The Secret Diamond Sisters (30 page)

chapter 27:

Peyton hated Las Vegas, with its too-bright lights, phony smiles and noise blaring from every direction. She missed her friends in San Francisco and wanted to go home. At least at Myst she could lose herself in the music alongside the drunk tourists or locals who weren’t “good” enough to get onto the VIP level. She lost count of how many guys she danced with, the minutes an endless blur.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she ignored it. Whoever it was could wait. But by the third time they tried to call, Peyton pulled it out to check who it was.

Courtney. With a giant sigh, she clicked the answer button, lifted the phone to her ear and waited for her sister to speak.

“Where are you?” Courtney’s voice was barely audible over the loud music.

“The second floor,” Peyton said, cupping her hand around her mouth to direct her voice into the speaker. “Why?”

“It’s almost midnight,” Courtney said. “We have to go to the ribbon-cutting. We’re waiting by the steps on the third floor. Come up and we’ll walk over to the casino together.”

“Fine.” Peyton didn’t hide the bitterness from her tone.

She took another sip from the fruity cocktail some guy she’d danced with had bought her and walked to the spiral staircase, heading up to the VIP floor. She took a deep breath, listening to the clanking of her stilettos as she made her way up. At least the drinks had made her tipsy enough to handle seeing Oliver and Courtney together. When Courtney had said yesterday that she wasn’t interested in Oliver, Peyton thought she had won the bet. But after seeing them together at dinner tonight, she wasn’t so sure. Could Oliver have won over Courtney? Peyton shook away the thought. They would make a terrible couple. Plus, he was way too wild for her.

She met up with her sisters, and the walk to the casino was silent. Savannah wasn’t even trying to talk about something trivial, like who was wearing what at Myst and if it looked good on them or not. Courtney couldn’t stop fidgeting with her dress, and Oliver’s face was hard, his hands curled into fists by his sides. Peyton walked as far behind him as possible. He kept glaring at Brett, getting angrier every time. Courtney walked between them like she was trying to stop a massive war from breaking out.

Something big had gone down while Peyton was gone, and she wanted to find out what it was.

Peyton shot Savannah a questioning look, and her younger sister let her eyes roam to Courtney before looking over at Peyton again. She knew something. Peyton checked her watch. Eleven-forty. She still had time to get some info on whatever was going on.

“I’m stopping at the restroom,” Peyton announced, spotting one and giving Savannah a “you’re coming with me” look. She got the hint and followed her inside. Courtney rushed in after them, and Brett said something about him and Oliver waiting for them in the hall.

The restrooms in the Diamond were top-notch. The stalls had floor-to-ceiling wooden doors leading to little “toilet rooms,” the counter was granite and modern-looking chandeliers hung from the ceiling. A staff member even stood at the end of the sinks to pump the soap dispensers and provide people with cloth towels after they washed their hands.

“What’s going on?” Peyton looked back and forth between Savannah and Courtney. “And don’t say ‘nothing,’ because I’ll know you’re lying.”

“Brett kissed Courtney,” Savannah said, clamping her hands over her mouth after speaking. “In the middle of the dance floor. With Adrian, Rebecca, Logan and Ellen watching.”

Peyton looked at Courtney for verification. Courtney nodded, her eyes focused on the floor.

“You and Brett?” Peyton repeated, astonished. Had the rule-following Courtney she’d always known been abducted by aliens and replaced by a rebellious pod person? “So there’s no chance of anything happening between you and Oliver?”

“There was never a chance of anything happening between me and Oliver.” Courtney scoffed. “And let me tell you, he was pissed I told him no. I get the impression that girls don’t turn him down often.”

Peyton couldn’t have felt more relieved. Not only had she been right that Courtney wouldn’t be interested in Oliver, but she’d won their bet. Oliver was
not
going to be happy. And after the cruel way he’d spoken to her at Luxe, she would have to get back at him somehow. With the bet won, she could tell him to do one thing, and he would have to do it. This would be fun.

Then Savannah’s phone buzzed with a text message, and her mouth dropped open as she read it.

“What?” Peyton asked.

“Evie’s having a sleepover with some of the volleyball girls, and they looked us up online,” Savannah said slowly, as if she couldn’t believe the rest of it. “They found this website where apparently people are talking about us a lot....” She shook her head, reading over the text again.

“Let me see it.” Peyton grabbed the phone out of Savannah’s hands. She scanned through Evie’s gossip, her eyes finally finding the one line Savannah must have freaked out about:

i heard Oliver bet a friend he could sleep with all three Diamond sisters by the end of summer.

Peyton cursed and read it again. “What a douchebag,” she said, handing the phone back to Savannah.

“Are the two of you going to tell me what’s going on?” Courtney looked over Savannah’s shoulder so she could see the screen, and she took a sharp breath inward. “I’m so glad I told that jerk to back off,” she said.

“But we don’t know if it’s true or not,” Savannah said. “It’s from some stupid gossip site. It could be made up.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Peyton flipped her hair and strutted out of the bathroom, her sisters’ footsteps pattering behind. Oliver and Brett were waiting where they’d left them.

“How did the sister meeting go?” Oliver smirked.

“I’m sure you would love to know.” Peyton sneered. “Or better yet, join us so you could try hooking up with the three of us at once to win your little bet.”

Panic crossed his eyes, and he took a step back. “What are you talking about?”

“The bet you made to sleep with the three of us before the end of summer,” Peyton said steadily, not believing his innocent act for a second.

Brett’s fist tightened, and he glared at Oliver. “Is that true?”

Oliver paused to think, and that must have been enough of an answer for Brett, who lunged and punched him in the eye. Oliver’s hands went to his face and he fell back into the wall. Brett pulled back his fist to strike again, but his bodyguard was on him before he had a chance. Oliver pushed himself off the wall and rushed at Brett, but suddenly Jackson was there, his arms wrapped around Oliver to hold him in place. Teddy and Carl surrounded them, too, looking ready to jump in if necessary.

“You boys need to cut it out,” Jackson said through gritted teeth. “The ceremony is in ten minutes, and your families are counting on you to be there.”

“He punched me first.” Oliver glared at Brett, his eye red where Brett had hit him.

“And it sounds like you deserved it.” Jackson tightened his hold on Oliver, his voice eerily calm.

“Oh, really?” Oliver smirked. “I’m sure your boss would love to hear about how you’re harassing his future partner’s son.”

“As much as he would love hearing about the bet you made involving his daughters?”

“Whatever, man.” Oliver pulled at Jackson’s arms, but he didn’t budge. Oliver was built, but next to Jackson, he looked small. “Just let me go. Like you said, we have to be in the casino soon.”

Jackson looked at Brett, who was still being held in place by his bodyguard. “If we let go, do you guys promise to act civil?”

“Yes,” Brett agreed, flexing his fist. “I’m feeling much better now.”

“I didn’t want to fight with that loser in the first place,” Oliver said.

Jackson looked at Brett’s guard, who nodded, and they both let up their hold on the guys.

Courtney rushed to Brett to check on his hand, and Peyton turned to Jackson. “You didn’t have to get involved, you know,” she said. “I wouldn’t have minded seeing Brett kick Oliver’s ass.”

“I would have enjoyed it, too.” Jackson laughed. “But if I don’t get you to that ribbon-cutting ceremony in time, I’ll have to answer to your dad. Let’s go.”

* * *

When they arrived at the casino, Adrian was standing on a raised platform with a thick gold ribbon strung in front of it, Rebecca on one side and Logan and Ellen on the other. A crowd had gathered around them, and Peyton had to push her way through to the platform. Adrian smiled and motioned for her and the rest of the group to join him.

She hiked up the three steps to the platform, Savannah, Courtney, Brett and Oliver following behind her. Nick stood nearby to watch. Logan frowned when he saw Oliver, and the two of them stepped to the side to talk quietly. Peyton wondered if the tension between the group was as noticeable to the people watching as it was to her. It seemed impossible that it wasn’t. When Logan and Oliver stepped back to the front, Peyton swore she saw a fire brewing in the older man’s eyes, but it disappeared a moment later.

Adrian cleared his throat, and the crowd went silent. “Welcome to the grand opening of the Diamond Hotel and Casino, and the Diamond Residences!” he said, which was met with applause from the audience. “But before we begin, I want to make a very special announcement.” He turned to Rebecca with a knowing look in his eyes. Peyton thought he would be angry about what had just happened with Courtney and Brett, but he looked so happy, gazing at Rebecca with what Peyton could tell was true love. Peyton had never believed true love existed, but seeing Adrian looking at Rebecca, she thought it might be possible.

He was clearly capable of love, so why was he so distant with his daughters?

He turned back to the crowd. “As of tonight, I am officially engaged to the woman I’ve loved since we dated in high school, Rebecca Carmel.” He held Rebecca’s hands in his, both of them beaming at each other as the crowd erupted into clapping and cheers of congratulations. “We’re very excited about this, as is Rebecca’s son, Brett, and my daughters, Peyton, Courtney and Savannah, who have made the decision to move to Las Vegas so our family can be together.” The crowd cheered again, this time their attention on Peyton and her sisters. Peyton looked out at everyone, amazed that they cared about her life. There had to be hundreds of people out there.

Adrian lowered his hands, and everyone quieted. “I’m going to hand over the stage to my friend and colleague Logan Prescott, the owner of the well-known Gates Hotel among many others, for a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Adrian,” Logan said, taking the microphone and clearing his throat. He took a long pause, and started, “I would first like to offer my warm congratulations to both you and Rebecca, and for the opening of this magnificent hotel and condominium complex. You’ve outdone yourself this time.” He continued for a few more minutes, talking about how difficult hotel openings were to accomplish and how this would go down as one of the best in history, and handed the microphone back to Adrian so that he could take the stage once again.

Peyton was confused. Wasn’t Logan supposed to have announced the collaboration for the new hotel and casino in Macau? Adrian looked as puzzled as Peyton felt, but just for a second. She doubted anyone in the crowd noticed.

“Thank you, Logan,” he said, strong and steady. He thanked a bunch of people Peyton had never heard of, and she tried to remain as still as possible, despite having no idea what to do with her hands. Finally, Adrian said, “And now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for!”

A staff member handed Adrian a giant pair of scissors covered in crystals that glittered like diamonds. He posed for an in-action photo, then cut the gold ribbon. Cameras flashed, and the crowd cheered again, louder than before. Champagne popped as cocktail waitresses dressed in tiny outfits uncorked bottles around the room, and a jazz band played “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” People gravitated toward the slot machines and green felt tables, and once more, the games began.

But Peyton had one thought on her mind—she wanted to talk to Oliver. She spotted him at the circular bar in the center of the lobby. The bar was elevated with three steps leading up to it, and wrought-iron rails lined the edges, making it feel private while still in the middle of the action. Oliver was chatting with the bartender, a woman in her upper twenties. She was too old to consider hooking up with a high-schooler, right? Peyton didn’t want to know.

She slid into the seat next to him, and he looked over at her in surprise. “Hey,” she said, trying to act nonchalant. His eye was already swollen, and the bruise around it looked painful. Thinking about how Brett had punched him made Peyton smile.

“Hey.” He took out his cell phone and texted someone, apparently not thrilled to see her.

Peyton ordered a soda—she didn’t want to get called out for her shoddy fake ID again—and looked at Oliver. “I heard about what happened earlier,” she said. “With Courtney and Brett. It’s kinda messed up, since they’re going to be step-siblings and everything.”

“Yeah.” He shook his head and took a gulp of what looked like vodka on the rocks. “That’s an understatement.”