Page 24 of Angels of the Night

CHAPTER 19

“Doctor Winters, you are a genius, the most brilliant scientist of your generation!” A smile of cruel satisfaction spread on Greenwood's face as he studied the sheet of paper in his hand. “The orders for the first fifty babies have been placed already. The gentlemen in question waiting to have fun getting the bearers pregnant.”

“Well, what can I say, Mister Greenwood. I'm just a humble medical researcher, who puts a lot of work, effort and time in finding solutions for different problems. For example, all those rich, powerful men who had the misfortune to marry barren women can have a heir of their own flesh and blood, away from any indiscretions. No surrogate mothers who change their mind or want in the spotlight...”

“That's what I was about to say, Doctor Winters. You sacrifice your own happiness to make others happy, me included. Your genial idea offered me the perfect solution to my marital crisis.” A sly, cruel smile formed on Greenwood's lips, the man barring his teeth. “My wayward husband will come home in a blink of an eye when he hears about the baby.”

“Why haven’t you eliminated the little whiner already? I mean, fifteen years is a fucking long time. I'm surprised you didn't die of boredom up to now. Not judging or anything, just curious.” Phillip comfortably stretched his legs over the coffee table, crossing them.

“The goddamn lawyers would suspect it was me, and they would have thrown me in jail in a blink of an eye. A child, however, would shift the balance of power in my favor and would reduce that crazy motherfucker to silence. He scares the shit out of me, sometimes.” Greenwood frowned, thinking at all the times his husband could have killed him but chose not to.

“Until the baby is born, when you can get the pathetic loser out of your way for good, I would advise you to keep an eye on the company.” Phillip lazily dragged the words, using the euphemism for the child trafficking ring. “Right now, it's your main source of income, and, from where I'm standing, your associate is sabotaging it big time.”

“Who, Fabian? He stepped down for good, leaving me in charge. To be honest, sometimes I find his disinterest quite irritating, but then again, the man is not getting any younger, and, at his age...” Greenwood shrugged, his voice laced with poisonous irony.

“I wouldn't be so sure about that, my friend. With all due respect, you don't know him and his bloody family like I do. For those bastards, loyalty for those of the same blood is above everything else, and the smallest sign of benevolence from dear uncle Alastair could make his estranged nephew crawl back at his feet.”

Phillip fell silent, clenching his jaw so much, that the other man could hear his teeth screeching. He remembered Rayne Calhoun, who, just like Greenwood's husband, was a quiet little mouse, always obedient, speaking only when spoken to, working himself to exhaustion, like the good little slave he was.

However, everything changed when the pathetic form of life met his bastard of a father, Alastair Stark, with whose help he stole Conroy Winters's hard work, claiming that it was his. The mouse became a fucking predator, tearing apart his ex-husband's reputation, sinking his sharp teeth in the fruits of the unfortunate man's years of study, Phillip thought angered and embittered.

Just like that bloody woman, who didn't want to collaborate with his poor father unless the two of them were married. Understanding the reasons behind her soulmate's decision, Camilla, Conroy's faithful mistress and Phillip's mother, agreed, sacrificing her happiness on the altar of science. However, the goddamn witch took things a step further and twisted her husband's arm into giving her a child.

Phillip had hated the little pest from the first second he saw him, all his attempts to send him to Hades doomed to failure. At that point, the man remembered how good the useless shit looked like at the Starlight's inauguration party in the company of Fabian Bloom. His eyes went wide in shock as the terrible realization hit him with the force of a sucker punch, making him gasp.

One after another, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, revealing the complete, terrifying picture. As Phillip suspected, Fabian Bloom was hellbent on destroying what Alexander Kane and his own father, Conroy, put so much work into creating. And the worst thing of all, that snotty kid was helping him.

“Your retired associate is sinking the company. The information those goddamn vigilantes calling themselves The Crew have on various operations come directly from him. The arrests, the attacks on the merchandise transports, the raids on the auction locations...everything happens with Bloom's blessing.” Phillip turned to Greenwood, a haunted expression on his face.

“The man would be insane to do that, since a large chunk of the profits go into his pockets. Fabian is a lot of things, but he is certainly not a fool. Giving up his main source of income is not something he would do. Besides, he is too busy with that delicious, small-assed twink to think about something else.” Greenwood obscenely licked his lips, winking.

“That twink could destroy all we've built over the past few weeks. He has the knowledge, and Bloom will offer him the means. His detested mother stole my father's ideas, and now he is going to use them against us, neutralizing the substance I've created. We have to stop the little worm before it's too late.” Phillip pressed his lips together, waiting for Greenwood’s answer.

“What about kidnapping the twink and asking Fabian to pay a nice amount of money as ransom? Meanwhile, you could take him to the lab and use him as a guinea pig, after we had our way with him, of course. Or, we could give him to some gentlemen from our waiting list.” An ugly rictus curled Greenwood's lips when he said the last sentence.

“I like the way you think. Indeed, the possibilities are limitless. It's time to plan our revenge. Our enemies won't know what hit them.” Phillip's reply came in an enthusiastic voice as he rubbed his hands together in satisfaction.

****

“Omelet and sausages, my absolute favorites! Thank you, Mister Hansen, that's very sweet of you! And good morning, Daddy!” Rowan sat in Fabian's lap, wearing a pair of white boxer briefs and a dark blue turtleneck shirt.

“Go and put some pants on those legs, kid. You could catch a cold, and I won't play nurse for you, in case you get sick.” Lance eyed the boy from head to toe, a hint of amusement in his green eyes.

“Is he always such a party pooper?” Huffing in annoyance, Rowan turned to Fabian, pouting adorably. “I just wanted to show you how this model of underwear outlines my cock and ass. I thought you would like it.”

“I'd put on a pair of white pants if I were you. Slightly tighter, nothing exaggerated. Riley would love the combination of colours and would appreciate the...view.” Fabian's voice was serious, but it also had a certain mildness. “Now go and get dressed. Lance is right about the cold.”

“Is Riley coming here today? How stupid of me to ask. This place is his second home. It is I who don't belong here.” Head lowered, Rowan headed to his room and reappeared a few minutes later, completely dressed.

“Here's your breakfast, though, you don't look very hungry.” Lance pushed a plate containing a microscopic portion of omelet and half of a sausage in front of the kid. “Just ask if you want a refill. You should know the drill by now. Then we have to talk.”

“It was very tasty. Can I be excused for now? Seeing that today is the first day of tests at the Van der Meerwe Institute, I have to go through all the notes once more and compare them. I don't want to screw things up. It's a process that requires a lot of time, and...” Rowan wanted to leave the chair, but Fabian stopped him with a gesture of his hand.

“Lance said he wants to talk to you, and I do, too. It won't take long, so sit down and start talking.” The man's voice had the same mildness from earlier, his sapphire-blue eyes filled with concern.

“There's nothing to talk about, Mister Bloom. I came here because I wanted to crush Phillip, and you showed me how to do it the right way, trusted, helped and supported me. I'm beyond grateful for everything you've done for me, but I don't belong here, not now, anyway, with all the new changes.” Rowan lowered his gaze, staring at his hands resting in his lap.

“That hair of yours would look better braided than free or tied in a ponytail. Back when my son was around ten, he liked to have his hair braided, and I loved to do it for him. Wait for me in your room. I'll be there in a minute.”

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