. I’m not as passionate about being an entrepreneur as I am about representing them. The legal aspect of business fascinates me. I love bringing two parties to a table, figuring out what they really need from each other and finding a way to give it to them. But the rest isn’t as exciting. And Aubrey just fits. It’s in her blood and comes so naturally for her. I do the things she doesn’t love as much, like run the foundation.”

Maybe it was because Granny had started it as her pet project, but the foundation and its mission had always called to me more than anything else in the Kendrick empire.

“And Sofia? Does she work too?”

I snorted. “Sofia is living her best life as a socialite. She hasn’t worked a day in her life and can spend money with the best of them. My mother is good at spending money too, but she lucked out and fell in love with my father, who adores her. Sofia, on the other hand, plays games like an adolescent and has managed to land herself two ex-husbands.”

Sofia’s husbands had been scum, leeching off her money while fucking other women behind her back. It was unfortunate because I think she really had loved them both. I’d hoped that, after her second divorce, she would take the time to reflect on her life and the men she’d chosen.

I’d tried to convince her to stay single for a while and wait for someone nice to come along. She’d laughed at me and rumor had it she was already seeing another money-grubbing loser. This one was a professional poker player who wasn’t all that good at poker.

“See this gray hair, right here?” I pointed to my temple. “That’s from Sofia.”