Page 2 of Sweet Wicked Vows

“And what exactly is it that I want, Freddie?”

I smirked as he pretended the childhood nickname didn’t bother him, but we both knew he died a little more inside every time I called him it.

“To finally pay Reynolds back for all that he did, not just to our family, but all the other families and lives he has crushed along his way to the top,” Frederic said. “What if I could give you a chance to be there? To be the last face he saw as you destroyed his company and left his family in ruins just as he took his final breath?”

My body went still in the chair, my hands painfully gripping the leather arms. “I’m listening.”

Ice laced my brother’s feral grin. “How doesD.R Groupsound to you?”

I remained silent, my back teeth throbbing as they clashed together. Frederic was always one for theatrics. He loved the sound of his own voice. I learned long ago that it was easier to remain silent and let him grow bored with a non-participating audience.

“Dade and Reynolds. A working relationship between us:Dade DiamondsandReynolds Regality Jewels.” He clasped his hands together. “Then we would no longer be competitors, granting us access to territories such as North America and the majority ofEurope, where we rightfully belong.”

“Why the hell would we do that?”

“Because,frère cadet,that way we…youwill have complete access to Lexington’s company. You will be a man on the inside, a mole per se. You will be able to destroy him and his empire from within the belly of the beast.”

“And how do you suggest we would create such a match made in heaven?” I scoffed. “Last time I checked, Reynolds does not do business with anyone. We are but a fly to be swatted to him in terms of competitors.”

Even though we banked the same as him three years running, he still refused to admit we were an impending threat. He saw himself as having the monopoly, which, granted for a long time, he did.

My brother and I spent years gettingDade Diamondsto the level it was today.

A lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

“The daughter,” Frederic said. “She is the ticket to getting everything we want.” He rummaged through his desk and pulled out a file. “Rumor has it, she will be the next interim CEO until her idiotic younger brother is ready to step in. Reynolds is planning on announcing the news at the end of August.”

I opened the file. A copy of Reynolds’ will confirmed his daughter’s position as acting CEO for one year to allow her brother to finish his degree atNYU.

“How is she the answer?” I asked.

“You’re going to marry her.”

The hell I was.

“How can she help? She is the furthest thing from an answer. The woman knows nothing about her father’s business. She’s a journalist, for crying out loud.”

“Exactly, she is going to need help. She will need someone to take her by the hand and show her how to do the job, and thatperson is going to be you.”

“Sorry to be the one to break it to you, Freddie, but she is already engaged.”

My brother tapped the side of his nose. “Not anymore. The whole thing isn’t common knowledge, but the Larkin lad called it off last month.”

I laughed because he had to be out of his goddamn mind.

Frederic sat in silence until I stopped. “I’m not joking here, Jaxon. You marry the Reynolds girl, and for the year she is in charge, you will own fifty percent ofReynolds Regality Jewels.Being married and having that access to the company will allow you to finally get justice and revenge formaman.It will let us put rights to all of Lexington’s wrongs.”

Revenge.

It was everything we ever wanted.

Adrenaline spiked through my veins. The familiar crawling sensation settled along my skin as my mind reminded me that this moment was all I—weworked for.

How poetic would it be to watch the man who left us in ruins be able to do nothing to save his family from the same fate?

“We make them—her—believe that this marriage is a mutually beneficial business transaction. You will guide her to be a somewhat passable CEO for the year in exchange for access to their markets,” he continued. “But by the time the year draws to an end, Reynolds’ entire empire will be in ashes. All his business will come running to us, straight into our open and welcoming arms… their saviors from the sinking ship that’ll beReynolds Regality Jewels.”

Inside the file, a photo peeked out from the behind copy of the will. A pair of wild jade eyes stared back and dared me to get lost within them.

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