Page 34 of Cruel Hero

“This is the last thing we needed,” I mutter under my breath, running my fingers through my hair.

Five shipments of two thousand units each. The volume is too high for it to be human trafficking or organ harvesting. It could be guns or drugs, but either way, this is bad news for me, for Tiffany, and for everyone else caught up in this mess.

Diane eyes me, fully aware of what’s on my mind.

“Reach out to Bruce and see if he has any information on Dean and Silva’s involvement. We need to handle this immediately and decide whether replacing those five shipments is an option or not.”

She nods, her eyes scanning through some notes on her tablet. “I’ll get right on it. On another note, call your sister.”

Instantly, alarms start blaring in my head.

“What about my sister?”

Diane arches an eyebrow. “Your sister’s face has been splashed across every French tabloid. She and Pierre Benoit have been caught cozying up at some exclusive club.”

This is news to me.

Pierre Benoit is my business partner, and while I trust him with my finances, I don’t trust him with my sister’s heart. Not only is he older than her, but his history with women is far from respectable.

I clench my teeth. “How long has this been going on?”

“Since yesterday,” she says, passing me a tablet filled with pictures of my sister and Pierre Benoit standing too close for comfort in a nightclub. “The media are making a big deal out of it.”

Sylvia is an adult and can make her own decisions, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them. Especially when it involves someone like Pierre. I flip through the photos, my jaw tightening with each image. Sylvia looks radiant, as always, her dark hair cascading in loose waves, her smile bright but guarded. Pierre, on the other hand, looks smug, his arm draped casually around her shoulders as if he’s staking a claim.

I pace back and forth in my office while dialing my sister’s number. My heart rate increases as the line rings.

She picks up, her voice groggy. “Do you know what time it is, Adrien? It’s five in the morning. I hope there’s a good reason you’re calling me in the middle of the night.”

“Sylvia,” I try to keep my voice calm. “What are you doing with Pierre Benoit?”

“Well, at this moment, I’m lying in one of Pierre’s fancy bedrooms, per your request,” Sylvia responds sarcastically. “But during the day, I work as a nanny for his five-year-old son.”

“You’re working for Pierre Benoit as a nanny? I thought you wanted a break, not to work a job that could easily be found anywhere else.”

“Working isn’t the right word.” Sylvia yawns. “Volunteering to help a single father out of the goodness of my heart is more accurate.”

Volunteering for a billionaire who can afford the best nannies in the world is certainly a strange choice, but I keep my thoughts to myself.

“You volunteer to work with kids? Who are you, Mother Teresa?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Adrien. Pierre’s son is adorable, and it gives me something to do while figuring out my next move. Plus, you asked me to stay with him while you were busy with your own affairs.”

Yes, because you were causing trouble and meddling in my personal life.

“Sylvia, listen to me. Pierre Benoit is not to be trusted.”

I can almost hear my sister rolling her eyes on the other end of the line.

“Oh please, Adrien. I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.”

“Sylvia,” I repeat, my patience wearing thin. “I mean it. Stay away from him. He’s not someone you want to get involved with.”

“Fine, whatever,” Sylvia responds with an exasperated sigh. “I assure you, nothing is going on between Pierre and me, anyway. It was just a silly mistake that won’t happen again.”

Those photos of them together tell a different story—one that I can’t ignore. Pierre Benoit has a reputation for being a womanizer, and my sister is far too trusting for her own good. This situation is a disaster waiting to happen, and I can’t let Sylvia get caught in the crossfire of whatever mess Pierre might be involved in.

Telling Sylvia that she cannot do something is a bad idea because it tends to have the opposite effect on her. She’s always been fiercely independent and stubborn, and my attempts to protect her usually end up backfiring. Instead, I need to approach this delicately so she doesn’t feel like I’m controlling her every move. Sylvia is stubborn, and pushing her too far will only push her closer to Pierre.

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