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Alexis looks around the space. “Nice place.”
I stop close to the knife block. “Why are you here?”
“I just thought I’d swing by to congratulate you and Max.” He cranes his neck to look over my shoulder toward the bedroom. “Pity I’ve missed my brother.”
I think quickly. “He’s having a shower. I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
Alexis smiles. “Liar. Sylvie told me your wedding didn’t go down as planned. Francine said Max is spending the night at a hotel.” He drags his gaze over me. “I have to say, you look a lovely mess.”
“How nice of them to run to you with their gossip.”
“Oh,” he tilts his head, “it was nothing like that. I called Max. Since he didn’t answer, I called Sylvie. After she’d filled me in, I tried Fran. Fran and Max have always been close. She was my best bet of finding him. From what Sylvie told me, I was worried about my brother.”
Right. If Alexis is trying to hurt me with the Fran and Max being close part, it’s working. Maxime shouldn’t have forced me into marriage like this. I’m still freaking out about it. That doesn’t mean I want him to run into Francine’s arms. What Alexis is fabulously successful at is scaring me. I slip the phone onto the counter and close my hand around the shaft of the carving knife. “If you came here just to gloat, you can leave. I want you to go—now.”
“Tsk, tsk.” He advances. “What are you going to do? Stab me?”
I point the knife at him. “If I must.”
“Why would I want to hurt you?” He smiles. “After all, I’m in your debt. If not for you, I wouldn’t be the boss.”
“What?” My grip falters on the knife. It slips in my sweaty palm. I catch it just before it drops to the floor. “What do you mean you’re the boss?”
“Didn’t my brother tell you?” He stops by the counter in front of me and leans his arms on the top. “In order to marry you, he had to step down.”
Step down? “I don’t understand.”
“You deserve a golden star for your timing.”
“My timing?”
“We were about to sit down for breakfast with Izabella Zanetti’s family when Max’s guard called to say you’d run. Of course my brother immediately wanted to go after you.” He waves a hand in the air and rolls his eyes. “Family dramas. You know how those go. Naturally, Izabella’s father was very upset. What a slap in his daughter’s face. What a scandal for a man to abandon his engagement party to chase after his mistress. Izabella’s father threatened to annul the contract. My father threatened to disown Max if he dishonored the deal by leaving. What did Max do? He threw them both the finger and ran after you.”
“Your father disowned him?”
He pouts. “It broke my mother’s heart. She’ll never forgive you, by the way. You see, Max has always been her favorite. In any event, as the next in line, I took Max’s place in the business and family. We made a new deal. I got to marry Izabella and secure the contract with the Italians. The house was a nice bonus. I know Max is going to miss it.”
“He gave up his house?” I ask with a growing feeling of sickness.
“The house comes with the business. Max did put a lot of time and heart into the place. Splendid job he did with the renovations.” He looks around. “This isn’t bad, either.”
“Is this why you came here?” The knife suddenly feels too heavy. I drop my arm at my side. “To tell me about Maxime’s misfortune?”
“I came here to warn you.” All pretense of friendliness vanishes from his face. “Don’t get too attached to your husband, because I’m going to squash him like a bug.”
My whole body tenses. “Maxime is too powerful.”
“He’s no one,” he says with a sneer. “He has no more power. I’m going to ruin him, and I’m going to kill him when I’m done.”
I grip the edge of the counter, fear mixing with that sick feeling. “He’s your brother. Why do you hate him so much?”
“Maxime has always taken everything for himself. The business, the money, you.”
“He’s the oldest. It’s not his fault he was born first, and he took me to save me from you.”
He snorts. “Save you?”
“I’ve seen how you treat women, remember?”
“He didn’t tell you,” he says, his smile stretching.
“Tell me what?”
“Those women, my darling, were prostitutes. You, on the other hand, were destined to be my wife.”
The strength leaves my legs. My knees wobble. It’s only my grip on the counter that keeps me up. I couldn’t have heard right. “What did you say?”
“The plan was that Maxime would extract you from South Africa and deliver you to me. Since he was already promised to Izabella with only the final details of the contract to be ironed out, I would’ve married you to force an alliance with your brother.”
