Page 9 of The Forbidden

She’s whisper quiet behind me but I can feel her presence as she follows. To keep things professional, I take a seat behind my desk and point to a chair on the opposite side. She settles into it, dropping her purse to the floor and placing the binder on her lap.

Kat glances around the office, eyeing the bookshelves with interest before her gaze settles on me. “So, really… what’s the deal? Why did you move out of your parents’ mausoleum?” She inclines her head in faux apology. “I’m sorry. I mean home. Did you buy this monstrosity because you’re trying to compensate for something?”

I’m not sure why she needs to keep making her digs but I suspect it’s just to get a rise out of me. I decide to quell it quickly. “You of all people know I don’t need to compensate.”

I hold my breath, waiting for her to explode with rage. I can feel the air crackle between us, the undeniable tension that speaks of a shared past that neither of us dare acknowledge.

But she breaks it by smiling, scoffing with amusement before her expression turns hard and unyielding. She holds up the binder. “I read the trust agreement and the other financials. I’m ready to discuss the winery.”

“And like I told you when you reached out to me, we don’t need to do anything right now. This meeting could have waited.”

Which isn’t exactly true. There are things we need to move on but I didn’t want to deal with her and was hoping Ethan would come around and deal with me himself.

“Yet you were so eager to talk to Ethan,” she counters with narrowed eyes.

No sense in lying. “Because I wanted to have a way in to see Sylvie.”

She’s unfazed by my proclamation and ignores it, probably to piss me off. “No, you told my brother that decisions had to be made regarding expansion plans. So I’m curious why you’re avoiding it? Is it because you have to deal with me?”

Chuckling, I steeple my fingers, appraising her a moment. “You’re no peach to deal with, Hell Kat.”

She glares at me. “Stop calling me that.”

“Why?” I probe, feeling like I have the upper hand for a change and enjoying the leverage. “You used to like it.”

“That was a long time ago,” she says primly, her voice a cool brush-off that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. There’s defiance in her words, challenge in her eyes. And for a moment, I remember why she’s so attractive beyond her physical beauty.

Because she was unattainable in all ways and that only makes something more desirable. But as she said, that was a long time ago.

“Look,” I say, giving a pointed glance at the binder in her hand. “You need to review more than a few profit-and-loss statements to be able to talk intelligently about the winery.”

“How about you just lay it out to me like I’m a fifth grader and I’ll pass it on to Ethan,” she replies coolly.

“Fine.” I lean forward in my chair, clasp my hands on the desk. “We have a major investment opportunity which will expand the wine distribution network. There are some innovative but risky marketing strategies I’d like to implement. Each decision could significantly impact revenue and market presence, thereby building more profit, which is ultimately all to Sylvie’s benefit.”

“You mean make her a bigger target to your dad,” she says, her words so scathing I’m taken aback.

I slam my hand on the desk hard enough Kat jumps in her seat. My voice is low, bitterly cold and deadly calm. “I’m not going to repeat this ever again. I had nothing to do with my dad’s plot to hurt Sylvie. Had I known about it, I would have stopped it. As it stands, I turned him in to the police, thereby ensuring her safety. So, while a little fucking gratitude would be nice, I sure as hell don’t expect it from the likes of you. I would, however, appreciate you leaving the caustic remarks behind because all it does is make me want to boot your ass out of here so I can get back to more important things.”

Kat’s eyes burn with fury but she keeps that pretty mouth shut. After a moment of continued silence, which I accept as her affirmation she understands me, I say, “I will send over the expansion plans to you. I’ll even summarize the important points. You pass it on to your brother and let me know what he thinks. We can communicate by email. No sense in meeting. Will that work for you?”

“That will work fine,” she clips out. “But I have a request.”

I cock an eyebrow at her.

“Amend the trust agreement to remove the death clause.”

I internally wince at her labeling of the paragraph that gave my father the idea to murder his granddaughter. In its simplest form, it reads that if Sylvie dies before she turns twenty-one, her winery shares revert to Mardraggon Enterprises. I’m not opposed to abolishing that from the agreement at all, but I am wondering if I can use her request to get something in return. “And why would I do that?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” she snaps.

No doubt, it’s absolutely the right thing to do. But not without me getting what I desperately want. “Talk Ethan into letting me see Sylvie and I’ll gladly have it removed.”

“Remove it first, then I’ll talk to Ethan,” she retorts.

I shake my head. “I need some good faith from your brother.”

“And we would like to make sure Sylvie’s protected. I think you’re the one who should show good faith.”

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