Page 94 of Crossing the Line
Now PG is in bed on my airplane, being waited on by flight personnel until I get back to her. My fingers are crossed. But either way, I’ll get the only thing I want in life—my woman.
Greg, who met me at the airport, drops me off in front of the Grove Family Investment Bank building. Leo and Xander were already holding a weekly meeting today at four o’clock, and they agreed that Achilles and I could stop by, and they would give us ten minutes to listen to whatever we had to say.
Achilles said he dangled the Lord Trust’s grandfathered bank account in front of them like blood on the nose of a shark. He sounded pretty proud of himself. Achilles can feel it too. It’s what I’m feeling—complete and total liberation from the insane rules of the Lord Trust, which have had clans of Lords jumping through hoops to survive and stay wealthy for over a century.
After giving the receptionist my name, the security guard in the lobby escorts me to a private elevator. After I’ve climbed the distance to the penthouse floor, the elevator opens, and I’m in a large office.
Damn it. It’s already showtime.
Xander Grove, with his dark hair and glasses, sits in one of four brown leather armchairs. He’s made himself comfortable. His brother Leo, who’s fairer in hair color and complexion, sits across from him. Achilles is present too. And they’re all looking at me.
I lock eyes with Xander Grove. He’s going to be my future father-in-law whether he likes it or not. “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” I say.
Frowning bitterly, Leo Grove says, “Your ten minutes start now.”
Ten minutes? Suddenly,I’m reminded that this is not a gathering of friends. We are still foes.
I start talking before I sit in the only empty chair. This is about money, so I go straight to the money and quote Rules 12.453 and 65.321. “Basically…” I say, scooting to the edge of my seat. “To paraphrase, Lord Trust states that if another ‘clan’ that is not of Lord kinship offers daughters and a purse that equates to a dowry in the amount five times over the value of the existing trust, then the wealth can be combined and reestablished with the account rules that predate The Bank Holding Act of 1956. That means…”
“I know what it means,” Leo says, directing his somber frown at his brother.
Xander Grove’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.
Achilles and I pass each other a look as the Grove brothers grimace at each other as if they’re communicating with their facial expressions. Then my future father-in-law sets his eagle eyes on me. I work like hell not to falter under the force of his stare.
“You’re meaning to marry my daughter?”
Stay strong, Hercules. “She already said yes.” I swallow hard, and they can hear it. Then I sit up straight, shoulders back, legs wide, folding my fingers in front of me. It’s a power sit. I need to feel the power right now.
“I love her,” I claim. Then, I think about her face, her voice, and all the iterations of Paisley Grove that I’ve encountered over the years. “I think—no, I know I’ve loved her for a long time.” I can’t tell him that I’ve wanted her ever since I made love to her on that New Year’s Eve night over seven years ago. When I woke up in the morning and saw that she was gone, I felt as though I had lost a hand or a foot. Not until last Thursday, when I saw Paisley at Mason and Lake’s engagement party, did I know for certain that she was the one—my only one. And this time around, I’ll die before I let her family keep her away from me.
Xander Grove’s eyes narrow to slits. He’s very still, watching me, trying to see through me. I think he thinks I’m bullshitting. Well, I’m not. “Where is she?” he asks.
I want to lie. Gosh, I want to lie. Because he’s scaring the hell out of me. “On my airplane.”
“What were you planning to do? Run off and marry?” He doesn’t sound happy.
Don’t falter, Hercules. Own the truth. “That was the plan.”
Xander Grove looks at Leo and then smirks. Leo chuckles.
“Her mother would’ve killed you,” Xander says. “Tell Paisley we’ll let her marry you the right way. Got it?” With his chin dipped and eyebrows raised, he looks at me like he means business.
‘That’s what I prefer,” I say.
Finally, Leo bounds to his feet. “How long do we have?” he asks.
Achilles and I look at each other like we can hardly believe this worked. I stand, and so does my brother.
“The sooner the better,” Achilles says. He knows the ball is in their court. That’s why my brother can be so effective. He likes to peacock and strut his wings, but he knows when he’s been out-feathered. Basically, we’re at the Groves’ mercy until this deal is finalized. It’s up to them to make it happen.
And then we’ll be free from our great-grandfather’s effective effort to make sure his descendants couldn’t plunder his hard-earned wealth. I bet Hugo and Gregory could have never foreseen that one day, our families’ relationship could become symbiotic in more ways than one. If this works, Grove Investment Bank will be able to own GIT and LTI. Our company will never have a lack of funds. All Lord descendants will receive yearly payments, equally dispersed from interest earned on the trust and with no stipulations. We shouldn’t get any pushback on those terms. But you never know with the Lords.
Regardless, we all look at each other—Achilles at Xander, Xander at Leo, and all of them at me. We know that my marriage to Paisley is a solid bet. But Treasure Grove agreeing to marry one of my brothers—well, that’s another story.
