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“…wants out. He’s done with running things, and he wants to leave with a fat paycheck in his hands. And we’re very well-positioned to be the ones whogive himthat fat paycheck, in exchange for full control of all his business assets.”
Deimos clears his throat at the other end of the phone line. “Remind me again why he’s snubbing his own kids on this? Why wouldn’t one of them just take over if he’s ready to retire?”
Ares shakes his head. “He’s not snubbing them. They’ll be compensated well for—”
“Because Melik and Vanya Mirzoyan were raised like trust fund brats, not mafia heirs,” I break in. “And Serj is smart enough to understand that a flat payout is a much better inheritance for them than an empire they’ll almost assuredly burn to the ground or sell off piecemeal for cocaine and shopping money.”
Ares smirks. “That’s basically the short version, yeah.”
“We’re not worried about his motives, though?” I frown. “I mean, Serj has plenty of reasons to try and fuck us over on this.”
My older brother nods. “You’re referring to the bad blood from years ago?”
“Yeah, I’m referring to the fact that our father, may-he-burn-in-Hell, put a bullet through Serj’s father. Call me old-fashioned, but I feel like that’s not the best foundation for a—”
“Mr. Mirzoyan has been quite open about the…relationshipbetween your two families.”
My jaw grinds as I slide my eyes from Ares to stab my gaze lethally into Elsa.
“I’m sorry,whyare you here again?”
Callie kicks me under the table. Ares glares at me.
“Because she’s been working on this deal since the get-go and has done significant research into the financials Serj provided,that’s why,” he mutters, with a look that says, “knock it the fuck off.”
I shrug, leaning back in my chair.
“Yes, there’s history between our family and his,” Ares nods. “But I’m confident after speaking with Serj that the past is truly in the past. He had about as much love for his father as we all did for ours. And he wants this deal. He’s hungry for it.”
I frown, folding my arms over my chest. “Okay, so what’s the damage going to be?”
“A hundred and fifty mil. That’s for the whole thing. Every asset, every business Serj controls.”
Kratos whistles. Deimos mutters a curse in Greek over the line that draws a sharp look from our grandmother as she goes to swat the speakerphone.
“It’s a lot, I know.” Ares steeples his hands on the conference table in front of him, and he glances across to Elsa and Alistair. “Could you please give us a minute?”
The two lawyers nod, standing and closing their legal pads before making an exit.
My brain refuses to acknowledge how good Elsa’s ass looks in gray tweed, even if my eyes insist on following it out the door.
When they’re gone, Ares grins at us.
“Ya-ya, do you want to take over for this part?”
Our grandmother smiles, drumming her fingertips on the tabletop. She may be small and frail, but the list of people who’ve rued the day they underestimated Dimitra Drakos is lengthy. The woman is as sharp as a blade, with all the destructive power of a hurricane when she puts her mind to it.
“One hundred and fifty is not a small number,” she says in a slow, measured tone. “But, it will get us more than even Serj is aware of.”
My brow arches curiously.
“As you know, I sit on a number of boards overseeing rezoning and redevelopment throughout the city.”
Despite her age, Dimitra sits on no less thanfourof these boards. First, because she genuinely does want to better New York, and make sure the city keeps affordable housing available, especially for immigrants, given that she’s one, too.
But second, because her insider knowledge picked up at the various meetings of these boards helps funnel ashitloadof construction jobs to Drakos-owned companies.
“One of them is the new West Side Urban Redevelopment Sector,” my grandmother goes on. “Which encompasses Nine-Fifty-Two Lincoln Place.”
