Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“I do not. If there is nothing else, please see yourself out.”
“Come on, don’t be like that.” She reached out to cup my cheek.
I grabbed her wrist and pushed it away from me, making her stumble back a few feet.
She looked at me with eyes wide and full of rage. She was under the impression that no one could resist her charm. That may have been true at one time, but between time, too much Botox, and constant drinking, she was no longer what most men wanted.
She was still attractive enough. To a woman like Mary Quinn, that was the only thing she had.
Though after being with Stella and having her in my life, I didn’t think I’d even look twice at Mary Quinn when she was in her prime.
“Leave now,” I repeated.
“You’re going to regret this,” she spat.
“I can have security escort you out if you prefer.” The threat was clear in my statement, and she huffed before grabbing her Chanel bag from my desk.
“Maybe I should call Ronan myself and tell him that he missed a spot on his last job. I hear he’s pretty angry with you over firing his cousin Brian,” she taunted.
I cornered her against the wall. “I certainly hope you didn’t just fucking threaten my fiancé—because I would take that very personally.”
Her fake eyelashes fanned over her eyes as she blinked up at me. “Of course not, Lucian. I would never.”
Just like she’d never be involved in a kidnapping or that PR stunt that nearly killed Charlotte.
It was funny how Mary always seemed to be on the periphery of tragedy but never in the mix, like a fucking spider weaving her web, watching as the flies became trapped.
It was only a matter of time before she got caught in her own web.
And I was going to make sure of it. But first, my priority was getting Stella the protection of my name so Ronan wouldn’t dare touch her.
I raised an eyebrow. “We’re done here. Stella is waiting for me at the distillery. See yourself out.”
Mary Quinn Astrid was a problem for later.
CHAPTER 35
LUCIAN
“Why are we meeting here and not in the office?” Luc asked as his town car pulled up beside mine.
“Because Stella is in there planning the party of the century, and when she is done, I am taking her to lunch,” I answered, leaning on my car, enjoying the warm sun on my skin.
I rarely got time to enjoy the outdoors during the week. The only time I got any sun was when I was on the field with my team, running drills or playing polo matches.
“Okay, but why am I here? What did you need to talk about in person? I don’t know if you realize, but I am a busy man.”
I chuckled at his arrogance. Like father, like son.
He was a busy man, and I had raised him well.
When I was ready—and not a moment before—he would take my seat at the table and be a formidable boss. But my god could he be self-righteous, and I knew the conversation we were about to have was only going to make it worse.
“Because I wanted to talk to you somewhere I knew for a fact wasn’t bugged.”
“You think your office is bugged?”
“A man in my position has many enemies who would love to sneak something into my office, and since your mother-in-law managed to sneak in without me there, who knows who else could do it.” I shrugged.
“What does Mary Quinn want now?” His head went back like he was already frustrated and done with the shrew. I could relate.
“Nothing of importance.” I waved it off. “But she isn’t why we are here. I wanted to talk to you about the measures that need to be taken to keep everyone safe as we completely sever the company’s ties with the O’Murphys.”
“I thought I already had.” He clenched his fists by his side, as his jaw ticked.
My son was a brilliant businessman, but he needed to work on his poker face.
“Some things have recently come to light, and I am inclined to agree with you that it may be best to sever ties with the Irish mob entirely. But doing that does put us at considerable risk. Your mother-in-law also made some thinly-veiled threats against Stella.”
“Would she follow through with them?”
“She followed through with the threats against Harrison’s wife,” I pointed out.
“True, but that’s because she didn’t think Edwina was good enough for Harrison. She was trying to force his hand.”
“I may have insulted Mary Quinn to her face. I may have implied that she could learn from Stella’s intelligence, humility, and grace.”
“Oh, yeah, she’s absolutely capable of going after Stella.” Luc rubbed his hands over his face as he figured out what I had already known.
His mother-in-law was a problem we could no longer ignore.