Page 9 of Moonlit Thorns

The door behind me swings open, and I whip around, meeting Marcel’s patient smile.

Without another word from Asher Voss, I walk out of his office. Only as I’m following Marcel through the manor do I question why Asher Voss would even want me to work for him. Surely whatever kind of work I’m doing for him isn’t worth a three-million-dollar salary. But who am I to question a man like Asher Voss? He must have his reasons.

All that matters is Oak Haven Estate stays in the family.

Chapter

Four

ASHER

The morning after Anabelle Boudreaux’s visit, I finish up my swim and join my brothers in the dining room for breakfast as usual. Nero and Kol are already there, but Sid is absent.

“How was your swim?” Nero asks, pouring himself a coffee.

“Fine.” I sit beside him and slide my cup his way for him to fill it. I take a sip and set it down to put some eggs and toast on my plate, along with berries.

“You swam longer than usual. You’re usually the first one here in the morning,” Kol says.

“What is this, an interrogation?” I stab my eggs with my fork.

The truth is that I did swim longer than normal. I’ve been agitated and filled with restless energy since yesterday and wanted to burn it off with the hopes of a more productive day.

Kol chuckles as if he’s in on some inside joke, but I ignore his childish antics.

“Anyone know where Sid is? I need to ask him about that EPA bullshit going on over in Delaware.”

Voss Enterprises purchased some land to develop into a high-end oceanside resort, and the EPA’s been on our ass about displacing some fucking birds that nest there every year.

“Don’t know where he’s at,” Nero says.

We eat in silence before I decide to give them the heads-up they need regarding our new employee who will be starting today. I’ve been somewhat dreading it, knowing they’ll likely read something into the arrangement I made, but they shouldn’t.

“You two should know that I’ve hired Anabelle Boudreaux from Oak Haven Estate to work for me. She’ll be living here for the next year.”

Kol’s fork slips from his grip, clanking against the plate. “Why the fuck would you do that?” He glares.

“For my own amusement.” I reach for my cup of coffee.

“Maybe if you ever left this fucking place, you wouldn’t have to drag in strays to keep yourself amused.” Kol pushes his chair back and leaves the room, sliding past Sid as he finally graces us with his presence.

“What’s his problem this morning?” Sid asks as he sits beside the chair Kol just exited, reaching for one of Mrs. Potter’s freshly made scones.

“He’s pissed that our big brother hired the Boudreaux girl to work for him and live here for a year,” Nero says before popping a grape into his mouth.

Sid pauses from ripping apart his scone and eyes me across the table with an arched brow.

“Her father owed me money and defaulted on the loan, and I was set to take their estate. She begged me, said she’d do anything to keep it. Making her life miserable for the next twelve months felt like it would be entertaining.” I shrug, playing off my own confusion as to why I decided on this avenue for her to repay the debt instead of a more customary agreement with a higher interest rate.

I’m still not sure what possessed me to make the offer. Yesterday when she was in my office, sitting in the same chair as her father had two years before, begging and sniveling like the piece of shit he was for me to grant him a loan, all I noted was the difference between them. Whereas he’d disgusted me with his display of weakness, Anabelle had put on a strong and tough front. Oh, she’d been pissed, there was no doubt about it, but she was equal parts afraid. Still, she put on a good show, and it sparked something in me—the need to keep pushing her to see how much she’d take before she broke.

Sid rips the scone the rest of the way apart and pulls the fresh cream and jam toward him. “What are you going to do about?—”

“I’ll handle it.” My voice is sharp.

The idea that he thinks I’d let an outsider discover anything they could use against us is insulting.

He nods. “What’s she like?” Nero asks.

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