AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re a little girl who’s gained a seat by spreading her legs, nothing else.”
“If that’s how you feel, then it must mean you no longer need access to Angelos contacts for your next batch of inventory or access to our ports in Cypress. Do you know alliances and rivalries in the US translate to the Angelos family overseas? One call from me and Theios Rico will shut off all Angelos resources to you throughout Europe.”
Surprise flashed on his face, and then he adjusted in his seat as if he were about to get up and attack me. One of his men set a hand on his shoulder, readying to keep him in place.
The movement had everyone in the room adjusting their stances. Theo and Xander moved closer to me, as did the rest of our team.
The whole time, I kept my eyes trained on Dante’s face.
“Here is another thing I’ll repeat: I am Peter Angelos’s daughter. I know the deals he made and the terms behind them. I know everything owed to Angelos Shipping and by whom. Andraius let you get away with many things because he held no real power. He knew nothing about the business. And you took advantage of it. It’s a shame for you he died before you completed renegotiations.”
“You know even less than him,” Dante retorted. “You’re weak. You fucked your enemy for years. It took someone else cleaning up your father’s failure to give you that seat.”
I leaned forward, setting my hand on the table, wanting him to see the fury in my eyes. “I doubt you would have survived one day of what I endured. Answer this question for me. Does it make you feel better about all of your big, strong male insecurities to degrade and insult a woman who is smarter and twice as capable as you?”
Dante jumped up, arms stretched out, ready to reach across the table at me.
I instinctively pulled the knife from the sheath I kept strapped to my leg, rose from my seat, and threw it, lodging it into Dante’s shoulder and making him stagger back.
The next second, the room broke into a chaos of shouts, hands jerking me around, and guns trained everywhere. Xander and Theo had me sandwiched between their bodies, and other soldiers shielded me from the different sides. It was a complete blockade of men and muscles.
“What the fuck, Angel?” Xander set a hand on my waist.
I tried to catch my breath and said, “He started it.”
Theo kept his body in front of mine, his gun trained on someone.
That was when I heard Simon Drakos say, “Stand down, everyone. Dante Galani instigated this whole situation when he lunged for her. From where I stand, she defended herself.”
“Bullshit. She used a fucking knife,” Dante shouted. “She could have killed me.”
“Would you rather I pulled a gun? Then you would be dead.”
Xander squeezed me. “Not helping.”
“No, this is the end of any more conversations about my place at this table. Is that understood?” I tried to push Theo to the side, but moving a concrete wall may have been easier. “Get out of my way, Theo.”
“Not until his men put their weapons down.”
After a few seconds, I heard Anthony say, “Apologies once again, Nerine. From this moment on, Galani men only answer to me and are no threat to you or your safety.”
Theo stepped to the side.
Anthony gestured to my vacant seat. “I’m taking over now. Pops no longer makes decisions for the family.”
“The hell you are.”
Ignoring his father, he glanced to his side. “Have him patched up and take him home and watch him. Confiscate his phone.”
A group of Anthony’s men took Dante from the room.
Artemis cleared his throat once again. “It looks like we have two successions of power at the table today. Let’s acknowledge it, forget the bullshit from earlier happened, and get to business. The entertainment portion of the afternoon is over.”
Anthony inclined his head to me. I gave him the same gesture back, and in some warped sense, I believed I just helped him overthrow his father.
This was turning out to be a weird-as-fuck day.
Twenty-Six
