“And because everyone can feel lonely over the holidays,” Drustan said between bites.“I want to bring Ida to my family Christmas party.She’s feeling lonely and isolated.It’ll do her good to be around people.”
Ares saw his brother’s face transform from the neutral expression to the cool, calculating one he wore when he realized the intentions of someone weren’t as they appeared.
“No.”Xander’s tone was as chilly as ice.
“You know, I shouldn’t have to ask permission!I’m a grown-man.I can look after Ida!”Drustan dropped his fork, and it clattered on his plate.
Ares wished for a fanciful moment that he could disagree with Xander only for the sake of disagreeing because he was still miffed with his brother about Xander refusing to admit that he made sacrifices.
Ares sighed, sitting back in his chair as the realization hit.
He never sought his brother’s approval.
But now that he had the woman he’d wanted for so long, maybe the only way to go forward was with Xander’s approval.
And looking at Xander’s tense posture, Ares knew his brother would not give him what he needed.
That made a fresh new wave of rage bubble up from somewhere deep in his chest.
“It’s too public an event to take her too, Drustan.You need to see the sense in that,” Xander said.
“I know you two don’t think I’m smart.”Drustan lifted his palms up, then hit the table again.“But I am smart!I have turned a profit every year that I have taken over for my father.With your app Xander, I made you millions.Do you think I am so stupid I’d let something happen to Ida?”
“I never said you were stupid, Drustan.You announced you were taking Ida to your father’s very public and well-known Christmas party, and I can’t let you do that.”
“You just want to keep her locked up!”Drustan raised his voice and a couple of guests looked over.
The Stone Security couple turned in their chairs.
“No, Drustan.We don’t want to keep Ida locked up,” Ares said, but he thought of the woman they were keeping locked up in a very nice villa in one of the richest places on earth.“The security risk is too high.”
“That’s crap.My father has a security team,” Drustan said.
“But your father’s team is not equipped for this situation,” Xander said, the exasperation in his voice clear.“We got Ida out of her country.Part of the agreement we provided her with was that we would ensure her safety.Even if I send a team of bodyguards, the risk is too high.”
“What risk?It’s not like she’s going to be recognized.”Drustan pushed his plate away.
“Even if she wasn’t, we can’t be completely sure that nobody knows we have her under our protection.That nobody knows that she is working for us here.”Ares said.
“So, I can’t introduce her to my family?”The whine in Drustan’s voice made Ares’s skin crawl.
“Not like this and not now,” Xander said.
“I don’t care what you think!I can get my own security team.I’m going to take Ida.”
Ares’s blood heated his vision cloud.
He leaned forward and gripped Drustan’s arm tightly enough until the man made eye contact.
“The moment you leave this restaurant, we will move Ida and you would never see her again.There are conditions we made as part of her employment with us.If you do anything to interfere with the deal we made with her and the risks we took bringing her in, we will destroy you.Think, Drustan.If you really love this woman, then you want her to have the life she wanted.The one where she can use her education and expertise to work on the projects, she feels are ethical-”
“You’ll what?Uninvite me to your exclusive club?”Drustan gaffed loudly.“You should stick to smiling in the background, Ares.”
“And you should stick to managing your father’s money.”
“If you don’t say she can go, I’m going to the press and tell them everything I know about your family!”The man’s whispered threat made Xander tense up.He leaned close, as close to Drustan as he could.
“Try us.”
