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“Anything but that.”
“Then I suppose you’ll have to find someone else, Windsor.”
Fuck. This fucking asshole. “Did you ever even give a fuck about her?” I snap.
He laughs, the sound grating. “I did, and I still do. My wife and I both love Raven as though she’s family, and we always will.”
“Yet you demand such a high price for her protection?”
“I don’t mix business and my personal life.”
“That’s bullshit. You founded your entire company to find your wife.”
He laughs again, and never before have I been this tempted to punch someone in the face.
“Yes,” he admits. “Alanna is my only exception.”
“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth. “One favor. So long as it doesn’t harm anyone and doesn’t breach my personal values.”
“Done,” he says. “Raven will never realize some of the most skilled and ruthless men I’ve got are protecting her round the clock.” Then that fucker laughs again. “By the way, you should probably know that Raven has unknowingly had my protection for years now — for free. You just paid one hell of a premium just to keep men’s advances at bay, something I never bothered with. You should probably ask yourself why.”
Then he hangs up on me, leaving me fucking fuming. Fucking piece of shit.
ChapterSix
Ares
* * *
I’m apprehensive as I park in front of the Du Pont mansion. I should be looking forward to celebrating Hannah’s birthday tonight, but things just haven’t been the same between us in a while, and it’s becoming harder for me to ignore it.
With a mere few weeks until our wedding, every issue we’ve ever had seems amplified. Perhaps I’ve just got cold feet, but it feels like more than that. Part of me wonders if the only reason she and I even started dating was the knowledge that we’d end up together eventually, through our arranged marriage.
Except... would we have? The woman my parents wanted me to marry wasRaven. If I hadn’t… if that night hadn’t happened, would I be getting married to Raven?
I run a hand through my hair and draw a shaky breath. It doesn’t matter now. There’s no going back in time, and cold feet or not, I’ll have to marry Hannah if I want to keep my job and my inheritance.
I steel myself as I get out of the car, feeling oddly out of it. I haven’t felt like myself lately, and I’m not sure why. It isn’t just about the wedding. It’s more than that.
“Ares!”
I look up to find Hannah’s father standing by the door, a wide grin on his face. It’s been a while since I last saw him, and I have no doubt he’s got a nice bottle of scotch to share with me. When it comes to my future father-in-law, I’ve hit the jackpot. He’s a genuinely nice guy, and he quickly became a second father to me. He makes my own father’s absence a little easier to bear. The pain of suddenly losing your parents never really goes away, but it dulls over time.
“Arthur.” I shake his hand before he ushers me in, the sound of laughter greeting us as we head toward the patio in the back.
“How’s work been, son? I’ve barely seen you around. You staying over tonight?”
I nod. “Work has been busy, but I’ve freed up the weekend.”
Hannah looks up when I walk toward her, my birthday gift in hand. Thankfully, it’s just a few of her closest friends and her family tonight. Larger events are too stressful for both of us, and lately it’s put a lot of additional strain on our relationship. Tonight is exactly what we needed.
I wrap my arm around her and lean in, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “Hey, Han,” I murmur, before pulling away and holding up her birthday present.
“Ares,” she says, smirking. “I can’t wait to see what it is!”
Her friends surround her as she opens the box, all of them equally excited. All of Hannah’s friends are actresses too, so I can never tell whether any of their reactions are genuine or not.
“It’s beautiful,” she says. “Can you help me put it on?”
