Page 57 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

I consider my options—I could easily hang up on Leo, but his persistent ass would keep calling, and then no doubt show up tomy apartment and ruin any chance I have of keeping an eye on London. But if I tell him, I'd be going against my family's wishes and potentially ruin the deal they're working on. Something is getting ruined either way. There's a chance he keeps his word and his mouth shut, though, and that's a gamble I'm going to have to take.

"The Manor brothers," I confess. Our rivals, our biggest enemies, the bane to our fucking existence. They hate us, we hate them, it's a vicious cycle of who can fuck over who worst and, in this case, they're trying to get in the way of the deal we're trying to make with the Branford brothers.

It should have been simple, completely easy-breezy. We offered them a handsome rate for their side of town, and in exchange, our territory would expand, giving us a stronger foothold in the East Coast sector. They've lost their asses the last few years while Johnny Jones has expanded into their area, but with our backing, we could push out what he's trying to infringe on.

"You're telling me the Manor brothers are trying to sweep in and take Branford?" Leo's voice thickens with anger and I start to regret my decision to tell him the truth.

"Are you surprised? They've been trying to regain what we took from them years ago."

London says something to the waiter but I can't make it out because of having to mute her screen.

"I have to do something about this.Wehave to. Come on, Arch, you're not going to let them get away with this, are you?"

"When are you going to realize that I'm not the knocking heads type anymore, Leo? I'm done. This is as involved as I'm going to be, and if I'm honest, it's too much."

"You're going to let them walk all over our family name like that? Where's the Archer I used to know? The one that would fight for his family. The old Archer would have threatened theirfamily, at the very least, if not put a bullet in one of their foreheads to prove a point."

"I would not have killed a Manor brother, Leo. You're out of your mind. That would be like them killing one of us. Have you forgotten the treaty?"

The treaty was put into place many, many years ago after a long-running feud between our family and the Manors. The eldest brothers got together, August and Reid, and came to an understanding, a written one, one signed in blood, with the main point being that there would be no murder attempts on either family, by either family. A fistfight here or there was blurring the rules a little bit, but for the most part, we stuck to it, mutual respect forced by wanting to protect our families.

There were a few other stipulations, like properties would not be attacked, and any children born by any of us were also off-limits. But things like meddling with each other's business affairs were not off the table, and right now, they were fully trying to undercut and steal this deal out from under us.

"Who gives a shit about the treaty?" Leo blurts out.

I snatch my phone off the desk, bringing it closer to my mouth when I say, "This is why August doesn't trust you, Leo. You're arrogant, and that arrogance is going to get one of us killed. Don't you fucking remember why we started this? You may have been out partying with Seven, too fucking drunk to recall when our family was falling apart, but I was there, I remember, and it was August and I who had to dig us out of the hole you led us into."

"Geez, Arch, way to kick a man when he's down." Leo feigns hurt when I know damn well it's his ego taking the brunt of the damage. "You act like I don't care."

"Do you?" I ask him, a genuinely serious question. "Because I can't tell half the time, Leo. It seems like the only thing you care about is how many girls you can sleep with and how muchmoney you can launder through that casino. Not to mention all the other shit you're doing through there. I heard about those diamonds that went missing. Wonder where I'd find them, brother?"

"Where else do you expect me to launder money? You shut me out of the other places. You're being unreasonable, Archer. I'm doing this for the family, to build our empire, and what are you doing, sitting in your apartment all alone because you got your heart broken?"

"How fucking dare you." I hang up the phone, not wanting to hear another word of what he has to say. Does he not realize that I control most of our finances and if I wanted to shut him out, it would be as simple as pushing a single fucking button?

I release a sobering breath and return my attention to the screen, watching as Drew excuses himself from the table. With a few keystrokes, I pull up more camera footage and follow him to a deeper part of the restaurant where he pulls out his phone.

"Hey, baby," he says into the receiver. "Yeah, I miss you, too. I can't stop thinking about you." He goes quiet and I assume the other person fills in the silence. Drew glances in the direction he came from and continues. "We'll see each other soon enough, okay? I hate being away from you. I love you, don't forget that." He hangs up a second later and shakes the hand of a man who walks near him. "Sir, how's it going?"

"Ah, business is booming, my boy," the older man responds. "I appreciate your help with that…situation."

"Yes, of course. Happy to be of assistance. You let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

"Well, since you're asking…" The man glances in both directions and leans in closer. "I've got this broad my nephew knocked up. She's threatening to tell his wife if he doesn't make things right."

"And what would you like me to do?" Drew asks him.

"Get rid of her."

"I see."

"Do we have an understanding?"

"Get me her information and I'll take care of it."

The way he saysit, so nonchalantly like he isn't referring to a human being, a pregnant one, makes my jaw tense.

I dial London's number a second later, the dial tone skipping straight to voicemail.

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