16

Lirael's POV

"When was the last time the three of us were out together?" Raphael asked, raising his voice to be heard over the pounding beat.

I swirled the whiskey in my glass. "It's been a while."

While Raphael often attended our club openings, I only did occasionally, and Nathan rarely ever did. I was sure he considered it beneath him to fraternize with the commoners, let alone his brothers.

But putting on a united front was more important than ever now, which is why we were all making an appearance at the opening of one of our recent investments. I had no clue if Nathan was enjoying himself or not. He reclined in his chair, drinking top-shelf whiskey, his cool gaze scanning the crowd while a hot blonde chattered in his ear about something I was sure he didn't give a fuck about.

Even with the dim lighting in the VIP section, I could see shadows under his eyes. For the first time, I felt a pang of sympathy for him. It couldn't be easy, helming a vessel as large as ours while trying t