Rolling her eyes out of protest, Massie bit down on her plump bottom lip, messing up her glossy smashbox red pout. On a normal day, she'd care, but today was not a normal day. Today was the talk, and she was not excited, not one bit.

"Can we at least take this slow? This whole submerging back into Westchester culture?" She requested, turning her head to look at him.

"We can go as fast or as slow as your mother allows," he warned her with a raised brow. She's Massie's mom, after all, you'd think Massie would understand these calls weren't up to him.

Massie's homecoming would be one hell of a spectacle. She hadn't been back in Westchester for years. While her "friends" went off to college, Massie spent two years 'studying' beside her father. And by studying, I mean fucking his newly hired youthful associate, Tristan Montgomery Ferguson. He was handsome, devious, intelligent, and off limits. Well, until Massie got to him. He was the only one who gave her a challenge. So, she played the game, and with one look at the rock on her finger, it's safe to say she has won.

"Are we really going with gold? It's so pretentious." She sniffed, looking out the wall-length window beside her as she sat at her family dining room table with her fiance, her mother, and the five star wedding planner her mother had brought in.

"Honey, we are nothing less than a multi-billion dollar family. Gold is expected." Kendra Block stressed, sparing a look at the wedding planner who looked half terrified, and half nauseous.

"Exactly why I want platinum. If someone is expecting me to do something, I need to out do it." The brunette spat back, flipping her chestnut ponytail over one shoulder before handing her mother and her wedding planner a laminated booklet. "If you flip to page six, I have my colors outlined, in detail." The tone she spoke in suggested that this color conversation was done, done, and done.

Four years later, she had a degree from the University of Oxford in her hands, a diamond on her ring finger, and a business practically handed to her. The only tie with that was that she'd need to be in Westchester for good to keep it. Her four years of escape at Oxford were precious to her, she had time to get her recklessness out of her system before coming back to the prim and proper Westchester community.

Her mother didn't understand how much wedding talk stressed her out. She hadn't heard from the girls in years, and yet everyone was planning on them being in her bridal party. Who else would she have, if she didn't have the fabulous Pretty Committee together? Well, yes, but she hasn't spoken to any of them since Alicia's wedding three years ago. Three! Yes, they had all sounded happy on the phone when Massie asked them to be part of her wedding party and had all agreed, but still.

All the girls had parted ways after high school, something about finding themselves and what have you. They needed a break after everything that they had gone through, but Alicia's wedding was supposed to bring them together. All it did was stir the pot further, as the girls were reminded of all their high school mistakes. Their lives are all different now, they're all in different worlds, which was another reason why Massie was so uncomfortable with coming back to Westchester for good.

"What if they don't like me anymore? We haven't spoken in three years, plus we're all in different circles of life. Claire's a principal, for god's sake!" Massie exclaimed once her and Tristan were alone in her old bedroom. She began pacing through the room, a habit she never seemed to break.

"Why wouldn't they like you? They agreed to be in your bridal party, Mass. I'm sure no one has spoken to each other since the wedding, it isn't just you! If you want, why not call up Alicia and sit down with her? Take it slow, tackle them one by one. I'm sure after the stunt Dylan and Claire pulled at Alicia's wedding, Alicia hasn't spoken to either of them."

Massie mulled this over in her head, and after a few minutes more of thinking in her mind, made a sound in the back of her throat.

"Fine, I will reach out to Alicia first and go from there. God, I hate when you're right." She mumbled the last part before flopping back onto her bed. Looking around her room, it was sort of surreal to think about. She used to dream about marrying someone else all those years ago, lying in her bed in the same position. It was sort of ironic, seeing his name on her guestlist with a check mark next to it showing that he RSVP'd. She briefly wondered how that would go over, then decided she didn't care enough to put another thought into it.

Massie and Derrick were the golden couple. They were both perfect, alphas, born leaders. Their fathers founded important and respected businesses, it was like a written-in-the-stars kind of thing. The fathers had made business plans together, Massie and Derrick would get married, then Harrington Montgomery Enterprises and The Block Financial Organization would merge into one empire.

When they broke up, her father swore they'd be back together in no time. Once it was clear that wouldn't happen, their businesses became competition. Neither of their children would ever know the dirty tricks the parents played on each other for their children's separation. For breaking his daughter's heart, Derrick's father was suddenly faced with fines and tickets. Massie's father found zoning restrictions and found it harder and harder to waive them.

In all of Massie's time apprenticing and studying from her father, she never learned about any of it. Her father swore she never would. The only people besides Charles who knew the truth was Kendra Block and Tristan. If only the two of them knew how much their breakup cost their families.

Tristan leaned over, wrapping an arm around Massie's shoulders and placing a kiss to the top of her head. As he was about to speak, his work phone began buzzing in his pocket. With a sigh and an apology, Tristan left the room to answer his call just as Kendra came back up the stairs and entered her daughter's room.

"You're right, platinum it is. We aren't a tacky gold family, like all these other Westchester families."

"We don't follow trends, mom. We set them. I set them."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you have your usual spunk back. Your father and I are going to be throwing a 'Welcome Home, Countdown to the Wedding' gathering in your honor. It'll be friday, so that gives you a week to make nice with all who's invited." With that, Kendra handed Massie a list of people and rested one hand on her slender hip, the other began twirling her pearl necklace. Giving her daughter a pointed look before leaving, Massie realized it was more of an order than anything else.

Sighing, the alpha laid back down and closed her eyes, dreaming of simpler times.