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“What about it?”
“I get to decide it, just like I get to decide how I spend my time, and you, Ms. Esteal, are wasting my precious time. And you wouldn’t want to know what I do to people who waste my time, now do you?”
The men in the room watched our interaction with the intrigue of a high-stakes cross-examination.
“Is that a threat?” I asked slowly.
He shrugged. “Depends.”
“Isn’t your mother a spa enthusiast?” I replied, glancing at my watch before I stared straight into his eyes. “I believe her appointment at Avenue Five started thirteen minutes ago. Also, isn’t Esmeralda her favorite therapist?” My second Valerian rule echoed in my head—always study your enemy before you sit head-to-head with them. It was a lesson I never forgot.
Arkane smirked, sliding me a glance while Jon outright chuckled. Even Grayson, for once, looked at me like I wasn’t holding a knife at his throat.
Karl raised a casual brow. “Is that a threat?”
“Depends,” I repeated his words.
Karl slid a shrewd smile my way. “Do you really wanna go there, Ms. Esteal?”
Sad if Karl Ford thought of me as his opponent in court, only there wasn’t much in this world that really affected me. I was the most indifferent person I knew, so none of his tricks would ever work on me, but I didn’t voice that thought.
“Enough already.” Arkane interrupted. “We aren’t here for your advice. Rather, it’s about a case file. I need it.”
Karl’s brow furrowed in question. “Case file?”
“A 2018 DUI on Rockerfella Street. I believe you took it as a pro bono,” I explained.
“I don’t recall such things from the top of my head,” Karl said without even sparing me a look. “I’ve had about a hundred cases like that.”
“Forty-six,” I said in a calm tone. “You’ve only had forty-six DUI cases in your career. A smart man like you should remember that.”
For the first time since coming here today, Karl Ford looked at me with intrigue. “There aren’t many people in this world who would dare talk back to me. I will say you’re good, Ms. Esteal.” He leaned forward, eyeing me curiously. “More than good. No woman has held my interest in a long time.”
“Is that so?” Arkane asked instead. “Good for you, Karl. Will you give us the file or not?”
“Fine, like I care about some file. I’ll have my assistant dig it up.” Karl scoffed, sliding a charming smile my way. “I’m more interested in you, Bellerose.”
A lawyer lied for a living. Even dead, I wouldn’t trust a revered man like Karl Ford, who has never lost a case in his career.
Before I could say anything, the doors burst open with a loud thud, and my muscle memory snapped me to reach for my blades, only to realize I didn’t have them. But thankfully, I didn’t need them because in came a young, bubbly girl, wearing a short, glittery beige dress with perfectly done makeup and hair.
Chiara Stormhold.
“Ci.” Jon jumped excitedly over to her. “Happy Birthday,” he screamed, pulling her into a hug.
A sweet laugh left her lips just as Arkane and Grayson replaced Jon, swallowing her in the tightest hug as they wished her a happy birthday.
The shift in the air upon Chiara’s arrival was so apparent that the men in the room cast aside their grim personalities and became unrecognizable aliens.
The three brothers doted on their sister like she was the apple of their eyes. Even Karl and Lucien displayed brotherly fondness toward her. Guess now I know who was the favorite in the family.
“Just wishes aren’t enough.” She tapped her feet, eyeing her brothers. “Where are my presents?”
“Like I would forget.” Arkane pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Mikhail’s bringing them.”
Her cheeks pinkened at the mention of Mikhail. Interesting.
“Okay,” she told Arkane before her wide eyes finally found mine. “Oh my, you’re so beautiful.”
