Page 197 of Hate Mates

“I’m glad you asked,” he said with a triumphant smirk as if all roads had led to this moment.

Why did it feel like he had set a trap, and I had walked right into it?

“My plan is to acquire a wife and a family.”

I laughed but zipped my lips upon noticing his grave expression. A man like him didn’t say things unless he was stone-cold serious.

“I’m at the point of my life where coming home to an empty house is… well, empty. Seeing your family tonight, I realized what my home is missing—a family.”

I frowned. “What do you mean by acquiring a family? Like falling in love, getting married, and starting one?”

“Marrying for love is outdated. There are other reasons to get married.”

It was a trap, I was sure of it, but I was desperate to connect with this man. “Sure. People marry for lots of reasons. Are you referring to an arranged marriage or a contractual one?”

“Neither. I’m thinking more of a desire-based marriage. Take the two of us, for instance. We both have something the other desires.”

I stilled, the glass of cognac inches from my lips. “I beg your pardon.”

“I did some digging into your life. It seems you’re in a pretty big financial hole.”

My blood ran cold. What the hell? “You had me investigated?” I asked incredulously.

“I had your whole family investigated,” he replied unapologetically. “Any good businessman would do their due diligence before diving into a venture. Wouldn’t you agree?”

My eyes narrowed. I had entered the lion’s den wholly unprepared. “What do I have that you could possibly want?”

“I told you, your wife and family.”

The glass in my hand dropped, but Kai caught it smoothly with his free hand before it hit the floor and shattered. The reflex told me he had predicted my reaction. Exactly how long had he been investigating me?

“Everything tonight was premeditated, wasn’t it?” I surmised. “You intentionally bumped into me at Amelie’s work. You invited us to dinner because you knew we had no other way of celebrating the twins’ birthday.”

He dropped the pretenses and disarmed me with his honesty. “Yes.”

Ice settled in my chest. “I think it’s time to call it a night.” I glanced at the tepee, hoping Amelie and the kids would come out.

“Tell me, Stefan,” he said calmly, ignoring my indignance. “Between picking up and dropping off the kids at school, soccer, after-school programs, birthday parties, and sleepovers, when was the last time you had an evening to yourself or came home to a clean house?”

An image of toys scattered around the living room popped into my mind, distracting me from making a snippy comeback. He had vetted us and was manipulating me with things that hit home. Back in the day, I used to be a neat freak. Since taking over the guardianship of my brothers and sister, I hadn’t come home to a clean kitchen. Clutter left me with anxiety and despondency, but there was nothing I could do about it. Kids made messes, and that was my life.

“Imagine if you had a nanny and a housekeeper to take care of those things. It would change your life.”

My silence told him he had struck gold.

He sat back on his chair and slowly sipped on the amber-colored liquid in his glass. “I’ve always been rich and never had to worry about such things,” he continued.

Obviously, he came from old money. Look at how he carried himself.

“However, it wasn’t until later in life that I became wealthy—and I’m talking unimaginable type of money.”

Was he still trying to daze me with his riches?

“After I becamewealthy,everyone wanted to be my best friend. Long-lost relatives and old friends started reaching out for favors money couldn’t buy but status could. Suddenly, everyone had an agenda, and I got accustomed to keeping people at arm’s length.”

He lowered the glass and watched me. More like he was sizing me up.

“Until your wife, I had become pessimistic about humanity’s greed. She didn’t know who I was and still took care of me outside the scope of her job. She read to me, wrote for me when I couldn’t hold a pen, and even fed me. It was the first time I experienced genuine affection. It was addicting because it was rare.”

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