Chapter 25
CASSIAN
My phone rings only hours after the school incident.
Nadia Vance.
I stare at her name on the screen for two seconds before answering. “Mrs. Vance.”
“Mr. Rourke.” Her voice is calm. “Julian wants to meet. Discuss terms.”
“Terms for what?”
“Access to your sons. Supervised visits. A way forward that doesn’t involve violence.”
“I’m listening.”
“Tomorrow. Two p.m. Carlyle Hotel, same conference room we used for the business proposal. Just the four of us—you, Declan, Julian, and me.”
“Aurelia?”
“Won’t be there. This is between you and Julian first. Once terms are set, she’ll be informed.”
I grip the phone tighter. “And if I don’t agree to your terms?”
“Then this gets worse. For everyone. But especially for those boys who are going to have nightmares about men grabbing them at school.”
“I’ll be there,” I say.
She hangs up.
Declan walks into my office ten minutes later. “That was Nadia Vance. Julian wants to negotiate.”
“How did you know?”
“Because I just got a call from her assistant confirming the meeting. She’s being smart about this—using her business relationship with us to broker peace.”
“It’s not peace. It’s surrender.”
“It’s access to your sons without starting a war. Take it.”
I don’t answer.
The next afternoon, Declan and I arrive at the Carlyle ten minutes early.
Julian and Nadia are already there. He’s standing by the windows, hands in his pockets, looking every bit the man who runs a criminal empire even in a tailored suit.
Nadia sits at the conference table, a legal pad in front of her, pen ready.
Julian turns when we enter. “Rourke.”
“Vance.”
We stare at each other across the room. Declan closes the door behind us and takes a position near it. I move to the opposite side of the table from Nadia.
Nobody sits.
“Let’s be clear about something,” Julian says. “What you did at that school was an act of war. You came after my family, terrified those children, and put everyone at risk. I should end you for it.”
“You kept my sons from me for five years. I’d say we’re even.”
“We’re not even close to even.”
“Then kill me. But it won’t change the fact that they’re mine.”
Julian’s jaw tightens. “You don’t get to walk into their lives and play father after what you did. You want access to those boys? You earn it. On my terms.”
“Your terms put me in their lives for an hour a week like I’m a fucking stranger.”
“You are a stranger to them. You have no relationship with those children. You’re just the man who tried to kidnap them.”
I take a step forward. Declan puts a hand on my shoulder.
Nadia stands up. “Gentlemen. Sit down.”
Neither of us moves.
“Sit. Down.” Her voice is steel wrapped in silk. “Or I’m walking out, and you can both go to war and watch those boys suffer for it.”
Julian sits first. I follow, across the table from him, close enough to see the gold flecks in his brown eyes and the vein pulsing in his temple.
Nadia remains standing. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to negotiate like adults. You’re going to find a solution that protects those children while giving Cassian what he deserves—access to his sons. And you’re going to do it without threats or violence. Understood?”
Julian nods once.
I don’t respond.
Nadia sits down and picks up her pen. “Supervised visits. The Vance estate. Aurelia will be present at all times. Security will be on site but out of sight unless needed. You’ll start with two-hour visits twice a week.”
“That’s not enough,” I say immediately.
“It’s what you’re getting, to start. Once the boys are comfortable with you, we can discuss increasing time and frequency.”
“How long until they’re comfortable?”
“As long as it takes. Weeks. Maybe months.”
“Months?”
“You traumatized them, Cassian.” Nadia’s voice doesn’t waver. “They’re five years old, and men tried to grab them from their school. It’s going to take time for them to trust you.”
“They’re my sons.”
“Then act like their father instead of treating them like property you’re owed.”
The words cut deeper than they should.
Declan leans forward. “What are the specific terms? Walk us through it.”
Nadia looks at her notes. “Visits happen at the Vance estate. You arrive at the scheduled time, no earlier, no later. Aurelia will be present with the boys. Julian and I will be in the house, but not in the room unless requested. Security stays outside. Visits last a maximum of two hours. You leave when time is up, no arguments.”
“And if I want to take them somewhere? A park, a restaurant, somewhere that isn’t the Vance estate?”
“Not for the first month. They need to get to know you in a controlled environment before we introduce variables.”
“A month of sitting in a room under guard.”
“A month of building trust with your sons,” Nadia corrects. “Take it or leave it.”
Julian speaks for the first time since sitting down.
“You try to take them again, the deal is off. You show up drunk or high or violent, the deal is off. You say anything to those boys that scares them or manipulates them against their mother, the deal is off. This is a privilege, not a right. Act accordingly.”
“I’m their father. I have a right to them.”
“Not one you’ve earned yet.”
We glare at each other across the table.
“First visit is in two days,” Nadia says finally. “Saturday afternoon. Three p.m. You’ll have two hours. Aurelia will introduce you as someone who wants to get to know them. How she explains your relationship is up to her.”
“I want to be introduced as their father.”
“That’s not your decision.”
“Like hell it isn’t.”
“Cassian.” Declan’s voice is low. “Take what they’re offering.”
I want to argue. Want to flip this table and tell Julian to go to hell and take my sons home with me right now. But Nadia’s right. I traumatized them. They’re scared of me.
And if I push now, I lose my chance to fix that.
“Fine,” I say. “Saturday. Three p.m. Two hours.”
“Good.” Nadia makes a note. “We’ll send you the address. Park in the circular driveway. Ring the bell. Don’t try to explore the property or test security. Just come in, spend time with the boys, and leave when time is up.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes. Bring something small. A gift. Nothing expensive or extravagant. Just something that shows you thought about them. It’ll help break the ice.”
I nod.
Julian stands. “We’re done here.” He walks out without another word.
Nadia lingers, closing her legal pad and tucking it into her bag.
“For what it’s worth, I think you deserve to know your sons.
But you need to understand that this isn’t about you or Aurelia or five years of secrets.
This is about Finn and Liam. Everything we do from here forward is about what’s best for them. ”
“I know that.”
“Do you? Because coming after them at school wasn’t about them. That was about you and your anger. Don’t make that mistake again.”
She leaves before I can respond.
Declan and I sit in the empty conference room.
“Well?” he asks.
“I hate every part of this.”
“But you’re taking it.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice. This is the smart one.”
I look at him. “Two hours twice a week. Under guard. With their mother watching my every move. That’s supposed to be enough?”
“It’s a start. You prove you’re not a threat, that you care about them more than your pride, and they’ll give you more. Push now, and you lose everything.”