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“Why exactly do you care?” Matteo asked, his brother always too insightful.

“I slept with her,” Javier said. “Obviously you can see why it would be problematic for her to remain here.”

Matteo appraised him with eyes that were impossible to read. “You know I don’t actually care if you’ve slept with her. As long as you don’t sleep with her after I marry her.”

“You aren’t angry about it?” The idea of Matteo touching Violet filled him with fury. That his brother could feel nothing...

Well, he didn’t know her. He didn’t deserve her.

Matteo waved a hand. “I have no stronger feelings about her than I do for my assistant. She’s a useful potential tool. Nothing more. What she does with her body is her business.”

“I betrayed you,” Javier said.

“How? She has made no vows to me. And I don’t love her.”

For the first time, Javier found his brother’s complete lack of emotion infuriating. Because he had wasted time having far too many emotions about the entire thing, and apparently it didn’t matter after all.

“Let her go.”

“Now see, that does bother me, Javier. Because my word is law.”

“And you wanted to know when you were overstepping. And it is now. She doesn’t wish to marry you. She wishes to leave.”

“And her wishes override mine?”

“You would force a woman down the aisle?”

“I told you what I wanted.”

“And I’m here to tell you it isn’t going to happen. She is mine.”

“Then you marry her.”

He jerked backward. “What?”

“You marry her.”

“Why the hell does anyone have to marry her?”

“Because I made a bargain with her father. And I don’t like to go back on a bargain. It was what he promised me in exchange for his freedom. I didn’t ask, if you were wondering.”

“He simply... Offered her?”

“Yes. I think he liked the idea of a connection with royalty.”

“She doesn’t want it.”

“But you see, I made a business deal with Robert King. He gave me some very tactical business advice that was needed at the time. In exchange I promised that I would make his daughter royalty. Make him a real king, so to speak.”

“In exchange for?”

“Manufacturing rights.”

“Violet is prepared to offer those for her makeup line.”

“Great. I’m glad to hear it. I would like both. Either I marry her or you do it, younger brother, but someone has to.”

Javier stared at his brother, more a brick wall than even Javier was. And for the first time he truly resented that his brother was the leader of the nation and he owed him loyalty. Because he would like to tell him exactly where he could shove his edict. Because they were two alpha males with an equal amount of physical strength and a definite lack of a desire to be ruled by anyone.

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