Page 12

Now my brother is free once and for all from that bastard Emerson Gordon's blackmail?*. His bank is in our hands. We can do what my grandfather asked. We will avenge our father, and soon we will close the book on this. At least officially, of course, since the damage caused by the death of our parents, as well as the events surrounding it, shaped us into who we are today. They changed us forever.
"Have you contacted the bastard yet?" I ask.
"Not yet."
"Why the delay?"
"Odin told me that he is investigating something regarding Emerson but would soon be done. He asked me to wait, however."
"I trust our cousin, although I don't like the idea of waiting any longer," I say. "I despise Emerson. Men like him only see opportunities. He probably thought that the possibility of becoming a few billion dollars richer would make us forget all the harm his heir caused us. He's so arrogant that he didn't even consider the possibility that we might want revenge, or that that's what we were after."
"He took into account that we are businessmen," my brother says. "Which is a fact. But first and foremost, we are Kostanidou. There is not enough money in the world to buy our honor."
“Even when we break up his bank, I don't think those damn Gordons will have paid enough."
"You and Hades are the vengeful ones. I'm practical. I will stick to the promise I made. It's true that Emerson Gordon is a bastard, but he wasn't the one who destroyed our family. Destroying their centuries-old reputation seems retaliatory enough to me. Thank you for becoming the girl's new guardian. I don't think we would have solved this issue of the missing one percent if you hadn't taken the lead. Van Lith wanted someone to replace him in the role."
"I think so. Well, it's done now."
"You seem a little irritated for a change," he says sarcastically, because none of the four of us can be considered good-natured.
"Finding out that the old man lied to us until the last minute pissed me off."
Only when we were in front of the judge did I know that my ward's fortune was not limited to one percent of theGordon Bankshares.The entire time we negotiated, Van Lith implied that those shares were all that was left of the fortune her parentsleft her. The truth was not even close to that. Serenity has more than ten million dollars in investments in other well-diversified areas, from technology companies to oil.
"Better for the girl that he lied. There is never too much money. What matters to us is that there is nothing wrong with the one percent he sold us. Our lawyers have already checked. They belonged to Serenity Clementine Blanchet. It was a legitimate sale."
"I don't like being deceived."
He laughs. "Who does? Son of a bitch Van Lith, with all his English lord looks, really fooled us. He must have been desperate to be replaced in the role of guardian."
"Yes, I think so too. He dangled the one percent so we thought that was all the girl had left and that’s why he was reluctant to sell to us, but what he really wanted was a replacement."
"But in the end, it doesn't change anything for you."
"Of course it does. Her known wealth has increased considerably, which means there will be even more bastards around her, trying to seduce her, wanting a slice of that fortune."
"Have you seen her?"
"Just a photograph from when she was a child. He didn't provide me with any others, and I haven’t done any research on her."
"I wouldn’t want to be in your place."
"Thanks for the words of encouragement, asshole."
He laughs. I have to admit that Zeus has become less sullen since Madison entered my older brother's life. "And now, what do you intend to do with the rest of her assets? We can transfer them to our bank to guarantee that they will yield the maximum interest possible."
"Yes, that's what I intend, but first I want to speak to Serenity in person. I’m wondering whether I should worry about leaving her alone in New Orleans."
"Wasn't that your initial idea?"
"It's still my idea. I wasn't cut out to babysit a teenager."
"She is already an adult."
"Are you offended because Madison is only nineteen?" I mock.
"Go fuck yourself. My wife is mature for her age."