Marry Power

By Laikyn Meng

My power didn't come from Daddy or Mommy but from the devil herself.

 

Savior's mind is a vault of devious lies.

 

A vicious billionaire and notorious sinner.

 

The blood on Savior's hands might be dry, but the dark stains will never be clean.

 

Secrets need to remain

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Orange 9 Publishing Company LLC
• Release date: Jan 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869138392

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Savior Savvy

There is a Japanese saying, koi no yokan ; it translates to a feeling after meeting someone for the first time that you will fall in love with them. A premonition of love .

This is not the feeling I have when meeting my future wife.

She feels more like that itch you get when you take a piss after hooking up with a blonde socialite. Some chick who has been begging for attention, and you were bored enough to entertain the idea.

Your buddies promised it would be a good time.

It rarely is.

Not with the women they take to bed.

No condom is clinger-proof.

The tingling sensation, the burning fury coming out of your dick. That is my fiancé’s personality.

You don’t know if the stinging will lead to a lifelong killing or will just be a nuisance pill until the problem goes away.

My lovely bride-to-be is sitting across from me with her hand curved around her sweet cheek, mouthing the words THIS BITCH while pointing at me. Her sister glares at her with a nod and confirms, yes, I am her husband-to-be.

My fiancé’s face morphs with a scrunched nose and shrugs. It is only then she feels my eyes on her precious temple. Smiling with such innocence, anyone else would forget or even forgive the fact she just insulted both of our extended families at this table.

Roux Tanzer is at your absolute disposal.

Listen, I am not happy about this arrangement either. I would be happy being single for the rest of my life.

Tell me again why I have to get married? I lean over to one of my best friends, Zero. Who is entirely too chipper for this pissing contest between my bride’s father and my big sister.

My eyes track the glint of the sparkle of the chandeliers, the five Michelin star chef making his rounds as he worries we might tank his career with a review referring to soup and crackers.

This is our engagement party, after all. It wouldn’t be a celebration without a few family rivalries showing who owns the biggest guns or, in my sister’s case, who has the highest body count in the graveyard.

Because if you don’t, your sister won’t give you access to your grandfather’s war money, leaving you with nothing but envy. You have the GTE money, but I heard those World War II bonds are worth a pretty penny these days. Also, I heard a rumor she killed her boyfriend. So, I mean. Death might also happen if you disagree. Zero’s curly hair bounces as he laughs at my death sentence.

Fine, but my next wife better learn some goddamn manners. I pull down my cuffs and grab my tumbler of whiskey. I hate the stuff; I would rather have vodka or sake. I might even take a goddamn dive bar sloshie from one of the bars back home at this point. But Zero said it would make a good impression on my future father-in-law.

I don’t know when we decided we needed to make good impressions. We don’t fuck around with people’s opinions; if they have a problem, they can go fuck themselves.

Worried she has a spine. Savvy? Zero elbows me with a wink.

No worries. I don’t believe she realizes she has a tongue, which can be cut out. I take my time staring at Roux.

God ran out of ideas the day he created her. But there isn’t much originality when all you have to do is copy and paste, and there you have it: the Tanzer daughters are born.

Awe, your sister’s signature move. My friend might lose his own tongue if he keeps up the theatrics.

Man, shut up about my sister. Now I wish Royce and Ghost would have been here. They wouldn’t have seen humor in this shit. Royce would have been drunk; Ghost would stand in the corner like a statue. Everyone would have a great time.

Speak her name, and she shall appear. Zero blows out a low breath, which isn’t good.

Fucking Christ. I scrub a hand through my hair.

May I speak with you, dear brother? She smiles, which isn’t sweet like her voice pretends to be. I wish it was, but there is venom in every strike of the chord.

Soraya. I follow her to the hallway like an obedient little brother.

Savior, cut the bullshit stop being a moody bastard. Fuck you for acting like a weak-ass punk at that table. You want a goddamn bib for your tears? My sister wipes the corner of her lips, correcting her plum lipstick. You marry her, and we get the power we deserve. You marry her, and we get territory. We don’t need their fucking money; we have our own, with plenty of zeroes attached to our bank accounts. Remember, if you marry her… Soraya puts her hand on my shoulder with a nod. She looks toward Zero, who also understands the plan.

We get revenge. I know the story; I see the appeal. But it doesn’t make Rux pleasant; in fact, she might be fucking annoying.

You don’t have a choice. She reminds me with a glare.

I didn’t expect to have one when I was to marry someone someday. But I didn’t expect it to be the stepdaughter of the mother who abandoned us as children.

I know. I grit my teeth and give her a wolf smile. Why are you wearing leather? You look like a million-dollar hooker. I eye her cautiously; I hope she wasn’t wearing that on her motorcycle. Please tell me you changed into that dress when you arrived.

"Billion dollar, I look like a billion-dollar hooker, asshole. Why? Worried your friends got a free peep show, little brother. I have never hated my sister, not ever. But I swear if she makes any of my friends fall in love with her. We aren’t going to be best friends anymore. Plus, your new bride seems to like the outfit. Maybe I’ll give it to her as a wedding dress."

Please do, so it reminds me never to touch her. I bite the inside of my cheek to control the memory of whose engagement party this is. Just in time to have our host join our conversation.

But my sister turns to Zero, making small talk while I make trivial introductions.

Mr. Tanzer, thank you for such a lovely dinner. I appreciate you hosting our prenuptial dinner. I shake the man’s hand, who has no say in this arrangement.

He thinks he is a winner, but we are about to bleed him dry. It won’t be hard. I heard vampires don’t have blood or souls.

I shift my attention to his trophy wife. Well, she would have been in her glory days. Tatiana, you look…well, as if you’ve aged every day. You know what they say: a gold digger always makes the worst mothers.

Tatiana? Quite formal Savvy, no mommy dearest? The flighty laughter makes me look to the ground, not wanting her embarrassment to touch me.

You haven’t been my mother in a long time, Tatiana. If you would like, I could refresh your memory or look up who it is, Soraya. You do remember my sister, the woman who raised me? I open my arm to bring my sister into the fold.

Savvy, Tatiana. Mr. Tanzer, I don’t believe we have had the pleasure. Soraya Satou. My sister bows her head a sliver of an inch; the man has enough respect not to sweep his gaze down my sister’s body.

Or my future father-in-law might lose a few limbs or his life. I bet Mother would gladly swoon over his life insurance policy if she has been made beneficiary and has entrusted her to be named in his will.

How stupid of the man.

She’s as selfish as they come.

Soraya, I have heard many things. Mr. Tanzer kisses her hand, and she purses her lips until he releases her.

Darling, don’t fret over her. My mother pulls her husband’s hand away before he can fall into my sister’s trap.

One more deadly than my mother’s; no soul has survived it yet.

My fiancé walks over and leans in close.

Savior, is it? A bit conceited. The lady of the night snorts.

More like a foretelling of fate. I wipe off the dust on my suit she brought over.

She exhales without a care in the American world.

Rux, is it? I am trying to gain insight into this woman promised to me.

It’s actually pronounced Rue. She corrects me with a pretty pout.

Interesting, because that’s not how it’s fucking spelled. I am not into any of this bonding time she has planned.

"You seem to be an extreme delight. I can’t wait to be your wife. Since we are already related, right? Stepbrother." She folds her arms and leans against me briefly before keeping the space.

Watched enough porn to dive into that specific kink, huh? I’m glad one of us is getting something out of this. Real unique fantasy you’ve got there, Rux. I am bored. I pull out my phone to check if Royce decided to ditch his father and come save Zero and me from hell. But only one message pops up; now I am annoyed.

Oh, that’s not my type of porn, sweetheart. Rux eyes my phone, and I do nothing to cover up a naked picture from a chick Royce fucked. Some women think if they sleep with one of us, they are guaranteed to sleep with all of us. Those are totally fake.

And everything on you is genuine? I look her up and down, my eyes staring at the cleavage for a few seconds before shrugging away the thought.

Do you like the way they sag? They even have stretch marks. Do you want to touch them later? Rux puts a palm under each breast and lifts them with an eager smile.

What is this fifth grade? I stretch out my neck to find Zero, who looks at me with a similar SOS look in his eyes.

Fifth grade? Oh my god, did your parents not love you enough to protect your innocence? Goodness, that is young, too young to be exposed to such things. I squint my eyes and stare at her.

How old are you again? I may have glanced at the profile sheet Ghost sent last week, but my mind has not allowed this reality to be an option. It is too bad it is the universe I am sentenced to.

I’ll be thirty-five before you hit thirty, darling. Her painted fingertips dance over my shoulder. She gives me a peck on the cheek as she goes to rejoin her sister. By the way, your mom is a real bitch; sorry to miss you at their wedding. I don’t believe you or your sister were invited. The invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. You know how the shipping industry is, so flighty. Throwing another farewell kiss over her shoulder to me.

I hope her stilettos get stuck in hot tar, or may she choke on one of those olives in her martini. Anything to signal an early departure to our prenuptials.

Are you ready to rampage through this city like your sister owns it? Zero has never spoken wiser words.

Ghost is already outside waiting, and Royce is en-route. Get me out of this fucking suit, and fuck give me something stronger to drink than this Midwest whiskey. I take off the jacket and finger the buttons of my dress shirt.

I watch my sister make pleasant goodbyes; she’s the better of us, even if she is more ruthless. Soraya can pretend and play nice; I often wonder if I just got the murder genes while she still has a slice of her soul left.

Brown wavy hair catches my attention as I follow Zero to the car. Rux struts by her sister, her hands animated and that mouth flying a mile a minute. We lock eyes, and I can promise it truly is beautiful. The way she raises her pointer finger and drags it across her throat with a wink.

We’ve declared war, and you better believe this is the best type of marriage I could hope for. The grin spreads, and I lick my lips with anticipation.

See you soon, sweetheart. I give her a stern nod before finding my friends and getting lost in the Vegas lights.

I hope to erase her image from my eyes. She’s forgettable, I tell myself, so fucking replaceable. Any daughter will do; it doesn’t have to be Rux. She just doesn’t know it yet.

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The drug we invented is called GT Elite. Maybe it’s conceited to name a drug after you and your best friends, but it’s our best version. The founder of Netflix didn’t like the name when they started that empire; it just sounded the best.

Our pill started off like any party drug for a short time, but then the party got more prominent, and the clients had names we knew, and now they know us.

Poe. Ghost and I greet her. Our weed contact sits her skateboard on the table before sliding into the booth.

Ghost is beside me, with his mask covering the bottom of his face. We sit at the back of the club as Zero and Royce make assholes of themselves on the dance floor with half-naked bodies.

Savior. Poe grew up in Salt Lake, where the rhythms of preaching were found in Sunday offerings. Yet she was an outcast like most of us, and we have ourselves to thank for every step of survival.

Poe is a Chinese chick who runs most of the cannabis scene in Las Vegas. They call her the doctor. She has crossed different strains to make the most enjoyable experience when it comes to smoking.

We have a secret partnership, a strain embedded with an extra special ingredient just for our personal customers. It’s not what you expect when seeing the four of us. Some of us may come from polished coins, while the rest just bullied our way to be on top.

Poe lights up the joint and passes it to me. I wait and let the heat travel down my throat and fill my lungs with a pressure I know is both calming and killing. I blink as I release the scent of a high. I give it to Ghost, who pulls his mask down, revealing the sharp scars on his face. He inhales, puffing out his cheeks several times before one long drag to determine his opinion.

Why do you inhale like a fucking weirdo? Poe snatches back the joint from Ghost and takes the hit like it’s her job.

He thinks it makes him look cool, isn’t that right, Caspar? I slap his knee as he blows smoke in my face. He’s been doing it since we were teenagers. Ghost is a showy bitch, aren’t you?

Her black hair matches mine as Poe shakes her long hair and slips her hat on backward.

It’s selling. The only words we need to hear come out of her mouth as confirmation.

That’s all that matters. I grab the smoke and light it again, feeling nothing but liberty in my veins.

These are my favorite kind of business meetings. Poe’s eyes ripple over the crowd of bodies, and I follow her gaze as she seeks out no one in particular.

I hand the joint off to Ghost again to stretch his smile. It’s the only time he relaxes when he isn’t worried someone will see him as a freak.

See a flavor you like? I open the metal cigarette case as Poe hands me more of the batch.

Not interested in anything. I mean, I have this boyfriend, but he’s an idiot. There was this friend of mine, but she got knocked up and lives in Seattle with the baby daddy. Her shrug makes me feel seen. I hate the dating scene and the politics of a relationship, especially one with status. Tell your sister hello for me, Poe says with a salute and heads for the door, kicking away on her getaway wheels.

Commitments all feel predictable and unworthy to hold my attention. This is probably why my sister is taking it upon herself to find me a match, so our family is protected for future generations.

All for the sake of a name. All in the same name that was born in blood and sacred sins we never spoke of. Soraya did her best to raise me and ensure I was cared for. She did everything in her power to safeguard our lives, ensuring they would be better than they started. When her power grew, the hunger for my own grew as well.

It takes the edge off at such the right angle; I don’t think I’ll ever need a person if I have that in my veins. Ghost smiles so tiny, a trademark on his face, but never too bright to be noticed. He doesn’t want to collect attention.

I hear you; I hear you. And I do; I hear that truth profound in my chest where my heart should be soldiering on like a good warrior. But I let the music's bass cover my ears and close my eyes to simply exist in a realm where fear isn’t a form of payment.

Because in our world, terror makes the fuckers I hang out with rage, and when begging is involved, it only makes them come harder.

Man, I can’t wait until we go back home. I hate the city. Ghost’s complaining comes right on cue.

You say that every time we come here. I laugh at his whiney voice.

Stop inviting. I am sure he is folding his arms in protest, always one for a small tantrum when we are alone.

It was my engagement party, and you stayed in the car the whole time. The man never pouts. I don’t know if he knows how, but his attitude gives me the silent treatment.

Ghost is the brains behind the engineering of GTE. I had the idea; he had the science degrees to calculate an optimal product. Then, when it kicked off, and nobody died experimenting our creation, we knew there was a meal ticket. We had a reason for pride: the chips on our shoulders. We had something backing us in ways old money couldn’t fight.

I couldn’t argue with him about the city life. After a few days, I needed my house in the forest. Part of my skin knew something was wrong, freaking out; it needed an escape. Living in the grungy alleyways, I felt so small and insignificant as I followed my sister everywhere.

Things won’t be the same soon. I’ll have a wife, and she’ll be living there. Eventually, we will be mistaken for has-beens, Ghost. I lean forward and reach for my drink. I pour it down my throat, willing the image of my irritated bride to leave my mind.

Speak for yourself; I’ve always lived in the past tense. He doesn’t say a specific grudge. We all have a reputation; Ghost’s is more of a nightmare. The story you don’t tell children before bedtime.

People thought he was a monster, and he didn’t try to sway the rumors to be anything but the truth. We all were, but we could hide our skin better than Ghost could hide his scars across his face.

We weren’t tired villains; we were devil-inspired destroyers ready to set the world on fire. It owed us its dues, and we were prepared to collect on the payment.

CHAPTER 2

Roux

I want to earn your trust. I swallow uncomfortably but hold my chin high, aiming it at his ego. It was my father’s idea, and then it became mine. Like most beliefs my father handed down to me.

He thought I could smooth things over and sway Savior in my favor if bribing a man with my body was ever going to work. This is the only time I hoped it would.

Tunnel vision is my best friend, from the flight to the car ride to the front gates as I rang the bell until I was escorted to Savior’s floor. I waited and tried to ignore the scenery, even the house until I completed my mission.

Savior stops shuffling through his papers and looks up from the desk. His eyes scan me, and I wonder if this impromptu meeting was a good idea before we have anything signed and sealed. What he is looking for, I don’t have the faintest clue. But whatever it is, I hope he doesn’t find it.

As he appraises me, I lock my fingers together and meet his pursed lips. After a few moments, I open my mouth to make the statement again, but instead repeats it himself.

"You want to earn my trust?" Savior leans against his desk, all-encompassing a powerful entitled asshole, just like every single one of his friends.

What a snob.

Any possible way you see fit, Savior. I almost bite my lip with the repulsion of giving this man anything he desired.

God, I need to work on my acting skills because it’s terribly inconvenient to hate the man I must fall in love with.

He strides toward me, all black silky hair and that look in his eyes like he knows this game we call marriage. Husband and wife are just other roles we’ve had to bow our heads to obey.

Awe, you look so brave, Rux. Let’s see how fearless you are with sharing. His fingers hesitate before they touch my face, staring into places I don’t want to be seen.

Wh—what do you mean by sharing? I swivel as Savior presses an intercom button, and he pulls back his lips to show daunting white teeth.

Family meeting. Two words, and he could have said a thousand, but nothing would have prepared me for what he has in mind.

I can feel the embarrassment begin to crawl all over my skin as each man in the four elite crew walks into the open area, waiting for instruction.

Rux here wants to earn our trust, boys. Savior moves in front of me, and before I correct him, he leans those lips against my ear. Strip until you are bare, then lay down on the dining table. Don’t be scared to scream, Rux. We quite like the sound of terror. My eyes flick to his, and I blink away the fear as I do as he commands. I control the beat of my heart by reciting my favorite TV shows in my head. Something I learned a long time ago to calm my nerves.

Oh my gosh! Orgy! Royce Ramm is the oldest son to the oil king of North Dakota. I try to peek at him through my eyelashes as I wiggle out of my clothes.

I’m bored, so I’ll play. Zero Alastar, dear Jesus, looks sweet and tender, filled with sunshine and a warm hug. The only child of the candy empress.

The last man in the room keeps his distance. His eyes are void of anything human as his lurk makes my skin scramble. I was always taught it was impolite to stare, but I couldn’t help it as my eyes graze against the long scars up his cheekbones. Caspar Vanina is a myth, some legend being more beautiful than the condemned demons who tempt us in our sleep. There are whispers about him I would never repeat, and when I hear him growl, I know I never will.

Play? What are we playing? No one has made a sound when I push down my underwear.

Leave the heels on, Rux. We don’t want you to fall from heaven; it’s a big drop down to hell where we live. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you warm. Once you are mine, that is. Savior has a deep chuckle, making the other men in the room smirk.

I want to pretend this is some weird worshipping fantasy I have played in my imagination. Maybe if I do, then the wounds I have earned from this encounter won’t be so hard to bear.

My naked backside hits the glossy wooden table. I flinch at how cool it is, and the last time I was on my back like this was for my gynecologist. I guess this could be considered another type of visit. One where four men will be poking and prodding me with their wieners.

I lay my hands across my stomach and then at my sides. I don’t know where my arms are supposed to be, and maybe I should suggest rope.

Do I need to be tied up for this?

So, do you guys like music? I say because I am about to laugh at how silly this scenario is.

No more talking, sweetheart, you’ll ruin the mood. It’s a terrible thing for your fiancé to say to you while you are naked ready to be fucked in so many ways it makes you dizzy.

If only the romance readers could see me now. A buffet ready to feed the hungry men. I couldn’t help but snort and apologize for my outburst.

Savior props up both heels to the edge of the table, and he spreads my thighs with a sigh and a serene smile. This is a nice consolation prize; my soon-to-be husband thinks my pussy is pretty.

I lift up my head to watch as his middle finger reaches for my core and drags down the center. I release my own moan.

Beautiful when she’s not hiding behind all that vanity, isn’t she, guys? His voice has pride; for some reason, it gives me a minor boost of confidence.

My nipples are tipping heights as he takes another stroll up and down. I like the way he teases me with a warmup. I let my eyes flutter as I lay my head back down, waiting for him to do his worst.

Rux, are we cleared for no condom? Savior’s question is serious. I wonder if he meant we as me and him or we as in