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I couldn’t rely on a single source of information, so I’d been training a certain special skill to ensure my acceptance. I had to prepare myself for when the event occurred, and right now, I’d absolutely fail.

CHAPTERSIX

ARROW

“Your wine made it!”Remi punched me in the bicep. “Things are sailing beautifully.” He gestured to the screen, which showed my Bambooze series making it to the next round.

Pride overflowed in me to see my wine on the top tier among other fabulous brands. “Let’s see how they do in the final round.”

My wine would compete with the Piedmont Perilli from Italy and the Tower Estates from Australia. These wealthy families had been in the business long before me. I felt privileged to be among the masters.

Would my mom be proud of me? I wasn’t sure. Her husband was an abusive alcoholic, and her son was a billionaire with a degree in enology, running a successful wine empire.

I’m not my father.

“You’ve now been welcomed into the prestigious wine circle. There’s no doubt someone from The Trogyn will be there.”

In the past, I’d participated with my other brands in the Decanter World Wine Awards, organized by the British magazineDecanter. The Mundus Vini competition in Germany and the AWC Vienna from the European Union were two other prestigious wine awards that had boosted my business.

Though the Medici Medallion Award wasn’t a large competition like the others, it was the most prominent. The competition wasn’t open to anyone. Candidates had to be nominated. So I was surprised when I got a nomination. I was grateful to whoever had submitted my Bambooze series to the award committee. The winning wine would be in the Monte Carlo Hotel and the restaurants around the resort for three months.

This promotion would push my wine empire forward, no doubt. Aside from that, this was an opportunity to network and mingle with the international wealth, where the elite members of The Trogyn dwelled.

“We’re getting close,” I said to Remi.

He nodded. “Which means we need to be extra careful. They’re probably getting too close to us.”

After we’d destroyed several of their moneymaking businesses, they had no choice but to uncover who was behind it all. Remi stopped a sex trafficking ring, while Royce eliminated the human trafficking and drug operations that were linked to the Providence Police Department. Grayson discovered and took over the tunnels that were used to carry out these illegal acts, and Forrest destroyed a large sex-trafficking ring after his girlfriend had fallen victim to it. These operations had been on the news for three days and were never spoken about again.

One clue flared to life: sex trafficking was their biggest moneymaker.

My boys and I had to be careful about our actions. We knew The Trogyn was trying their best to unravel us. We could’ve made unforeseen mistakes along the way. Despite that, we had to keep moving forward.

“Do you know any of them?” I gestured to the group of judges consisting of sommeliers, enologists, wine experts, gastronomes, wine merchants, and journalists.

“No. But I’m sure networking with them would only benefit us.”

We made our way through the crowds toward the judges. I shook hands with them, thanking them for the opportunity. I discovered the next competition would have a new set of judges.

“Remington!” A man in a white suit waved him over to a table with other men. One of them was Prince Allard, the adopted son of Prince Garnier, who was the current ruler of Monaco, the sovereign city-state on the French Riviera.

As I scanned the room, I studied the wealthy and powerful people in attendance. Some gathered at tables, drinking wine and eating fancy appetizers, while others mingled. Were any of these people elite members of the crime organization? What if The Trogyn launched an unexpected attack? Was I prepared for that kind of destruction? My body tensed at the possibility that everything I’d worked hard for could crumble.

A man in a dark suit was also surveying the crowd. He stood in the corner by a tall floral vase. Our eyes connected, and he offered me a slight nod before making his way to the wine display. Two men approached him, and they chatted.

“Congratulations.” Calvin approached me, offering a smile I didn’t trust.

It was hard to trust anyone in this competitive arena, especially your competitor in wineandwomen. My caution about him increased with his friendliness toward Vivian.I knew little about him, but that would change.

I didn’t like the fact that he appeared close to her. Like he knew her well. Did they have a history? I didn’t like that thought and crushed it.

Something about Vivian made me want to unravel her. The more she pushed me away, the more I was intrigued. Arrow Holt didn’t give up that easily. Persistence and determination were my strategies to success—to survival.

Vivianwas the first woman to fascinate me this much. Most men would have understood and respected her rejection and moved on. But I wasn’t most men.Something about her called to me, and I had to find out what that was.

Maybe Calvin had information for me.

“Congratulations to you as well. The Tai Lok wine is fabulous.”