What were they talking about? Aris’s bad news? She hadn’t thought they’d stoop to gloating over a business loss in this intensely personal situation, but she could think of nothing else.
“So how does it feel, Sarantos?” Nikolas inclined his head at the till-now ominously silent Aris. “To be kicked to the curb for once in your charmed life? To have a blot on your perfect conquest record? And not just any blot. This one is going to hurt, the worst you’ve ever felt. It will be like I told you, the beginning of the end for you.”
“You did have us stymied for a while.” Lysandros took the baton from his older brother without missing a beat. “But we broke your stalemate. You must be going mad wondering how we did. But now we’re steering the U.S. Navy contract, and it gives me great pleasure to say this to your face. You’re out of the running. We’re bringing in the Di Giordanos.”
Selene blinked, unable to take in the barrage of unexpected information. Was this true? If it was, then this must be the news that had hit Aris so hard. But how had they done it? There was no way Aris hadn’t guarded against something like this. How could they have eliminated him that easily?
Damon’s gloating interrupted her confusion. “But you were desperate for this contract, weren’t you? You were determined to win it any way you could. So while you put roadblocks in our path, you were making sure you’d get it another way if those failed. So you infiltrated us through our weak link. Selene.”
Selene’s heart almost fired from her ribs with shock.
They thought…thought…
Before the ghastly accusations could sink, Nikolas took over. “You knew about Alex all along, didn’t you? But you only decided to pursue Selene, and be his ‘father,’ to enter the Louvardis family and make it impossible for us to remain your enemies.”
No. The scream detonated. Only inside her.
The horror of what they were suggesting made her mute. This was a serious crime they were accusing him of, far worse than anything their father had recommended they stand together against him for.
How would she take them from such complete demonizing of Aris to the perfect trust she now had in him?
Lysandros was going on. “But we’re on to you and it’s you who’s been playing into our hands all along.”
Aris’s silence thundered in her ears.
Damon’s derision rose. “But we’re reasonable people. And you are Alex’s biological father, regretfully. So for his sake, we’re prepared to tolerate you entering our family. We might even be persuaded to let you back into the contract.”
So they were rubbing it in, but knew they couldn’t be enemies for her and Alex’s sake, and they were prepared to negotiate? She didn’t want them to negotiate. She wouldn’t have Aris treated with suspicion and condescension. These brothers of hers would offer him humble apologies and request the privilege of working with him. She’d see to it.
But Lysandros had more. “So, Sarantos, here’s the deal. If you want this contract, we demand an incentive, collateral in case you turn on us again. Which we’re certain you will if you can.”
Nikolas moved closer to Aris, as if going for the kill. Then he made his thrust. “Half of your fortune and holdings, in Selene’s and Alex’s names, up front.”
She’d never known she could experience or withstand anything as brutal as the fury that exploded inside her in that moment.
Fueling it was fear—that they were causing irreparable damage to her and Aris’s relationship.
And she found her voice at last, growled, “Listen you posturing, macho morons…” Three pairs of eyes jerked to her in shock. She’d never talked to her older brothers anywhere near that coldly or rudely. “You’re making bigger asses of yourselves and making a bigger mess of everything with every word out of your stupid mouths. Do yourselves a favor, and butt out. And stay out.”
But she could feel them shrugging off her fury and focusing back on their mission. Aris.
She had one option left. To ask Aris to leave. There was everything to lose by confronting her testosterone-drunk brothers now. She’d talk them away from their warpath when he was gone, taking the cockfighting element out of the equation.
She turned to Aris, and got a harsher blow than any she’d sustained so far. He was looking at her as if she were the enemy.
This time, the expression didn’t evaporate.
He released her from it only to transfer it to Nikolas, who was glaring back with as much abhorrence.
Nikolas cocked an eyebrow. “Do we have a deal, Sarantos?”
And Aris finally spoke, in a cold-as-the-grave snarl, “We certainly don’t, Louvardis.”
Damon barked a mirthless laugh. “Why am I not surprised? But phew, thanks. I was almost afraid you’d take the deal, then force us to waste more time on you as you try to weasel out of it.”
“That’s that, then, Sarantos,” Lysandros said. “Now get the hell out. You’ve lost. Take it like a man. Though, considering how low you’ve gone this time…” He looked at Selene then back to Aris with a grimace of disgust. “I doubt you are one.”
Aris took two steps back from her so he had them all in the trajectory of his arctic animosity before his pitiless calm froze her solid. “With all your talk about being on to me, you clearly have no idea who you’re dealing with. If you had a trace of your father’s intellect, you would have accepted any way out I offered you. But you went and tried to play dirty, you pampered, privileged-from-birth little boys. Now let a master show you how it’s done. I’ll make you beg me to take everything you’ve stolen from me and far, far more by the time I’m done with you all.”
Then he turned on his heel.
She hurtled after him. “Aris.”
He put his hand on top of the trembling hand that caught his arm. Then he undid its convulsive grip as if he was unhooking a slimy, poisonous creature from his flesh.
With one last annihilating look that told her he was lumping her in with her brothers, declaring war on her, too, he turned and strode out.
She watched him walk away. And knew.
He was walking out of her life.
The life he’d never truly entered, or wanted to be in, if he could turn on her, walk away that easily.
Nikolas’s consoling hand on her shoulder felt like a red-hot brand. “I’m sorry it had to end this way, but the sooner you realize you’ve been played by someone who’ll stop at literally nothing to get what he wants, the sooner you’ll get over it.”