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While Chloe was in the guest bedroom with Mia, giving the poor potential babysitter the third degree to make sure she was capable of taking care of a small child, Nik spoke with his right-hand man.
They went into the den and closed the door. Nik didn’t want Chloe to overhear anything major. He circled around his desk and sat in the large black high-back chair. Because he believed success and good organizational skills went hand in hand, everything on his desk was in order.
“How is my mother?” Nik asked.
They were about to head to the hospital to check on her in person, but Nik had called Phillip Stone after speaking with his mother on the phone. No one could hide information from Phillip. He was a human bloodhound.
Phillip’s mouth became a grim line. “Her doctor refused to talk to me, but I managed to get a sneak peek at her chart.”
“And?”
“We should all be so healthy and strong.”
Nik slapped his palm against the desk’s dark wood surface. “I knew it! What is she up to now?”
Phillip shrugged. “That, I don’t know. I can keep digging if you’d like.”
Nik shook his head. “I have other things for you to do in my absence.”
“Do you have any idea when you’ll be returning to Vegas? This isn’t a permanent move, is it?”
Nik scoffed. “Hell no. I just have to stay in Brookhaven long enough to convince my wife that she and my kid are better off with me than without me. She loves her hometown and feels safe there. I have to prove she can trust me before she’ll even entertain a change of location.”
“You must really love her.”
“I do.”
Nik leaned back in his chair and smiled despite the news on his mother. Just thinking about Chloe made him happy. She was the only woman he had ever loved, the only woman he would ever love. Somehow, he had to convince her that his love was real.
He added, “I need time to get to know my daughter. Right now they have the home field advantage, and that’s good. Chloe will let down her guard easier if she’s in familiar surroundings.”
“I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you on your unexpected blessing yet. We at the home office are pleased that you have a family.”
Nik grinned. “They are pretty special.”
“How will the business get along without you? I mean, I’m handling things as well as I can, but I’m only one man. Your mother playing sick isn’t helping.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.” Nik started writing instructions on a pad of paper. “I’ll give you this for my uncles and cousins. They can start earning their pay instead of just sitting on the board grumbling. It’s time for them to step up. I don’t want them making any major decisions, of course, and no one messes with my football team. The coach has my number in case he needs something.”
Phillip nodded. “Understood.”
“Miguel can run the casino without me for a while, and the hotel staff have everything under control here.”
Nik tore the top page off his pad and went around the desk to hand it to Phillip. The Andropolis empire was extremely important to him, but his family had to come first. If he had to stay in that tiny town for a while and pretend to love it, he would. He would do anything to hold onto Chloe and Mia.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Phillip asked. “We can keep things running smoothly for a short period of time, but not forever.”
Nik thought about the beautiful woman in the other room. She could be stubborn, more stubborn than him in some cases. He didn’t actually have a complete plan to sway her. So far, he just knew that he had to live in Brookhaven. If he could get her to move into his house, half the battle would be won. Once she realized she couldn’t live without him, then he would talk her into moving to Vegas with him.
“I’ll fly in once a week,” Nik said. “If you have an emergency you can’t handle, call me. I can fly back and take care of things at a moment’s notice.”
Phillip smirked on his way to the door. “Your mother is quite something. What will you do about her?”
Banishing her to Greece sounded good to him. She wouldn’t be able to interfere in his life anymore if she was stuck on their privately owned island. Or maybe he could put her on lockdown on the family estate right there in Vegas. Knowing his mother though, she still might be able to do some damage. She had employees that were loyal to her and only her.
“I’ll think of something,” Nik said. “First, I need to find out what her endgame is this time. What diabolical plan is she hatching?”
Phillip clapped him on the back. “I wish you luck with both the women in your life.”
