"Get us off this boat. Now."
"Already done. There's a catamaran waiting per usual.”
We're through the yacht's corridors in seconds, and I'm running in heels trying to keep up with Victor's long strides.
"Victor, what just happened?—"
"Not now."
We reach the deck, and true to James's word, there's a sleek catamaran bobbing in the water beside us. James helps me down the ladder, and Victor follows, his chiseled set hard enough to slice.
The catamaran pulls away from the yacht, and I can see figures on the deck watching us leave.
"I need to—" I gesture toward the bathroom below deck. "I need a minute."
Victor nods once, not looking at me, and I stumble down the stairs and into the bathroom, closing the door before leaning against it.
Because what in the billionaire hell just happened?
Victor Kade—the man I’ve come to know as the pinnacle of self-control—just punched someone in the face at a business dinner, just destroyed the CulinaryVision acquisition, just walked away from everything he's been working toward for months.
And I have no earthly idea why.
Splashing water on my face, I make an attempt to calm my racing heart. When I finally emerge from the bathroom, Victor is gone.
Eventually, I find him on the stern of the catamaran, standing at the railing with a glass of scotch in his hand.
The catamaran is anchored now, bobbing gently in the dark water. The lights of Richard's yacht are visible in the distance, and above us, stars are beginning to appear in the night sky. The deck has heaters, but there’s still a cool breeze that sweeps across my skin. But nothing gives me goosebumps more than the broad-shouldered man standing in front of me.
"Victor," I say quietly.
He doesn't turn around. "Go back inside, Harper."
"No."
"This isn't a request."
"And I'm not taking orders right now." I can’t believe I’m talking to my boss like this right now. But honestly, I don’t give a damn. I move to stand beside him. "What just happened back there?"
"I made a mistake."
"You punched someone in the face."
"Yes."
"At a business dinner."
"I'm aware."
"A business dinner that was supposed to save the CulinaryVision acquisition."
"Also aware."
I wait for more, but he just takes another sip of scotch, staring out at the ocean.
"Victor," I say carefully. "Who was that man?"
His jaw tightens. "My brother."
