“I know I would,” Ares mutters.
Dad is out of his chair in seconds.“Ophelia, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I will do whatever is necessary to keep you from hurting yourself.Even if that means sending you away.”
I’m done with this shit.
I attempt to leave, and Apollo pushes out his palm, stopping me dead in my tracks.
“Don’t go.You will regret walking away from your father.”
I want to ask why until I remember his father is dead and wonder if his last conversation ended this badly.Of his brothers, Apollo is the most grounded.While Atlas has his head in the clouds and Ares has his head up his ass, Apollo is always in control.You would think he was the oldest with how he carries himself.
I turn to look at my father.“I will shop for a dress with Athena and go through the motions of this wedding and sing Kumbaya if I have to, but I want you to sign over your stake in Olympus to me.”
Uncle Alexander owns the other half.I’d rather be in business with him than have my father hold my future over my head.
“No,” Dad says without consideration.“You’ll inherit Olympus after I retire, and not a minute sooner.”
I have to reason with him.
Losing me is a bad idea.
“If I leave, so will my girls,” I tell him.“I hired them, and they are loyal to me.”
He snorts with laughter.“Whores are a dime a dozen, Ophelia.I can replace them.”
“Notmywhores,” I fire back.“Our customers love them.I hand-selected them myself.If you ever came by Olympus, you would see that our regulars are there forthem.They can go to any other club in the city, but they choose The O Club because of the environment I created.They come to fuck the girls I trained.”
His eyes widen at the last part.
Yep, Dad, I said trained.
Deal with it.
“I’d like to see this training firsthand,” Ares mutters, and I want to slap him.
I know how this sounds.
I swear I’m not a pimp.
The ground floor of Olympus is open to the public.We have top-shelf liquor, VIP seating, and the hottest DJs in the country playing live every night.But downstairs at The O Club, we cater to a wealthy clientele.
The women are there willingly, of course.I’m not in the business of human trafficking.But as their Madam, I show them what men want.
“I have a counterproposal,” Dad says after a long silence.“You have one month to turn around your attitude.That means acting like you’re part of this family and treating Athena and me with respect.You will go dress shopping and pose for photos at our wedding.I don’t want to hear a single complaint from you.And if you have learned to control yourself, I will give you one-quarter of Olympus.”
One month.
I can do this.
I flash a victorious smile.“When do we go dress shopping?”
ChapterSixteen
ATLAS
I enjoy sketchingher.When Ophelia doesn’t know I’m watching, she lowers her guard.She lets me see her worries, frustrations, and insecurities.Apollo picked up on her biggest insecurity, and so did I.
She doesn’t see herself the way I do.I bet she doesn’t like the woman she sees when she looks in the mirror.But what’s not to like about her?She’s classically beautiful in an old movie star kind of way.That’s why I drew her as a pinup girl.
