Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
But until such time, I’m moving on with my life and my main priority is to keep Mardraggon Enterprises prospering and profitable.
I glance at my wrist, eyeing the sleek Patek Phillipe that circles it—a timepiece I snagged for just half what this car cost. The watch’s elegant face, framed by a polished gold bezel, marks me fifteen minutes behind schedule for my appointment. Even though I’m used to people catering to me—I’m a Mardraggon, after all—I don’t like to be late. It’s bad business, so I put a quick call into the Realtor and let her know of my delay. She assures me it’s fine as I drive the ten miles deeper into Shelby County, past saddlebred and thoroughbred farms.
While I guide the Ferrari past undulating hills, the heated conversation with Ethan Blackburn from this morning replays in my head like a bad track stuck on a loop. I’d received a cryptic email from him two days ago, telling me he doesn’t have time to devote to the winery business and that he’s going to have his sister, Kat, work on it. While Ethan will make joint decisions with me on big items, he’s going to rely on Kat to serve as his liaison because he’s simply too busy with “other things.”
I called bullshit on that. It’s clear that Ethan is creating a divide he won’t let me cross. Not that I want to get any closer to him, but Sylvie stands on the other side of the chasm with him and I would very much like to see my niece.
I called him four times in a desperate attempt to bridge the distance that the feud and my father’s heinous actions have created, and the fucker finally deigned to call me back this morning.
The first order of business was to nip his insane idea to have me deal with Kat on the winery. “I’m not dealing with your sister. She’s a horse trainer, not a businessperson.”
“She’s smart as hell,” Ethan retorted sharply and while I actually know this about Kat, I’m not about to validate it. “But she won’t be making decisions. Just taking some of the workload off me.”
I don’t want to deal with Kat. She will be a royal pain in my ass and a distraction I don’t need. In the end, I have no choice because Ethan said, “Deal with her or you’ll have to wait until I’m in a position when I have time.”
I suppose it is plausible he’s just too busy but then the next part of the conversation devolved quickly—and that’s how I know he’s avoiding me.
“I would like to see Sylvie,” I requested politely.
“Not going to happen,” Ethan replied, the razor edge to his tone telling me I’d hit directly on his reticence.
“She’s my niece,” I stated evenly. “I love her.”
“Your father tried to kill her,” Ethan barked.
“And I turned him into the police,” I grit out. Ethan remained silent, so I plunged forward. “I’m moving out of their house today. Sylvie has to be very confused, Ethan. She needs to hear the truth from me. She has to understand I was not a part of that and I’ve broken ties with my parents.”
Ethan’s voice conveyed a blend of irritation and defeat. “She knows you turned your father in, Gabe. But that doesn’t change the fact that she needs space from all Mardraggons right now.”
“For how long?” I asked, knowing I couldn’t do a damn thing but abide by whatever he said.
“Until she’s ready. It’s not just me who has a problem with your family. Sylvie is scared. It’s going to take some time.”
“Is she seeing someone? A counselor or therapist?” I’m not a big believer in therapy. I navigated my family’s dysfunction by hardening myself. But Sylvie still has a chance at a normal life, despite the horrors she’s been through.
“Yes, she is. And she’s working through things.”
“I’m willing to go to therapy with her,” I proposed earnestly. “You can be there too. Or at least let me see her in your presence.”
“When she’s ready,” Ethan says, and then adds, “and maybe not even then. I have to be sure about things too and I don’t know if the police have cleared you.”
Hell, I didn’t even know if the police had cleared me yet. They’d swept through the Mardraggon mansion with search warrants and crime scene technicians, pulling out boxes of documents, every computer, tablet and phone in the house. I knew they’d find nothing tying me to any plot to kill Sylvie, but I guess until they officially clear me to Ethan, I won’t be getting anywhere near my niece.
“Kat will reach out to you to go over the winery stuff,” Ethan said. “Make sure you treat her with respect.”
“Or else you’ll kick my ass?” I taunted.
“Don’t have time,” he replied with a snide laugh. “But I’ll send Trey and Wade out to do it. Although now that I think about it, Kat’s more than capable of handing you your own ass.”