Chapter 451: Perks.
Zevran.
"We were never planning to return home without you." I said quickly— way too quickly, you would think I was reassuring my lover that I was never going to leave her.
Her head snapped up at my voice and when her eyes met mine, my heart suddenly flipped in my chest.
No, scratch that. It dropped to the deepest part of my rectum, making me suddenly want to use the toilet with immediate effect.
That was the kind of effect Leilani had on me. That was just how much she could flip my switch with just a glance.
I noticed the way her eyes lingered on my face for a second too long, but there was no hostility in them. No discomfort. Just an acceptance that I haven’t seen in them before.
I gulped. "We were just wondering if you would need a longer holiday while we return to fix this sudden problem at the company."
"What is the problem?"
I hadn’t expected her to ask that so when she did, I lowered my head once again. My face burned and to my horror, I realized that I... an Alpha, a man respected by a whole clan... was blushing.
Fuck this shit!
However, before I could respond, Kael beat me to it. He muttered; "Have you ever heard of Micah...?"
"You mean your weird cousin who at some point wanted me to be with him?" She asked softly, making the annoyance I once felt twist into something even darker.
"HE WHAT?!" We all barked at her at the same time, making her flinch before I slowly cut in;
"He wanted you to be with him?"
She frowned, waving her hands dismissively as she rushed out; "Maybe I interpreted his signals wrongly but he sure acted like it. He was always here and about and then suddenly... he disappeared into thin air and I never got to hear from him again."
But I, of all people, knew that she never got or interpreted his signals wrongly.
I could still remember the day he had looked me in the eyes and said that he had feelings for her like it was the back of my palm.
"He disappeared because he retreated to plan and develop more of his evil schemes." Caelum hissed in annoyance. "We just learned that he’s been going around the company behind our backs, holding meetings with some of our shareholders."
"Why?"
"He’s been going around, promising them things he knows they cannot do without, and in exchange, he’s been asking for some of their shares and a majority of them have been falling for that trick." he said,
The thought of just how far Micah could go made me see red. I balled my hands into fists but quickly released them when I caught Leilani staring pointedly at my fisted hands with a conflicted expression on her face.
Gosh, I am not some aggressive man.
I coughed. "So we want to return to put things back in order and find out exactly what he is using to do."
"Is that the only thing he’s been doing?" She suddenly asked, making me cock my eyebrows at her before I shook my head.
"No."
"He held an emergency meeting early this morning at the company, inviting only a handful of the board members. My sources say it is a takeover."
"And a crime," she added coldly. "Legally, that’s a crime. I am going back with the three of you."
Silence.
At first, after I heard that, I could swear that I didn’t believe my ears, and so did my brothers.
Why?
Because deep down, I—we— had thought that she would be in a hurry to get rid of the three of us. Turns out, we were worried about the wrongest things.
"Why?" That was Caelum and as soon as he asked, she turned to look at him, shrugging as she said softly;
"I might be of help. Moreover, I have a few things to attend to as well. Things I cannot keep pushing off like Darius, Frostclaw. Inc and Keisha..."
"Oh Keisha..."
I watched Kael as he slowly rose to his feet, a flicker of pride glinting in his eyes as he asked her; "why do you want to help us?"
She shrugged. "Well, just because... just because you would do the same if I were in your shoes and because I want to. I know you intend to keep me away from all the toxicity back at home but I cannot keep running whenever it gets rough. Maya needs me, Gavin needs me... their unborn baby needs me and so does Chalice’s son."
"And us..." the words blurted out of my lips before I could stop them. And while I had half expected her to roll her eyes at me, she didn’t. Instead, she nodded slowly.
"And you three."
I guess being hard on her sometimes does have its perks.
—
Darius.
For the first time in my life, I was panicking. And I do not mean the usual worries I would experience once in a while for living the kind of life that I do.
This was full blown panicking. A meltdown that was just on its way.
And why was this happening?
Because Father had simply walked away. He had reminded me of a past I tried so desperately to bury, reminded me of how much of an ungrateful prick I was and walked away like none of these meant shit to him.
However, it wasn’t just him walking away that had left me in such a mess. It was the look in his eyes... The disappointment I had felt oozing off him in waves and the way he had watched— not glared, not frowned— like I was an insect he could easily squash right under his boots.
Which was true.
He had made me and for that reason, it was quite easy for him to break me. But I will not allow it. Not after I have tasted this much power.
Not after all the sacrifices I have had to make to get to this point.
In annoyance, I picked up my phone, dialed a number and pressed it up to my ears. The receiver picked the call on the first ring, his voice gruff as he hissed;
"What is it this time?"
"I need your help," I responded, ignoring how desperate I sounded. "I need someone killed, but first off, I need you to find out who the person was that was killed for treason and theft by the late Alpha of Stormborn pack four years ago."
"Was that not your father?" The voice asked and I immediately shook my head. But upon remembering that they couldn’t see me shaking my head, I cleared my throat and hissed;
"No... I mean, I don’t think so. Just look into it."
"Okay."
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