Page 91 of Idaho

"Not at all." I smiled at him. "I'm a businessman. I'm only trying to get a piece of the pie."

"By trying to bankrupt us," he snarled.

"Hardly," I told him, shrugging. "I'm not doing anything illegal. I'm merely bringing jobs and money to my own country." I’d just signed a deal with Wayworth Industries to build four new plants here in the United States, one of them here in Tucson. All on my dime. Or my company's rather. As the majority shareholder for Wayworth, I now had control over their largest producer of steel. It was a glorious fucking feeling.

The duke was right. Concluding my plans would take away jobs, revenue, and stability for his people. And I wasn't going to stop there.

"Bullshit," he spat. "You're trying to destroy my country."

"No," I told him, shaking my head as I walked toward him. "I'm trying to get your attention. If you ignore me, then I'll destroy your country."

He gave me a confused look, then glanced at Andrew, who looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. "This is all about my daughter?"

"What else would it be about?" I asked, a smirk playing over my lips. "You thought you could take what belonged to me. That you had more power than me. Perhaps that's true, in Luxembourg," I told him. "But I don't have to play your game your way. We're on my turf now and you're going to do what I want, or I'll do exactly what you're afraid of."

An angry flush reddened his cheeks. He stared at me for a long moment before he finally spoke. "You would put my people into financial ruin? You would devastate my economy?"

"For Eva? I would level it all. I would flip your country upside down until the masses revolt and burn your castle."

"What do you want?"

"Eva back here with me."

"That's impossible," he snapped. "She's not safe here."

"She is," I argued. "I'll protect her. You know I will."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I can't risk it."

"Then I guess I'll be working on my plans for the financial services industry next," I said with an evil grin.

All the color leached out of his face. Steel they could survive without. But if I took over their banking industry they were done. And he knew it. "Your people will fix my problem long before I'll have the chance to get you out of the way. Sure, it'll take time, but soon enough there will be riots in your streets." I stepped closer to him. "Is that what you want? Your people angry and starving?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" he demanded. "You don't even know my daughter."

"Wrong. I know her more than you ever will," I told him. "You've lived with her for her entire life and never once listened to what she wanted. Now you'll lose her and regret that for the rest of your life."

"Why?" he asked with a scowl.

"She belongs to me," I growled. "You took what was mine." I cocked my head, staring him down. "Now I want her back."

"And if I refuse you'll wage a trade war on me," he sighed, rubbing his brow. "That will put my entire family at risk. Including Tatiana."

"She won't be in any danger. I can't say much for the rest of you."

"You think she'll forgive you?" he asked. "If you get her family killed?"

That wasn't going to happen, whichever way he played this I'd make sure they weren't killed, but I wasn't about to let him know that.

He stared at me with a hard look. "You're asking me to trust you with my daughter. What are your intentions?"

"You think I'd be doing this if I had any other plan than to marry her?" I asked.

"You hardly know her," he said in disbelief.

"Doesn't matter. I know what I need. I love her," I added.

The men from Wayworth were watching the exchange with wide eyes, but I didn't give a shit. They knew who their ruler was and they weren't going to speak up and have the duke pissed off at them. I had zero doubt this was going to end up in whatever version Luxembourg had of the gossip magazines, though. It didn't matter.

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