Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
ASHER
Kol finally joins us in the dining room for breakfast and takes his seat.
Good. Now I can get this over with.
“There’s something we need to discuss now that we’re all here, but first I want to hear about what happened with you, Kol. Any news on Rapsody?”
The glare he shoots me across the table is probably answer enough. “No. It wasn’t her. False lead. But I’m getting closer. I can feel it.”
I have no idea whether he is or isn’t—he has been at this for years to no avail. My other brothers and I have tried to talk him out of continuing to pursue this when he keeps coming to a dead end.
“Let us know if anything changes,” I say.
“You have bad news. Just spill it,” Sid says. He’s always been the best at seeing past my facade. Probably because he’s so well-versed at erecting his own.
“It’s not bad news, per se. But something you need to be aware of.”
“It involves that girl, doesn’t it?” Kol practically spits out.
“Her name is Anabelle.” My voice carries an edge that none of my brothers miss.
“I think it’s good that Asher is spending time with her,” Nero says. Of course, he’s the only one around this table who would think so.
My brothers and I worked hard to protect him from the worst of what our father was capable of, and although Nero doesn’t necessarily have a romantic view of the world, he’s certainly not as jaded as the rest of us.
“I’m not spending time with her, I’ve fucked her. There’s a difference.” I pick up my coffee to take a sip.
“Is there?” Nero arches an eyebrow.
I sigh. “We’re getting off-topic. I wanted you three to know that I’m going after Preston Wallace. I’m going to take him down.”
“Jesus Christ.” Sid shakes his head and looks at his breakfast plate.
“I fucking knew it. You’re pussy-whipped by this woman,” Kol spits out.
“He crossed the line, and we all know it.” I jab my pointer finger into the table.
“He brought a non-member into the club, and not only that, he drugged her and was going to rape her on our property.” I shift my gaze to Sid, who has his mouth open in rebuttal, but I raise my hand.
“And no. I talked to Anabelle to make sure. She didn’t give her consent. So that’s rape.”
Sid simply nods. It’s a touchy subject for him.
“What do you have planned?” Nero asks.
“I’m going to buy up all the shares of Wallace International under a bunch of shell companies. Once I have control, I’m going to oust him and his old man from the board. It will send a message.”
“You sure that’s the message you want to send?” Sid asks.
I nod. “I think that’s the perfect message. Don’t fuck with us.”
Kol sighs. “They’ve been an ally of our family for years. We both know where each other’s skeletons are buried. It won’t be good for business.”
“We were allies until that little prick Preston was born. He could never lead in his father’s stead. Jessie Wallace should be thanking me.” I reach for the honey and my knife to spread some on my toast.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Kol asks.
“I’m not asking permission. This is my prerogative, and I can do with my money what I want. I’m giving you the courtesy of informing you.” I take a bite of my toast.
“It indirectly affects us,” Sid says.
“You’re willing to throw away tens, hell, hundreds of millions of dollars for this girl?” Kol asks.
I look him straight in the eye, shocked by my answer before I speak it. “Yes.”
He shakes his head as though he’s disappointed but says nothing more.
It’s silent at the table for a blessed few minutes until Nero breaks it. “Well, since we’re all sharing, I have an announcement too.”
We all swing our heads toward Nero.
“I’m going to ask Maude to marry me.”
“You can’t be serious!” Kol shouts.
“Jesus, kid, why would you go and do that?” Sid asks.
“Nero, you just met the woman. What the hell are you talking about?” I slam my fist on the table, rattling all the dishes.
He shrugs. “I like her. A lot.”
“So fuck her brains out until you get sick of her. Don’t marry her,” Sid says.
Nero frowns. “I’m not like you guys. I want to share my life with someone.”
“Share them is more like it,” Kol says under his breath, and Nero rolls his eyes.
“I’m serious. I think she could be the one.”
It’s not like I never thought Nero would get married. Of all my brothers, he’d be the most likely. But he’s only been with this woman for a couple of months, not years. Who knows what her agenda is? We haven’t even met her.
“Bring her to the charity masquerade ball so the three of us can meet her. Do not propose to her before then, understood?” I push away from the table and stand, no longer having an appetite.
“But that’s not for another six weeks,” Nero grumbles.
“I’m aware.” I turn my attention to Kol. “In the meantime, you know what to do.”
He nods, not saying a word. Kol will have a more thorough background check on my desk by this afternoon.
I stride from the dining room to head to my office, excited for two things today. The first is the beginning of my pursuit to ruin Preston Wallace’s life. And the second is the surprise I have in store for Anabelle at lunch.
I spent my morning directing my investment manager on what to do and telling him to make it happen as quickly and under the radar as possible. I can’t wait until I have Preston’s balls in a vise so I can start squeezing.
It’s a few minutes from the time Anabelle usually breaks for lunch when I stand from my desk and walk over to hers.
I told Marcel to keep me apprised of anything I need to know regarding Anabelle. He mentioned that he thought she might be feeling lonely because she’s continuing to have her dinners down in the staff building, rather than in the main house.
The easy thing for me to do is to spend some time with her, but that would give her the wrong impression. Not only that, but it would make it even more difficult than it already is to resist temptation where she’s concerned.
I’m already counting down the days until our next Saturday night together, planning what I want to do.
Even this little surprise I have planned for her has the potential of making her think there could be more between us, but I don’t like the idea of her feeling all alone in this place. I know exactly how that feels from my childhood and the idea of Anabelle feeling the same… I can’t take it.
“Ready to break for lunch?” I ask when I reach her desk.
She looks at me from where she’s seated. As it always does when I see her from this angle, my brain makes the connection to when she kneeled in front of me with my cock in her mouth. But there will be none of that today.
“I guess it’s time, isn’t it? Do you need something before I go eat?” She tilts her head and looks at me a little quizzically.
Probably because I just usually mutter at her from my desk when she leaves for lunch.
“I don’t need anything, but I do need you to come with me. I have a surprise for you.”
Her forehead creases. “A surprise?”
“Yes, I’m sure you’re familiar with the term. Now come on.” I motion with my head toward the door and stride over, waiting at the threshold until she joins me.
“Where are we going?” she asks, wide-eyed.
“You’ll have to come with me to see.”
I lead her out of the office and through the common areas of Midnight Manor until we reach the hallway with the arches and stained glass that leads to the west wing.
Although I want to lead her to my bedroom and spend the afternoon making her come, I don’t.
I need to stop thinking with my dick where Anabelle is concerned.
We continue past the stained-glass bear, and she doesn’t say a word or inquire any further about where we might be headed. Maybe she’s wishing we’re going to my bedroom as much as I am.
When we reach the library doors, I pause, my hands gripping the handles. I don’t know why I’m second-guessing myself. I’ve given this a lot of thought. But then again, that seems to be the effect Anabelle has on me—she makes me second-guess everything I thought I knew I wanted.
Pushing open the doors, I step inside the space that was once my mother’s salvation. The place she’d go to escape the realities of her life and immerse herself in a different world.
“What are we doing here?” Anabelle asks from behind me.
I turn to face her. She appears hesitant, probably remembering the last time she was in here, and I chased her out.
“I want you to have this. It’s yours to do what you want with—read what you want, arrange the books however you want, hang out in here as much as you want.”
Her plump lips slowly part as her mouth drops open, and she glances around, wide-eyed. “What do you mean? I thought you didn’t want me in here.”
I step forward, fingers itching to cup her face, but I force myself to retract my hand.
“This room is where my mother spent a lot of her time. She loved reading—she was like you in that way. I’ve already alluded to you that my parents’ marriage wasn’t a happy one, and this is where she found her solace.
I want you to do the same. Use it as you see fit. ”
I know that I should tell her she can move back into her family estate, or that she can come and go as she pleases, give her phone back—but I can’t bring myself to give her any of that.
If Anabelle knew how often I think of her, how I feel this pressing need to keep her hidden away from the world, safe, she’d probably run screaming from here.
But I can give her this. Something she’ll appreciate and come to love.
She steps farther into the room, staring around, taking it all in. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to intrude.”
I step up behind her, cupping her shoulders. I can’t resist touching her. “You’re not intruding. I want you to have this. Enjoy it.”
She turns in my arms and wraps her arms around my neck, and I bend to let her because I’m weak where she’s concerned. So weak for this woman.
“Thank you, Asher.”
Allowing myself to wrap my arms around her, I get this strange sensation in my chest as our bodies press together. There’s arousal there, yes. There’s always an undercurrent of desire present whenever I’m with her. But this is something different, something foreign that I can’t decipher.
Before I can no longer resist temptation, I straighten and unwind her hands from around my neck, then step back. “I’ll have lunch brought to you in here so you can explore.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you.” The gold flecks in her big brown eyes sparkle with happiness, and I want to puff out my chest for being the cause for that look.
I merely nod and leave the room, disturbed by how her happiness fuels my own.