Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Viktor
I t would probably be better if I stopped teasing her. Every time I do, I’m torturing myself too. My need to control her and impose my will on her grows by the minute. I want her full submission. I desire her beyond reason. I don’t know what it is about her. Perhaps my need will disappear when I claim her.
It bothered me that she wasn’t wearing my ring. I want every man who walks this earth to know she’s taken. To know she’s mine. What am I saying? I’m not keeping her. When the time comes, I’ll send her on her merry way. Her being in my life is temporary.
“Oliver, I told you to get her ring,” I bark as I walk into my office, where he’s waiting.
“You asked for the ring to be brought here. I didn’t believe it was necessary for me to get it.”
“Excuse me?” His audacity is shocking.
“We have pending business more important than a ring.”
“I decide what’s more important.” I hit my desk, making everything rattle as I sit.
“You aren’t thinking straight. Ever since Ava walked into the restaurant, you’ve been making reckless decisions.” He’s calm as he speaks, which only angers me more.
“Tread carefully. You should consider your next words wisely, for they might be your last,” I counter.
“My job isn’t to tell you what you want to hear. I’d be doing you a disservice. My job is to tell you the truth.”
I’ve always appreciated his honesty and ability to call me on my shit. But he’s gone too far questioning my personal affairs.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I hiss.
He takes a deep breath. “Marco is getting the ring.”
“There’s no one guarding her? What the fuck is wrong with you?” My fists and teeth are clenched as I stare at him.
“She’s in the most secure building known to man. This place is safer than the fucking White House,” he says angrily. He’s right. I don’t understand my outburst. “You need to take a breath. We have bigger problems.” I stay quiet. “You asked me to inquire about Cillian.”
“What about him?” Suddenly I’m on alert, and my blood runs cold.
“She’s back.” I sit back. Maybe this is why I’m on edge. It was only a matter of time before my past collided with my present, especially once I saw Cillian with my father.
“How is that possible?”
“I’m not sure yet. It’s just rumors for now. No one has actually seen her.”
“I don’t understand how this is important or my problem.”
“Our father has put the deal back on the table,” he says apologetically.
“Fuck.” I stand from my chair and walk over to the window. “Why?”
“Passage. The McIntyre’s still run most of the port. Marriage means the union of two powerful families.”
“At my cost.” I stare out the window, running my fingers through my hair. The last time I was in the same room with her, I almost died. I remember the conversation with Fiona that night.
“You’re being dramatic. My father just wants everyone to know his little girl is marrying a Manarch.”
“Things are not good right now. We can’t have a party to announce what everyone already knows.”
“Come on, Viktor. It’s one night. Nothing is going to happen.”
Except something did happen. When word got out that the two most powerful families in the city were joining, the other families didn’t take it well. They knew what it meant. A dozen men showed up at the party and opened fire. Women and children were killed because of her insistence to host something I knew was a terrible idea. I was shot multiple times. I have scars to remind me of that night.
“How did you find out?”
“Bobby told me.” If it came from my father’s consigliere, it must be true.
“So, it’s true.” I close my eyes in frustration.
“I’m afraid so.” He responds even though I wasn’t asking. “This changes everything. Ava has to go.” He’s right. But I’ll be damned if I change my plans because of my father.
“It changes nothing. I’m not marrying a woman who brought me to the brink of death.”
“He isn’t going to give you a choice.”
“There’s always a choice. Where is he now?”
“The restaurant. But we aren’t supposed to know. He scheduled a family dinner. He’ll most likely announce the deal then.”
“I want to see him before.” I turn and look at Oliver. For the first time since we were kids, I see a trace of fear.
“We must be strategic. You have the upper hand.” Oliver tells me.
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I sit. “I need to think. I’ll call you if I need you.” His cue to leave.
There’s a lot to think about. This new information changes everything. I find that I need Ava closer. I don’t want her out of my sight. My father is ruthless man. Business comes before everything, including family. Fiona broke the previous deal with Cillian because she didn’t want anything to do with the families after the debacle. She got on a plane and wasn’t heard from again, at least until now. But she’d always had her own agenda. Something must have changed for her. If she’s back, she wants something. I page Becky.
“Becky, have Ava move to my office immediately.”
“Right away, Mr. Manarch.”
I’m not giving her up and definitely not marrying Fiona. My father isn’t controlling my life as he did when I was a boy. I allowed him to interfere once for the sake of the business. I won’t make that mistake again. He will not dictate who I marry.
“You’re allowing Cillian to manipulate you.”
“You will do as I say. One day you will be the head of this family. Sacrifices need to be made. What you want is irrelevant,” my father replies.
“You have to see he’s playing you.”
“I know what he’s doing. Do you take me for a fool?” He levels a glowering look at me. “You keep your enemies closer than your friends. You WILL marry his daughter. We WILL have the upper hand.”
“There are other ways ? —”
“My word is final. You will marry Fiona McIntyre.”
If I go against my father, it will mean I have to face the consequences of my actions. He always has the last word. I don’t fear him. I’m just concerned about the people who will be caught in the middle. But I won’t stand by and let him do as he pleases. He’ll not tell me how to live my life.
“Mr. Manarch,” Becky interrupts from my office doorway.
“What is it?” Her face is white, and her eyes flit wildly from side to side.
“It’s… it’s Ms. O’Brien.”
I stand ready to act.
“What about Ava?”
“She’s gone.”
“What do you mean she’s gone?”
“As in, she isn’t anywhere to be found.”