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I took off the ear mic and passed it to Stefano, who handed it to the flabbergasted priest.
The next time I attended a church service, it would be with my sisters and Mama.
Now for a strong cup of coffee to keep me going through the rest of the day.
* * *
“That was some speech.”
I lifted my attention from my phone, where I was reading the latest updates from my sisters, to find Tobias Stratos moving in my direction.
Andraius’s nephew possessed the confidence most of the firstborn sons in the syndicate world seemed to have been born with. They knew they were the heir apparent and wielded the power that went with the role.
In Tobias’s case, he already ran his family’s empire. His father and uncles only sat in their positions as advisers, but he was the force that made all the decisions.
Setting my phone next to me, I gave Tobias my complete focus. “I only spoke the truth.”
“Then I have another truth to ask you.” He sat next to me, not asking permission to take the seat, something I noticed annoyed Stefano, who watched us with a keen eye.
“Ask.”
“Since you aren’t going to mourn your deceased husband, does that mean you plan to move on from him sooner rather than later?”
“Are you applying for consideration?”
He grinned. “Absolutely.”
I cocked my head to the side, taking Tobias in. He was around thirty and handsome, with amber eyes and jet-black hair. Height-wise, he wouldn’t tower over me, but he wasn’t short, and his body tended toward the lean runner type. He held a ladies’ man reputation with an array of broken-hearted women who could never keep him long enough to settle down. Or those were the rumors circulating about him.
I’d learned all about him through Andraius’s rantings and even more during private discussions with Mama.
I hadn’t expected to find out that his family had offered to align our families through a marriage contract for all of us girls with the sons of the Stratos family. I was chosen specifically for Tobias. Papa had rejected it, saying he wanted to give his daughters the freedom to pick their own spouses.
Though to keep relationships on the friendly side, Papa kept the possibility of things open by saying he would allow the Stratos boy to court his daughter when they came of age.
Court us? Were we in the stone ages?
However, in reality, Papa never wanted me or my sisters with the Stratoses. Their family only focused on power and territory and wouldn’t think twice about double-crossing an ally.
“Marriage and relationships are the last things on my list of priorities at the moment. I may not even tackle them at all.”
“You can’t be serious.” Surprise and concern crossed his features. “You have to produce an heir. You and your sisters are the last of your bloodline.”
Oh, I had to shut this down immediately.
“This isn’t a topic you need to worry about. I’ll handle it when the time comes. I’m the Angelos, and my energy and focus are on the management of Angelos Shipping.”
“Does that mean you plan to ignore the rumors circulating about you?” A calculating glint entered his eyes, reminding me of his uncle and giving me the urge to punch him.
I stared at him. This attitude had to be a family trait. Studying his face, I hadn’t realized how much he resembled Andraius.
Now it made sense.
“Why don’t you clarify this information?” I frowned. “I don’t work in gossip. I’m a facts person.”
I gave him my cool, “Are you really wasting my time with this?” tone, which had his posture straightening and making him realize the flirty, friendly approach wasn’t working.
“Some say you killed Andraius.” He paused, taking in my reaction, but I gave him none. “And others believe you arranged for others to carry out the act for you.”
