Her body stiffens in shock, but I don’t expect her to respond, so I crash my mouth into hers, silencing any response. I don’t want her to feel obligated to say it back to me. When she’s ready to tell me, she will. I’ll just have to wait to hear those three little words from her lips.
26
Florian
Six Months Later…
The days and months since Olan’s death have been quiet. Thankfully. Even with Adahlia’s death, I expected her father to try to get even with me. Grumblings started circulating that Andreas was going to make his move to avenge his daughter’s death. So, in a meeting that I requested, we spent hours talking about what led up to Adahlia’s death. Our conversation went on late into the night. And, of course, he blamed Arabelle and me, but Adahlia was the cause of her own death. Not me and certainly not my wife. I broke things off with her. She should have gone on with her life. If she had, she’d be alive today.
Andreas knows I have the upper hand in negotiations because his daughter kidnapped my wife, which is something I could use to declare war on his organization, even though that’s not what I want. I don’t blame Andreas for what his daughter did. And Arabelle and I just want peace. We were ready to move forward in our lives and forget the past. So, because Adahlia acted without her father’s knowledge, I was willing not to draghis entire organization into a conflict he knew he couldn’t win. I like Andreas. We work well together, and it was in our best interests if he remained the leader of his family.
Once I made sure he understood what the consequences of her actions could be and how they could affect him and his organization if he moved forward with whatever he planned to do, he decided that wouldn’t be the best course of action to take. Which was a relief for me.
Now, the only issue we have is Arthur. Of course, I let him live because she asked me to, but I know, eventually, he’ll try to worm his way back into her life. At this point, I’m not sure how to handle it. Neither he nor those two ungrateful bitches she calls sisters deserve anything from her. It’s up to me to protect her, and that means if I need to protect her from her family, I will.
Eager to see my wife’s performance, I let all the thoughts of what needs to be done drift from my mind as I slide into the private box at the theater and settle into my seat. This will be her first performance as principal dancer, a moment she’s been working toward for years.
Some rumblings have remained surrounding Pierre Gaultier’s death, the man who drugged Arabelle and tried to rape her, which kept the theater from announcing it sooner.
Detectives questioned her and me for hours, again. However, this time Kellan was present during her questioning. After some persuasion in the form of a lot of cash from me, and the threat of death, the medical examiner ruled the man’s death a suicide. Despite the family’s disagreement with the findings, she had hospital records on her side, and as soon as I threatened to go to the media about her attack, they dropped their accusations. Nothing will derail my Beauty’s chances to have her happily ever after.
I sigh as I hear voices drifting in from outside the private box. I want to enjoy just one night without having to deal with something.
Asva’s heavy hand lands on my shoulder. “Williamson wants to talk,” he whispers.
“Of course he does,” I huff in annoyance.
“We told him that it was a no-go, but he’s causing a scene.”
I can’t enjoy one day without someone wanting to interfere.
Arabelle’s decision to sever ties with her family when she signed the contract was a courageous one, and I believe it was the right choice for her. She’s had absolutely no contact with them and has stopped funding their extravagant lifestyle. With the flow of money stopped, the Williamson family is almost in the same position they were in when Arthur came to me looking for help. It’s why he’s here now because I know it’s not to see his daughter’s performance.
I let out a weary sigh, feeling the tension in my body as I pinch the bridge of my nose. I just want one fucking day to watch my wife do what she loves.
“Let him in,” I mutter, even though I prefer to watch the show in peace.
I guess this meeting was bound to happen.
After a few moments, Arthur slides into the seat beside me, the leather cushion sinking under his weight.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Arthur?” I ask, never taking my eyes off the stage. “I know you aren’t looking for me to bail you out again, are you?”
The first act has begun, and Arabelle won’t join until near the end, allowing me plenty of time to handle my father-in-law before she performs.
“I want to see my daughter,” he says, ignoring my question about him needing more of my money. “But she’s not answering my calls.”
I guess he’s learned his lesson about coming to me to bail him out.
“And what does that have to do with me, Arthur?”
“You can’t keep her away from me, Florian,” he says, fury lacing his voice. “She’s all I have.”
“You mean she’s the only one of your children with enough money to keep you above water.”
“You can’t keep her away from me,” he repeats. “She’s my daughter.”
“And she’s my wife. However, I’m not keeping her away from you, Arthur. You did that all by yourself. I don’t control her. She’s the one who made the decision to cut you out of her life.”
