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“Just for the record, I wasn’t going to let her go for anything less.”
“Don’t pretend you care about her, Alex,” I snap.
“Fuck you, Lucian. I’ve known that girl since she was in diapers. Her brother was myconsilierfor ten fucking years. She’s close to almost every female in my clan. Yes, she’s slipped in the ranks since her brother’s—” he pauses ominously, shakes his head, and continues, “I may not have paid attention to her as I should have of late, but have no fear, there’s no way I’d force her to marry you if she was nothing more than a stepping stone on your climb to the top.”
Ouch.
“She deserves better than that,” he adds. “Honestly, if I hadn’t tested you and you hadn’t fought for her, there’s no way I’d allow this alliance to proceed. You barely deserve her as it is.”
“But you were going to just hand her over to Simon,” I say incredulously.
“Simon’s a good man…underneath it all.”
“He kills people for a living,” I roar.
“We all have blood on our hands, but he’s a good man. You’re a heartless bastard. Ambition is everything to you. Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you to love anyone as much as you love yourself or your clan.”
I’m simmering with rage. Why does that sound like a fucking insult when I would’ve proudly waved that flag in the past?
Then a thought pops into my head. My eyes narrow. “You sure your opposition doesn’t have to do with my father?”
If that’s the real reason behind his pushback, I don’t even know how I’m going to hold back from going to his house and strangling him with my bare hands.
“What? That I don’t want her marrying you because he went crazy so you will, too?” He shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t believe in that old superstitious nonsense.”
He leans forward, his brows raised. “Do you?”
“Fuck no,” I reply.
“Alright then. That’s all I need to know.” He slaps his knees and turns to Cristo, “It’s settled, then. He marries Star. Good luck with Roxie’s father. I’d like to be a fly on the wall and watch you try to worm your way out of that shit show. He’s gonna be pissed.”
Giving Alex a sly smile, he replies, “Don’t worry about me, you asshole…”
I tune out their bickering and wipe my brow as I let out a whoosh of relief.
Hopefully, beingconsilierisn’t as stressful as this was. Jesus.
I take in a deep breath and allow pride to sweep into my chest.I fucking did it.
My chest deflates.
Now I just need to convince Star to marry me.
CHAPTER15
STAR
“Dumb, broken lock,” I mutter, bending my head and trying the combination again. I’m running late for class, yet here I am, rattling the lock on my locker.
I hear the click and let out a little yip of triumph.
Ducking my head, I rifle around for my math book and quickly thrust it into my backpack.
I close the locker door and let out a screech.
Lucian is leaning against the locker next to mine, arms crossed over his chest. His broad shoulders block my view of the hallway, making me very aware of his size. A frisson of awareness skitters down my spine.Ugh.Man, I’m praying it’s only a normal reaction to a guy I’ve just had sex with and that it will fade naturally. And quickly. I really need a quick end to this intense awareness of him.
He looks like he’s been up all night, his hair tousled like he didn’t have the time to drag a comb through it before he came to school. I’m irritated with myself for noticing that tiny detail. I told him we’d never hook up again, yet his tired eyes gaze softly down on me, making me squirmy on the inside.
