Page 66 of Beautiful Chaos

I looked up and saw that Max and Christian were staring at us. Both, with shit-eating grins on their faces.

“What?” I snapped at the both of them adding a mischievous smirk. I have never shown interest in dating or courting a woman before Harper.

Harper has influenced me in countless ways, and she’s completely unaware of it.

The evening progressed, and it wasn’t until Max’s video montage, showcasing every embarrassing moment caught on tape, had been viewed by everyone in the room that the series of toasts concluded.

“Uncle, this has been such a lovely engagement party apart from my brother’s wild display of affection there,” he said glaring at his brother but only in good fun. He knew his brother loved him and how happy he was for him and all his accomplishments.

“What could I ever do to repay you for such a generous gesture.”

“No need for that Christian, but I would love to ask a favor of you,” I glanced in Harper’s direction. She gazed at me; her face etched with confusion.

“Oh it’s no question uncle, of course anything,” Christian said eagerly.

“Harper, as a journalist, stands to gain considerable favor from her boss by securing an exclusive interview with you two, especially since you are the ‘it’ couple at the moment.” I gave Harper’s hand a small squeeze. Encouraging her to speak up.

“I would be so grateful but please don’t feel obligated, I’d understand if you would rather keep things private,” Harper uttered with a trace of hesitation that I’m sure only I detected.

“Absolutely, we will be in town for a few days. How about the four of us grab lunch tomorrow?” Lyla excitedly interjected, giving us men no room to object as the ladies had decided.

Leaning back in my chair, I listened to Lyla and Harper discuss something called Smut. Based on the contents of the conversation it seemed it was related to those books she was so fond of; I made a mental note to look it up later. Whatever it was, it seemed to be an engaging topic that maintained a hint of the pink flush on Harper’s face that I found so appealing.

My gaze swept across the room, halting at two unmistakable figures. Their facial tattoos and shaved heads made them stand out. Turning to my right, I caught Max’s eye and nodded toward the Petrov brothers, who had now averted their eyes and were heading to the bar. Max’s frown deepened as he saw them, and he pushed his chair back, ready for action.

“Harper baby, I will be right back I’ve got a couple of guests I need to deal with. Will you be okay here?” I whispered trying to keep my tone calm not to alarm her.

“Yes, of course. hurry back, please.” She said, then kissed my cheek. Her lips felt like silk against the five o’clock stubble on my jaw.

Shortly, Max and I confronted Malice and Havoc, the two troublemakers Russians who were issuing empty threats and disrupting my inherited businesses in Atlanta.

How the fuck did they get in here? I would need to address security immediately, after a fumble this bad.

“Jasper, Max,” Malice nodded, raising his glass of amber liquid to the bar, not even giving a glancing back in our direction.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarled through gritted teeth. No time for pleasantries. When neither asshole said a word, I was seconds away from losing my cool. Max sensed my rage and stepped up, before he could do anything the brothers turned in their seats.

“I’ve always been a sucker for a great love story,” Havoc said, his words loaded with sarcasm.

“Your little brother’s fiancé is easy on the eyes; great tits.”

Max growled just before he lunged for the sick fuck in front of him, but my hand darted out just in time to stop him.

“This isn’t the place Max, too many eyes and too many recording devices.” I reminded him. My glare burned through Havoc as I spoke.

“Why are you here?” I directed my question to Malice who until then had been disturbingly quiet.

He answered with a menacing smirk, “To congratulate the happy couple, of course.”

I let out a snort. What are these idiots up to? I knew they weren’t stupid enough to make a move with so many witnesses, not even to intimidate me, but it would take a lot more than showing up at my event to make me flinch.

“They don’t need anything from you, I’d suggest you get on with your night.”

“I think you are misunderstanding. I’m not talking about them,” Malice said tilting his head towards the dining room where most of the guests were seated, more directly, Christian and Lyla.

My brows furrowed as I glanced at Max and then back to Malice.

“Oh, she didn’t tell you?” he laughed maniacally.

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