AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I called this Tea Party to discuss the future of Lyriope. She doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this chest-beating contest between all of us any longer. She has paid for her crimes over and over by just having to breathe the same air as you. It’s time we figure out a way to at the very least cut her loose.”
I know I’m showing my cards right now. I’m revealing to these men that I care about the woman. I’m showing the king, the queen, as well as the ace in my hand, and not holding back any longer. Let them know I fucking love this woman. I don’t care anymore. I’ll declare it as loud as I have to if it means protecting her forever.
“I think it’s fair to say that a wedding isn’t in the future,” I continue.
“A deal’s a deal,” Sidorov cuts in.
Rolling my eyes, I tilt my head and say, “Wedding is off. Come to terms with that.” I lift my hand to silence Sidorov when he opens his mouth to speak. “But I do recognize that you are owed something for all this trouble. There was an auction, and you haven’t truly been paid now that you don’t have an arranged marriage as you had hoped for.” I push over a pad of paper and a pen in his direction. “Write down the amount you want that would make you satisfied to leave this room content, and I’ll pay it.”
Sidorov looks down at the paper, glares at Bryant, but then picks up the pen and scribbles something down. I don’t care what he writes. I’ll pay it. There’s no amount I won’t pay.
I glance down, approve of the amount, nod, and say, “I’ll have the money to you within twenty-four hours.” A figure as high as he’s demanding will take some shuffling of funds around.
Sidorov crosses his arms against his chest and narrows his eyes at Bryant. “Lyriope is no longer a concern for the Sidorov family. But that doesn’t mean my beef with you is over.”
Bryant leans forward. “Does this look like a face that gives a fuck?”
Happy that I have at least dealt with the Sidorovs, I still want to make it clear to the man who has an IQ of a slug. “Her debt to you is no more. You and your family don’t even look in her direction. She’s under my protection. Mine. No one comes near her again. Clear?”
“Unlike Morelli, when I make a deal, I keep it,” Sidorov says.
I turn my attention to Bryant Morelli. “I saved your life tonight. You owe me.”
“Fuck off. I owe you nothing,” he says with an arrogant roll of his eyes. But he then leans back in his chair and crosses his arms against his chest. “Let me guess. You want me to marry off Lyriope to you. You want to step in where Pavel couldn’t.”
I shake my head. “No. I’ll never ask you for her hand in marriage. It’s not for you to give.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you to acknowledge Lyriope as a true Morelli.”
He chuckles. “Ahh, so you want me to write her into the will so you can marry her and hit a jackpot? Is that it?”
I glance at Harrison who is shaking his head with a smile. I’m sure he wants this night over as badly as I do. And though he appears amused by the comment, I also see that his hand is ready to pull his gun out before anyone can blink if he needs to.
“I don’t want or need your money. If you want to lay your dick on the table so we can measure who has the biggest one, I assure you I’ll come out the victor.” I give him a wink. “I’ll also give you a loan with low interest someday if Lucian runs your empire into the ground.”
“I can’t wait to watch that happen,” Sidorov says, still trying to taunt Morelli.
“You owe me one regardless of what you think,” I continue. “And I’m cashing in now. I’m not asking for you to be dear ol’daddy and take Lyriope out for ice cream. Frankly, I think she should hate you. But I do want her acknowledged as a daughter in your fucked-up family tree. She deserves better than you, but I do know how important it is for her to not be thought of as the dirty bastard cast aside.” I release a breath and add, “She’s not a bastard anymore. She’s your goddamn daughter.”
Bryant sits in silence, blood from his dead men still splattered on his shirt. He’s at a disadvantage. He doesn’t have his sons to help him make the decision. This deal is all on him. “You’re a bastard, Hudson.”
“Sidorov and I have something in common,” I say. “I too believe a deal is a deal. And if you go back on this deal, I’ll make sure a bullet actually hits you. I don’t miss.”
“I’d like to see you fucking try,” Bryant says between clenched teeth. He inhales deeply rather than continuing on. After a few moments, he finally says, “Lyriope is a Morelli. My daughter. I’ll acknowledge her.”
“Her brother, Dylan, as well,” I add.
Bryant simply nods.
“Agreed,” I say. “From this moment on, Lyriope is my concern. What happens to her will have nothing to do with either of you.”
“And as long as the agreed payment is given to me within twenty-four hours,” Siderov says, “I’m moving on to other business.”
“And as long as she isn’t living under my roof, I don’t care where she ends up,” Bryant adds. “It doesn’t matter whether I claim her as my daughter. You think the Morelli name gives her protection? It doesn’t. We’re bound for hell, this family. She can come with us.”
“No,” I say softly. “She’s coming with me.”
