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“There’s a good-sized rock, you want to sit and have some of our wine out here in the open?”
Aileen noted the large, flat rock jutting out toward the edge of the water and nodded, walking over to take a seat on it. She slipped off her sandals and let her toes drag through the sand before the water lapped at them, rinsing them clean again. Yakov joined her, slipping out of the soft beach treads he was wearing and sticking his own feet down beside hers as he poured their wine and handed her a glass.
“Here’s to us,” he said, holding his own glass up for a toast.
“Cheers!” Aileen replied, clinking his glass with her own.
“This place is so beautiful,” he said, looking out over the sea.
“It is. I can’t believe you come here for business.”
“It’s purposeful. Why do business solely with the bigwigs in your own neighborhood, when you can seek out customers and partners in tropical paradises? I didn’t help build this company slapping together mini malls and apartment buildings in the city.”
“I don’t get it, Yakov. Why is it so important to you to become Alpha of the clan? I mean, I get that you don’t really care for Kevin, but don’t you have enough on your plate with your business? Why not let him take over the clan and if he’s not a good leader, they will deal with him?”
“I’d report to him. I’d be at his disposal, so whatever bad choices he made, I’d have to accept them and I just can’t do that. Kevin used to work at the company and then he did something. The Alpha leader had him transferred to transportation, somewhere that he couldn’t do as much damage.”
“What did he do?”
“I don’t know. It’s always been a mystery to everyone.”
“But the leader protects him?”
“Yes. Another mystery. He’s in no condition to tell us now. You met him on a good day, but most days he couldn’t tell you his own name and most of what he says is either gibberish or fantasy. He thinks Kevin is his son.”
“Are you sure he isn’t?”
Yakov looked at her, the moonlight streaming across his shocked face, as if this was the first time he had ever considered the possibility.
“I don’t know.”
“Have you and Kevin always been at odds?”
“Not always. As kids, we used to play together, but Kevin always had a chip on his shoulder and when he got demoted and I got promoted ahead of him, he deemed me his enemy.”
“And now he’s opposing you for a seat at the head of the table,” she replied, sipping her wine.
“Yes, and he has a number of people on his side.”
“Why? He doesn’t seem terribly personable. In fact, he’s pretty unlikeable, as is his bride-to-be.”
“True, but they pity him. He’s the underdog. He’s very clever, always playing up how he was cast aside in favor of me. He’s done a good job of convincing them that I, somehow, had something to do with the leader’s decision in regard to him. I’m a bad dragon, because I’m driven, because I’m successful.”
“That’s why the marriage is important. You not only need to be viewed as stable, a family man, but you need to be viewed as lovable.”
“Yes. If they see that I can win the heart of a beautiful woman, then they can open up their way of thinking and entertain the possibility that I wouldn’t rule with an iron fist. They could see that I have compassion and heart. That’s what I need to tip the tables back toward me.”
“It’s a lot of deceit to your people. Is it worth that? Would it really be so bad to just take your chances that Kevin might win without the lies?”
“I’ve thought about it, but I can’t do that. This clan is my family and I owe everything I am to them. My grandfather was the Alpha until he passed away, his father before him and so on. It should have gone to my father, but he wanted nothing to do with it. He was too busy with his life, too self-involved. So, it moved out of our bloodline and will continue to do so unless I step in and reclaim it.”
“Even so, it’s a lot for you to take on, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I’ll manage. I can’t let my ancestors down. They fought for this clan back in times when things weren’t so civilized. Who am I to just let it go? Who was my father to just let it go?”
“I understand. It’s your namesake, in a way.”
“Yes, it is. I appreciate you helping me take it back.”
“I appreciate you helping me claim a new namesake for myself.”
“How so?”
“The money I make here will allow me to accomplish what I’ve always wanted. That’s important to me.”
“Well, there you have it then, we’re benefiting one another in ways that will matter for years to come.”
