Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Deng coughed, seeming to choke on the air or his own spit. He lurched forward in his chair, gasping. “What?” He shook his head as if trying to recover his poise. “Forgive me, Dianxia. Did you say that he wishes to buy part of Gaoxing?”
“Only a tiny part,” Gabriel reassured him in a tone as bland as beige wallpaper. There was a hint of condescension that left West snickering, though. “I’m looking to build a private retreat away from the world, and your little island would be perfect. Close to civilization, providing easy access to supplies, but far enough away that I can enjoy some peace and quiet from my busy work schedule. I’m sure the crown prince understands that.” He paused and West could just make out the tight smile he gave the minister. “Besides, I heard about the financial trouble Gaoxing finds itself in, and I thought the infusion of cash would be most welcome.”
Okay, maybe Jin couldn’t act, but Gabriel had the part of the slimy billionaire down pat. Even he was looking to slug the man in the nose.
“Dianxia, you can’t be considering this?” Deng screeched.
“Of course we are.” He waved a hand at Gabriel but brought it to the surface of his desk. “As he said, we need money to keep our kingdom from defaulting on those bond interest payments. And besides, it’s not like we’re using the island for anything.”
Deng jumped to his feet and slammed his hands on the edge of Jin’s desk. “You can’t do this! You’re selling off pieces of Gaoxing. Selling off pieces of who we are. First, you’ve let that man just waltz around the palace as if he owns the place.” He paused and stabbed a finger toward West, proving that he wasn’t oblivious to his presence. “Then there’s this supposed grape farmer buying up vast swaths of Gaoxing. Now this? Selling one of our islands?”
Jin surged to his feet as well, his voice deepening in his anger. “Mr. St. James’s presence in our life is none of your concern. He has no bearing on the governing of Gaoxing, and he has already achieved the approval of the emperor. That should be more than good enough for you. Furthermore, as Finance Minister of Gaoxing, you should be working to extricate our kingdom from this mess you’ve helped to put us in, but you’ve done nothing. If anything, you’re dithering on matters has only allowed the situation to grow worse.”
The minister stumbled as if Jin had struck him. “Dianxia—” he gasped, but the bastard came back verbally swinging. “You are not fit to sit on the throne. You are going to be the ruin of Gaoxing. And your efforts to sell off our home bit by bit in the name of protecting us are proof of that.”
“Enough,” Jin snapped. The single word was a precise sword slash across the throat. The crown prince never raised his voice once, but he didn’t need to. West could only marvel at his lover’s aura of unshakable authority. This was the same man he’d held and comforted many times as tears streaked his pale cheeks. The man whose smile melted him into a useless puddle.
But that soft man wasn’t present.
No, right now, he was staring at the crown prince of Gaoxing. The man who had a spine of steel and would do anything to protect the sovereignty and honor of his people. The man who would one day be king.
Was it possible to be so fucking proud and intimidated at the same time?
“Minister Deng Rong, your services to the crown are no longer needed or welcome. We are relieving you of duty,” Jin continued in an icy voice. West shivered when Jin slammed the hammer down with the royal “we” as though he’d been doing it his entire life.
“What?” Deng squawked, forgetting all decorum.
“I believe he’s saying you’re fired,” Gabriel drawled, and West almost cackled out loud. Deng was so pissed, his entire body was shaking as his head snapped from Jin to Gabriel.
Jin sat in his chair, his spine so rigid it could have been forged from an iron pole. “I will inform the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet of the staffing change. Please leave the premises immediately.” He turned his attention to Qin and murmured something that West couldn’t catch from where he stood, but it was likely instructions on how to take care of Deng’s eminent departure.
“You’ll regret this!” Deng snarled. “You’ll regret what you’ve done to me and what you’ve done to the kingdom!” The former finance minister spun on his heels and stomped out of the office, giving West a final scathing glare as he passed him.
The second the door slammed shut behind him, Jin slumped in his chair and pressed a trembling hand to his forehead, massaging his temples. West was across the room in a flash, returning to Jin’s side. He kneeled by his chair and took Jin’s free hand in both of his. He wanted to pull Jin into his arms and cuddle his lover, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not in here when the image of the cold, regal crown prince was still playing in his head.