Page 75 of Vicious Kingdom

But I played the men, not the cards.

“So what? You’re the one who asked for an engagement,” Alfred bit out.

“I’m marrying your daughter as we arranged.” My words sent relief through both men. “But the affair will be done on my terms and on my timeline.”

A strangled groan came from the other side of the room. “This is madness! She’s not a cow to be sacrificed. You two are out of your minds!”

He must really be fond of his cousin if he didn’t want her to be a pawn in this game of power. For that, and that alone, I was willing to give the spoilt prick some grace.

“Then I don’t foresee any issues. You stick to your part of the bargain, and rest assured that any wedding arrangements will be graced with your approval,” Alfred dismissed me.

“We only wanted an alliance,” Jon added. “There’s nothing malicious in this arrangement. Right, brother?”

“Right.” Alfred held my stare.

“You can’t let her marry him,” Jonatan shouted, breathing hard. “He’s not a good man!”

He had no idea. Men who generally got on my nerve as badly as he did, didn’t live to see the sunrise. I shot him a warning look. He wrung his hands, shifting and squeezing each palm in desperation. He was sweating bullets.

“We shouldn’t be doing business with him,” Jonatan insisted. “Why don’t you two ever listen to me?!”

“Come on, son, we’ve talked about this.” His father jumped from his seat and padded over. “This is all working out. Just like we said it would.”

But the younger man rushed out of the room, grabbing at his hair with vicious tugs. Throwing a temper tantrum when he didn’t get his way.

If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose those lush locks and be as bald as his father in just a few short years.

“You’ll have to forgive my nephew,” Alfred said dryly. “He rarely acts like this in public. He won’t embarrass you—everyone likes him.”

“He’s so passionate about our company,” Jon added.

Passionate? Then why wasn’t he behind the desk? Taking a more active role? He was spoilt, allowed to be rude and think his shit didn’t stink. That was core to the problem.

“How long has he been working with you both?” I genuinely wanted to know.

“Since he was twenty.” His father beamed.

While at the same time, Alfred muttered, “Twelve-ish years.”

It was clear that their company wouldn’t survive them.

“What obligations do you anticipate Annaliese having to Hertz Media once we are married?” I pressed, sliding a hand into my pocket.

“None,” Alfred scoffed.

“Anna doesn’t have any interest in the company,” Jon added. “She’s content to let her cousin run things. So nice of her!”

Somehow, I found that hard to believe. “Hmm,” I growled. “That’s interesting.”

Jon continued to ramble about her pastimes as I made my way to the door. He never once mentioned that his niece spent her days glued to her keyboard, which was hilarious because that was how most of our encounters happened. After a clipped goodbye, I exited the cloying space.

My body very much craved a shower.

Something was off about this family.

And my own is Hallmark perfect?

Shaking my head, I took a sharp turn out of the office. I guessed right that there was a second staircase back here. It was time to do a little of my own digging. My pretty little fiancée was full of secrets, and what better opportunity to snoop than right now?