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I prepare myself for battle and nod coolly.
“What do you want to discuss?”
He hisses. “Laura.”
Hearing her name on his lips tells me everything. He is angry. He believes I mean her harm and am using her to bring them down. He is not wrong. I was, but everything has changed, so I say with a nod, “I love her.”
He is silent, and I notice a gleam in his eye as he leans back and laughs softly.
“An unexpected outcome to your plan, Mr. Remington.”
“It was.” I look at each of them in turn.
“I won’t hide my original intentions. I employed Laura because I knew she was your granddaughter. I also knew she was ignorant of that. Information I foolishly believed I had something to bargain with. To persuade you to walk away from The Dark Lords. To disassociate yourself from a society that grew faster than you probably intended it to.”
His eyes flash dangerously.
“Mysociety, Mr. Remington.” He growls. “Myclub that I founded from nothing. The club that I approve membership of andonlyme. The product of my foresight that has helped bring millions of dollars into the economy and remain exclusive. Where the members help one another out for the good of relations. Where business deals are made, and hands shake on it.”
He snarls, “Your own family has benefitted from my foresight and inclusion in my world and if you are blaming me for your father’s death, think again.”
He has laid out the very reason I am here at all, and he hisses, “Your father was saved too many times. He was a lousy businessman who cost The Dark Lords millions of dollars, if not billions, and our patience had run thin. What happened was overdue because he was always going to fail. In fact, he failed several times, and he couldn’t live with that.”
He shakes his head and his expression changes to one of pity as he sighs heavily. “I gave you a chance because you didn’t give up. You took his broken company and rebuilt it. I arranged for The Dark Lords to offer you contracts. I helped ease your road to billions and you want to repay me by taking my membership from my own fucking club!”
I have never felt so wretched in my life and am ashamed of myself.
As Don Vieri reaches for his glass, his grandson Killian adds in his deep, husky voice. “Mistakes happen, Troy. We all make them, but what we learn from them is important. If anything, I admire your spirit. You are driven in a way many aren’t, but you have forgotten the most basic fact.” He leans forward and glares at me. “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you, no matter how dirty it is.”
Shade laughs and says with amusement, “I couldn’t have put it better myself.”
He leans forward as Killian leans back and says in the same husky drawl, “My brother is attempting to do the right thing. To bring light to our family name and repay our debt to society. I am not.”
His eyes darken to vicious pools of danger, and he hisses, “I do not share that quality. I love my job and have no desire to change it, but above that, I love my family. You planned to use one of our family members to break us, and I can’t forgive you for that.”
If anything, he is the one who scares me the most, and he snarls, “I am not the forgiving type, and you are only sitting here because my grandfather permitted it. So, this is what you will do, Mr. Remington? Back off, crawl back behind your desk, and stay the fuck out of our business and our family.”
The tension increases as he stares me down and I take a deep breath and say firmly, “I wish I could, Mr. Vieri, but I’m in love with your cousin. She has made it impossible to walk away from her and so we have a dilemma.”
Three pairs of eyes incinerate my soul as I say, “I want to ask her to marry me, and I want your blessing. In return, I will work with you and not against you and assure you of my loyalty. I will care for her, love her, and make sure her life is full of happiness and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
As I finish my sentence, they all lean back in their seats and the silence rains down on me as I wait for their reply. It’s impossible to know what will happen and I realize I have taken a huge chance even coming here, but I will do everything in my power to make this better and more importantly, keep Laura’s smile firmly on her face.
CHAPTER 47
LAURA
It’s like something out of an action movie. Adonis drove us to the airport, where we boarded a private plane emblazoned with ‘Constantine holdings’ in blue and silver.
We stepped on board and almost immediately the doors closed, and I stared around in disbelief at the small hotel before me.
“Wow!” I look around in surprise as Adonis drops into one of the white leather seats and say with a smile, “Belt up baby, safety first.”
I join him as a flight attendant appears to check we’re safely fastened in, and it amuses me to witness the longing gaze she directs his way.
Adonis is obviously unaware of the effect he has on women and just nods politely.
As she moves away, I lean closer and whisper, “She likes you.”
