Chapter 20 Declan
DECLAN
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Aidan exclaims the second our security confirms Zahra has left the mansion. “You can’t accept Zahra’s proposal.”
“I already did.” I shrug, walking over to my desk and groaning as I sink into my office chair.
“No, you still have time to back out. No contract has been signed. Vows haven’t been exchanged. You’re still a free man as far as I’m concerned.”
“Aidan, you and I know that I never have been, and never will be a free man.” I won’t disillusion myself into believing anything else.
I’m not even sure I’ve really ever wanted another life.
The mafia is all I know. It’s more than just a business, it’s family to me.
And every family has their own rules to follow, their own expectations.
Sacrifices that have to be made. At least marrying Zahra meant marrying into a family that has been allied with us for decades now.
Marrying someone who knows what it means to make hard decisions, to prioritize everyone else’s needs above their own.
Natalie, or any other heiress that Aidan threw my way, would never truly understand the life I lead.
Would never truly understand me. Zahra would. Which is why we are a perfect match.
“Declan, you’re not thinking clearly about this. This woman nearly got you killed—”
“Don’t be so dramatic. She didn’t force me to take a bullet for her. I chose to.”
“That’s exactly my point! You barely even know Zahra and you’re risking your life for her. What happens when you do get to know her? What happens if you fall in love with her?” he spits, as if falling in love is one of the worst things that can happen to a person.
“I didn’t think I would have to remind you of all people that I’m more than capable of keeping my head on straight. Especially when it comes to business.”
Aidan lets out a frustrated breath. “Of course I know that it’s just…
Listen, this is uncharted territory for me.
For all of us. Marrying someone like Natalie is simple.
You hand over your credit card every time she starts to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong and she’ll look the other way.
Zahra is different. She’s a boss. Born and raised to play the game and do whatever it takes to maintain her power.
There’s no placating her and there’s certainly no controlling her—”
“Good,” I deadpan. “I don’t want a wife that can be easily swayed by money or status or any other frivolous means.
She’s cunning, and strong, and determined.
Exactly what I need as my partner. She’s someone who can stand beside me and be equally as threatening.
Equally as feared. Equally as respected.
Zahra is perfect. So she’ll be my wife.”
“For a year.” Aidan’s words freeze me in place.
“She’ll be your wife for a year, Declan.
Don’t think she won’t end this arrangement as soon as she’s able to.
Which is the entire reason why I’m cautioning you against this.
You’re already speaking like this marriage is permanent and not a means to an end.
You need to protect yourself, Declan. Not just physically, but also mentally.
You cannot fall for Zahra. At least not any more than you already hav—”
“I won’t,” I snap, wanting an end to this conversation.
I don’t need a reminder of the fact that I had clearly found myself becoming increasingly infatuated with Zahra.
I thought the feeling was mutual, with all the stolen glances she’d aimed at me when we were together.
Instead, she’d been convinced that I was the one who had killed her father.
Clearly, we’d been on completely separate pages the entire time.
Aidan is right. I can’t delude myself into thinking this marriage will be anything more than a business arrangement.
“I appreciate your concern, both as my brother and as my second. But I have the situation under control. I promise.”
Maybe Zahra: Hi, it’s Zahra. Lawyers are working on our marriage contract, any non-negotiables?
I blink at least a dozen times before responding
Declan: How did you get my private cell number?
Zahra: Is that serious question?
Zahra: You do recall I’m a trained hacker, right? :P
I—Was that a tongue out emoji? Is this the most relaxed conversation we’ve had? What emoji was I supposed to send in response?
Declan: Righhhttt obviously
Zahra: So the contract?
The only thing that came to mind was including a clause that prevented any man from coming within a ten-foot radius of her. For her safety. Obviously. Not because I was jealous of every red-blooded male with a pulse. Though I doubt she’d go along with it, so instead I say,
Declan: Let me think on it and get back to you
Declan: What are you up to today?
I hit send before I can talk myself out of it. Double texts were a known sign of desperation, weren’t they? Dammit.
Zahra: My trainer’s putting me to work
Her text is followed by a video of her deadlifting weights in the gym, and damn if that didn’t turn me on. Watching her lift my weight with ease was probably meant to intimidate me, but instead it just made my cock incredibly hard.
Declan: Practicing so you can throw me around?
Zahra: Obviously…need to make sure I can keep you in line ;)
If only she knew how tightly she had me wrapped around her finger already.
“We have a problem. A big one.”
I slam my father’s will on the desk, wishing I could bring him back to life just to strangle him.
Two days after Zahra’s proposal, her lawyer called me asking if I had taken the time to read all the stipulations of my father’s will surrounding the marriage.
I’d started shifting through this morning, and I still had five pages to go through. The sun was starting to set.
“Leave it to dad to refuse to give up any control even from the grave,” Aidan grumbles, legs draped across the armrest of the couch in front of me as he jots down key takeaways from each page. “He really did everything in his power to make sure you couldn’t fake your way out of this.”
“Living in the cottage house with my wife, having dinner together at least five times a week, no international trips longer than a week apart from each other…Is this man crazy?!” I rest my head against my desk, exhausted.
“Sounds like all the things he did with mom. Sans living in the cottage. You know that would’ve been too small for her.” Aidan smirks. Our mother certainly had expensive tastes, not that it bothered my father one bit. He lived to spoil her.
“Yeah, but they were married because they loved each other, not because they were trying to stop Uncle Lorkan from ruining our legacy.” Yanking the bottom drawer of my desk open, I grab the bottle of whiskey, unscrew the top, and take a large gulp.
“He probably figured you would try to cheat your way out of this clause. This is his way of holding you accountable.” Aidan walks over and grabs the bottle from my hand, also taking a drink.
“Dad did shit like this to me all the time. Only difference is my punishments included being cut off financially or kicked out of the house, not sleeping with a super hot, though admittedly super scary, woman.”
“There’s nothing in the will about sleeping with Zahra,” I scoff, then groan at the stack of papers in front of me, “...right? Or did I miss that? God, I swear if he wrote something in here about an heir—”
“Relax, I'm just busting your balls. Did Zahra’s lawyer give you a sense of how she’s feeling?” Aidan asks, looking at me with pity.
“I think she assumed I had kept all these clauses hidden from her, which her lawyer talked her down from. Probably told her I hadn’t bothered to comb through Dad’s will, which is true. From our texts, I get the sense she’s pissed, but less at me and more at the whole situation.” I shrug.
“Wait. Wait. You two have been texting?” Aidan gasps as if that’s the most shocking thing we’ve been discussing.
“Uh, yes? Why is that so surprising?”
“What do you two even talk about?”
“Oh, ya know, about whether we want burgundy-colored drapes in the master bedroom or cream…what the hell do you think we’re talking about?” My question is laced in sarcasm.
“Alright, I get it. You got jokes.” He rolls his eyes, plopping himself back on the couch.
I guess I can't fully blame him for being surprised. The text exchange I had with Zahra earlier also caught me off guard. The video of her at the gym resulted in me spending an embarrassingly long time taking care of myself, coming at the thought of her soft lips wrapped around me…
“Boss, Ms. Ahzhimi is here.” Connor’s voice snaps me back into the moment. He still hasn’t been able to look me in the eye since I talked to him after the whole Natalie debacle. I ripped into him a bit, but not as hard as I normally would, knowing he was still green in this position.
Aidan’s the first to speak. “Why? We agreed to start contract negotiations on Friday.”
“I invited her. We never got to talk about the banquet shooter after Natalie stormed in,” I remind him.
Aidan clicks his tongue. “Right, I forgot about that. Alright, Connor, you can send her in.”
“Actually, I was planning on meeting with her alone. Over dinner. You can stay here and keep reading though.” I toss him the remaining stack of documents to sift through.
“So, it’ll be just you two alone?
“Correct.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“It’s the one I’m going with so…”
“But I’m also hungry,” he protests.
“I’ll have Maura bring you something to eat.” I walk out of my office before he continues to list reasons why I shouldn’t have dinner with my soon-to-be fiancé. Soon to a fiancé who’s counting down the days until she can divorce you, I remind myself.
“She’s waiting in the wing.” Connor gestures to the hallway across from my office. “The delivery was made right before she arrived.”