Page 45 of His Forever

She had fallen for the video. As expected.

I hadn’t been particularly worried about that part. The video actually was Guy.

Now, it was time for the phone call, the real test. The call where Candace would hang herself and fall right into our trap.

The office was quiet, almost too quiet. Just Leo, Apollo, Sig, and me. We didn’t want any unnecessary background noise. With more than ten people in a room, it was inevitable that something would slip. And right now, we needed absolute control.

The rest of the guys were waiting in the kitchen, eager to hear the outcome. They trusted us to handle this, and we would. But still, the weight of it pressed down on me. This wasn’t just about trapping Candace—this was about survival. About ensuring Leo and the rest of his men could finally move forward without looking over their shoulders.

I sat behind Leo’s desk, the computer in front of me, my hands poised and ready to type. I had memorized Guy’s cadence, his phrases, the way he dealt with people. Candace wouldn’t have a clue she was speaking to a ghost.

Leo was on the couch along the wall, his eyes never leaving me, a silent reassurance that we had this under control. Apollo sat beside him, a slight tension in his posture. He wasn’t one to let his guard down easily. Sig was in front of the desk, ready to connect the call, when I gave him the signal.

I nodded, and Sig hit the button. The phone rang once, twice, then—

“Hello?” Candace’s voice rang through the speaker, sharp and impatient.

My fingers flew over the keys, the response pre-typed. I hit enter, and Guy’s smooth voice replied instantly through the speaker, the tone cool and familiar. “Hello, Candace.”

There was a pause, and I could almost feel her hesitation before she spoke again. “Are you sure we can’t try video chat again?”

I rolled my eyes, quickly typing. “No, no. I always seem to have this problem in Monte Carlo. The last time I was here, I thought my men had fixed the problem, but they obviously didn’t.”

Candace chuckled, but it was a dry, humorless sound. “Sounds like you need some new men.”

“You might be right,” I typed, hitting send with a small smirk.

There was another pause, a clearing of her throat. “So, what is it you have to offer me?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation on track, but I could hear the edge of nervousness in her voice. She was playing a dangerous game, and she knew it.

“Banachis,” I typed quickly. I didn’t even need to look at Leo to feel his reaction to hearing his own name spoken in Guy’s voice.

Candace scoffed, loud and derisive.

“I want to revisit the offer you gave me before,” Guy’s smooth voice continued as I typed.

“I can tell you anything you want to know about them,” she offered readily, her desperation seeping through. “They need to be taken down.”

I rolled my eyes again. Of course, she’d say that. She was trying too hard, her eagerness almost painful to listen to. I typed out Guy’s reply. “Can I ask why you aren’t a fan of them?”

There was a beat of silence, and then she snapped, her voice sharp and cold. “Because they killed my brother. They took my only brother from me like he was nothing.”

I froze for a moment, glanced at Leo, but his face remained unreadable. Candace’s brother had been a piece of work and had deserved whatever Leo and his men had done to him. She was painting herself as the victim, which was a crock of shit.

“They all deserve to die,” Candace continued, her venomous tone cutting through the air. “But Leo especially.”

I typed quickly, not letting her words rattle me. “That, I agree with,” Guy’s voice replied smoothly. “Leo Banachi is sniffing around, and I don’t like it.”

“He thinks he’s top shit, and everyone should bow down to him,” she spat. “I worked for him for years, and it’s a miracle I didn’t kill the man.”

“We all would have thanked you if you did,” Guy’s voice chuckled in response.

Candace let out a bitter laugh, agreeing. “Yeah, yeah.”

I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus. This was the part where things would start to unravel for her. If she thought she was about to get in with the Marangas she’d sing like a canary.

“I’d like to offer you a position within the Marangas in exchange for taking out all of the Banachis,” I typed. “But I do have a few questions. Your answers will affect whether or not we do this.”

There was a moment of hesitation from Candace. I could practically hear her mind racing on the other end of the line, trying to figure out the right answers, the ones that would secure her a place by our side.

---