“But I will plan to see her soon. Send her my love, will you?”
“Will do. If you need anything, any help with your father, just holler.”
I pull my mouth tight, nodding curtly. “Of course,” I say, but I won’t. I hate asking for help from anyone, even my brother-in-law. Even my allies. It’s a sign of weakness, and it indebts you.
Or maybe I’m just stubborn, something I would have learned from my father, even though I don’t want to be anything like him.
Emmanuil walks out of the boardroom and I follow him to the elevator. “See you soon,” he says, stepping into the metal box. I smile, say goodbye, and once the doors slide closed on him, I head back to my office to finish up a few things before the day is over.
As I walk into my office, my mind drifts back to the question—when will you announce the alliance?It’s a powerful move, one certain to provide an insurmountable support system for my position as the Bratva king of Phoenix. I should’ve announced it already, but this is a problem with my father; the old man was always stubborn as all hell, power hungry and greedy, and he’s no different now.
But the position I’m in with this alliance, it could be exactly what I need to free myself from my father’s influence. His threats, his games…I want to finally walk away from all of it and never have to deal with his bullshit again.
I want a life. One that doesn’t include jumping to his every command as I’ve done in the past.
Those days are over, but my father refuses to accept that.
Sitting in my office chair, staring at my open laptop, my mind drifts to her. Georgie, my sister’s best friend.
I’ve memorized her face so perfectly that I can close my eyes and conjure an image of her in a second.
Her sweet innocence is dangerously alluring. Her golden honey eyes that perfectly match her golden honey hair, the way her eyes crinkle at the corners when she smiles, the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. Her perfect lips, her perfect body.
Someone I’ve always wanted. Something I’ve longed for since the day I first set my eyes on her.She’s always been nothing more than a wish, something I forced myself to let go of, but I never did. I never could. No matter how hard I tried to ignore the intensity of my feelings towards her, I’ve never been able to get her out of my mind.
With my father out of the way, I might be able to claim her as my own.
She’s been a distant part of my life, someone I’ve kept a watchful eye on, but with walls between us. It was necessary to keep her safe from this world. My world.
But I’ve done whatever I can to make her life better.
I flick my finger across the trackpad on my laptop and scroll through my e-mails, trying to decide which one requires my immediate attention.
The loud thud of heavy footsteps pulls my attention away from the screen. I look up and see him standing in the doorway of my office—my father, Faiz Ilyin. The last person I want to see. Ever.
“Fuck,” I mutter beneath my breath, but clearly not as quietly as I’d intended.
“That’s not a very warm greeting, is it, son?” my father says, stepping into my office. He walks slowly towards my desk and stands in front of it, staring down at me like I'm some commoner he has a right to judge. He purposefully tilts his chinup slightly so he can look down at me with an exaggerated power stance.
I used to hate it when he looked at me like that; it would evoke a deep need inside me to prove myself to him.
Lately, though, I feel no need to impress him. I have no desire to do anything other than get him out of my life.
“How’s business? Are you keeping things under control?” he asks.
I scoff, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms, refusing to let him intimidate me. Those days are over. He’ll learn that sooner or later.
For now, this is a sparring match that I have to ride out with caution.
“I’ve been taking care of this family and our businesses for years without your interest or help. Why would now be any different?”
My father snorts, pulling his mouth to the side in disapproval. “You’re getting cocky, son.”
“And you’re getting old, father,” I bite back.
He glares at me for a moment before he turns away and walks in a lazy stride around the office as though he's inspecting it.
I wait, getting impatient. I haven’t seen him in months. What the hell is he doing here now?
