Updated Mar 22, 2026 • ~4 min read
Chapter 6: The Feud Explained
MAREN
Week eleven.
I need to tell him.
Soon.
But first, I need to understand the feud.
Really understand it.
Because maybe if I know why our families hate each other, I can figure out how to fix it.
I ask Uncle Conrad over dinner.
Just the two of us.
His apartment.
“Why do we hate the Kings?”
He looks up from his wine.
Surprised.
“Why are you asking?”
“I’m pitching against them. For Hartley. I should understand the history.”
Partial truth.
He nods.
Sets down his glass.
“It started with your grandmother. Elena Ross. Brilliant marketer. Built this agency from nothing.”
“And Jasper’s grandfather?”
“Thomas King. Her competitor. They were colleagues once. Friends, even. Then Thomas stole her biggest client. Used insider information Elena had shared in confidence. Nearly bankrupted her.”
“What happened?”
“She fought back. Rebuilt. Became more successful than ever. But she never forgave him. Neither did your mother. The feud became… personal. Vicious.”
Conrad’s face hardens.
“My sister—your mother—worked herself to death trying to beat them. Sixty-hour weeks. Constant stress. She had a heart attack at forty-two. In her office. Fighting for a contract against King Industries.”
His voice breaks.
“I found her.”
Oh God.
I didn’t know that.
“Uncle Conrad—”
“So yes, Maren. We hate the Kings. They took my sister from me. From you. And I will never, EVER forgive them.”
The pain in his eyes is real.
Raw.
And I understand.
This isn’t just business.
It’s personal.
Grief wrapped in vengeance.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You were young. But you need to understand. The Kings are the enemy. Always have been. Always will be.”
He looks at me.
Serious. Intense.
“Promise me, Maren. Promise you’ll never trust them. Never give them an inch. They’ll destroy us if we let them.”
I nod.
Can’t speak.
Because I’ve already broken that promise.
***
JASPER
I ask Emmett about the feud.
We’re in my office.
Late night.
Everyone else gone.
“Why do we hate the Rosses?”
Emmett looks up from his laptop.
“Seriously? You’ve never asked before.”
“I’m asking now.”
He leans back.
“Grandfather Thomas and Elena Ross were friends. Business partners, actually. They started out together. Then Elena accused Thomas of stealing her ideas. Her clients. Sabotaging her company.”
“Did he?”
Emmett hesitates.
“Probably. Grandfather was… ruthless. Cutthroat. He didn’t believe in fair play.”
I’m not surprised.
“And Dad?”
“Dad inherited the feud. Made it worse. He saw the Rosses as threats. Competitors to destroy. When Elena’s daughter—Maren’s mother—died young, Dad saw it as… karma.”
Disgusting.
“He celebrated her death?”
“Not publicly. But privately? Yeah. He thought the Rosses deserved it.”
I’m ashamed.
Of my family.
Of this stupid, vicious cycle.
“And now?”
“Now it’s on us. You and Conrad Ross. Next generation. Same hatred.”
But it doesn’t have to be.
“What if we ended it?”
Emmett stares at me.
“What?”
“The feud. What if we just… stopped?”
“Jasper, you can’t—”
“Why not? What’s the point? Grandfather and Elena are dead. Dad is dead. Maren’s mother is dead. Why are we still fighting their wars?”
Emmett is quiet.
Thinking.
“You like her. Maren Ross.”
Not a question.
A statement.
I don’t deny it.
“Yeah. I do.”
“How much?”
“Enough to want to end this.”
Emmett exhales.
“This is insane.”
“I know.”
“Conrad will lose his mind.”
“Probably.”
“The board—”
“Fuck the board.”
Emmett almost smiles.
“Dad would be furious.”
“Good. Dad was wrong about a lot of things.”
Long pause.
“Okay. If you’re serious about this, I’ll support you. But you need a plan. Because ending a forty-year feud isn’t going to be easy.”
No.
It’s not.
But for Maren?
I’ll try.
END OF CHAPTER 6
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