Page 26 of Venomous Vows

So happy to see that he’s living his best life while I make sacrifices every damn day. Now I’m taking a wife who used to be an enemy and the more I think about it, the more I realize that this idea might be a bad one.

“How about you take one for the team then?” I ask. “That way I can continue?—”

“As much as she wants to marry me over you,” Zane conveys and it pisses me off, “I’m not about to have you get butt hurt about it.”

“Why would I get upset about it?” And I have no idea why I’m entertaining this conversation, but I just want to make sure that Zane isn’t going to do anything that’s going to jeopardize us.

Elena was always a strain. We used to fight all the time as brothers about how I would treat her and how tired he was of it. The last thing I need is for him to play hero and do something so stupid that it might be unforgivable.

“I’m not a fucking idiot,” Zane replies with a growl. “I know how you get. And Elena is going to be a piece of property to you. But don’t get it fucked up that I’m going to sit back and let you be a complete fucking asshole to her.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

He glowers at me. “You can’thelpit.”

I smirk at him, which gets him to grip his glass a bit tighter. “I’ll keep her safe and sound until we divorce. Then she can do whatever she wants.”

“I don’t like that she’s going to be a prisoner, Adrian. She has enough going on.”

“Then stay away from her like I requested and?—”

“What do you mean stay away from her?” His face clenches as if he can’t read between the lines of what I’m trying to get across. “We’re going to be staying in the same house.”

“You’re moving out.”

Zane jumps to his feet and his knees hit the side of my desk. “ThefuckI am!”

Oh, geezus Christ.

“I don’t want her to make a pass at you,” I divulge. “Just to get back at me.”

“Fuck you,Adrian,” my brother roars, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that glass in his hands soars across the room in a red-furied rage. “This isn’t some fuckin’ high school shit. I can control myself and we’re not like that.”

“But she’s like that,” I retort. “And she doesn’t want to give me any children. I’m not a fucking idiot to not know that. Elena will try everything to get out of it and I don’t want you in the middle.”

Zane scowls. “She wouldn’t do that.”

“She hates me, right?”

“Yes, but?—”

“She doesn’t want to marry me, correct?”

“Yeah, however?—”

“My half of the bargain will come before hers and I still have to put in work to get an heir. Elena has to do nothing.”

“But carry it,” Zane grinds out. “This is fuckin’ ridiculous.”

“I didn’t say it was a great plan, but it came along at the right time.”

“I’m not gonna fuck your wife.”

I want to believe him. I have no reason not to. Zane has always been faithful to me, but Elena is beautiful and intelligent. I can only imagine how far she could get with just those two things.

“That’s good to know,” I profess flatly. “However, if she does and youdoget in bed with my wife, brother…I’ll kill you. And then I’ll fuck her before you take your last breath. And if she thought being married to me was a living hell, don’t bring her to that point, eh?”

“You’re fuckin’ whacked out,” he seethes back, his skin flush with fury. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

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