Page 77 of Frayed Owner

I snorted and glanced at my arm to his hand before meeting his eyes. “But you just proved that I’m right. You couldn’t hold it together for five minutes to even pretend that I would be the boss, not you.” I stepped closer to him, showing that I wasn’t scared. “I get that you love your wife and listen to the vicious snake, but you should sometimes tell her no.”

“This wasn’t her idea,” he lied.

Yeah, right. It had her stink all over it.

“There’s nothing wrong with following your mate’s lead and being a united front, but make sure you don’t follow her off a cliff. She’s notremotelyas smart as she thinks she is and has spent so much time looking down her nose at people she’s got eye strain and doesn’t see things clearly.”

I turned to walk away, glad when one of my security made Jeff stay there.

I decided to toss one more thing over my shoulder. “Besides, my money would be on Jean. She’ll fucking eat you idiots alive, and I won’t ever be puppeted.”

I waited until we were all home and pulled out my phone, calling Jean.

“This is a surprise,” she greeted. “What can I do for you?”

“Nothing,” I bristled hating her attitude. “I promised to share information and I am.”

“I appreciate it,” she said firmly, sounding a bit tired. Okay, I could give her a pass that she wasn’t doing what Charles always had and made people feel that even talking to him was a favor to them.

“Uncle Jeff was waiting for me at the factory. He wants me to be the head like I’m too stupid to know he won’t puppet me the whole time.”

“Glad you understand that,” she muttered. “And you said?” She chuckled when I snorted. “Did he let it go?”

I gave her the paraphrased version of the conversation, making sure to hit the points that he said the others agreed with him on—not if I knew that was the truth. But also that I would put money on her.

“He already tried to take over himself, but it was amusing for everyone to agree that he was creepy. He’s not remotely as charming or funny as he thinks and people laugh at him, not with him. So you were his next chance.”

“I will say it in every language you need, but I don’t want the job, rather my own life and I won’t ever be puppeted.”

“Message received,” she muttered, knowing it was also for her.

“I will send you the recording I took just for your own sanity since we’re not exactly close.”

“I appreciate it and this open line of communication,” she hedged.

“Good. Because I also have a question since I’ve been too busy at school to get in on the gossip. But did one of the Hughes women recently marry?”

“Yes, the head of the family’s next-in-line brother, their oldest girl. Why?”

I chuckled, but it built into a full laugh. “Oh shit, I’m your favorite person today. We had another spy come here. Not from Hughes this time. That family she married into. They sent one of their top guards to infiltrate because there’s an affair going on and she thinks information will lead to love.”

“It’s so twisted it could actually work within the top-tier families,” Jean drawled. “Do you know who? Who is the source?”

I couldn’t tell her the guy’s familiar. “Security overheard parts of a call, so he sucks at his job of security. And it’s the bride’s father and the groom’s mother.”

Jean laughed. It shocked me so bad that I almost dropped the phone.

Then I saw Taylor was trying not to laugh as well, having overheard what I’d said.

“Okay, I’ve got someone laughing here too. What am I missing?” I asked.

“The groom’s mother was the first love of the head of the Hughes family,” Jean purred. “She wasn’t up to the acceptable standards for the Hughes and he was already promised out. So she got pissed and mated into a rival family is how Grandmother tells it. It was a big deal for members of the different families to marry.”

“Oh shit,” I hissed. “And now he’s doing his brother’s first love. He said ‘affair’ not like one time and she’s…Wow!Okay, well, you’re welcome.”

“Yes, thank you because this is amazing. I don’t need to deal with—thank you. Truly. I’ll remember this.”

“Good, because I’m not at war with you. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.”

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