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“It’s alright, elders.” Victor’s pseudo-soft baritone spread across the courtroom, cutting through the tension. “I consider it a great honor that you thought of me and considered an illegitimate child like me eligible for such a great position, but I’m afraid my brother is right. The throne is his birthright, not mine.”

“Nonsense,” An elder from the crowd exploded. “The circumstances surrounding your birth are not of your making, and regardless, you still have pure royal blood flowing through your veins. You’re as eligible as he is.”

The outburst was met with nods of approval, and I fought back the urge to slam my fist into Victor’s face. I was still reeling from the sightof him on a cozy date with Mira, and here he was, comfortably trying to steal my birthright.

His little reverse psychology worked, and the meeting was over in no time. The verdict was to let him compete for the throne after a grace period of six months expires for me. Whoever provides an heir first gets the throne.

“With those long strides of yours, if I didn’t know better, I would assume you’re trying to run away from me.” Victor’s obnoxious voice touched my back on my way out of the court.

He was right. I was going to walk away without a word to him, but the nincompoop just had to follow me around. “What are you doing here?” I seethed, pinning him with a glare.

He cocked a brow, a smug smile tugging at his lips.“What am I doing in my father’s house? Well, if you must know, I was invited home by a couple of elders. I only came because I’ve been away for a long time. I didn’t expect the mess I met, but I guess I was meant to be here at this very hour.”

“What about Mira? What’s your business with her?”

The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it, but since we were already at it, I decided to see it through.

The smile on his face widened with a look of something sinister playing behind his eyes.“Mrs. Diamond and I are very good friends. We go way back in time.”

I knew he intentionally added how long they’ve known each other to rage-bait me, and I fell right into it. My wolf let out a possessive growl, seeking to protect what belonged to us from the psychopath.

“Stay away from her, Victor, and we won’t be having any issues.”

He scoffed, sending me an incredulous look.

“Last I heard, you were the one who rejected her and kicked her out of your palace. You have no right whatsoever to dictate how she spendsher time or who she spends it with. If you invest half this attention on your wife, I’m certain you’ll have an heir on the way in no time.”

My fist moved before I had the time to think about my actions, landing on Victor’s face with the satisfying crunch of his bone breaking.

He let out an exaggerated howl of pain, alerting the elders to the situation, and soon, the court’s entrance was filled by a few elders and onlookers, each wearing a look of disappointment and pity as they glanced between Victor and I.

Sick fuck. This was his plan the whole time.

Once again, I was the villain, and he was the honorable martyr. Not feeling the need whatsoever to explain myself, I made my way out of the scene.

A low voice muttered about how I might just be as out of control as my wife reached my ears before I disappeared down the corridor. The game was finally on.

CHAPTER NINE

Mira

“This is a family business, Mrs. Diamond,” Henry said, his fingers shaky as he lifted his coffee to his lips, taking a long sip. “I’m only considering selling it to you because I believe Diamond Corporation is a family business, and you’ll understand the importance of keeping it intact.”

I watched him carefully, forcing myself to quell the empathic look in my eyes. The corporate world was a funny business, and there were sharks at every corner, waiting for you to slip up a little so they could tear you apart.

Henry made one of those slip ups a few months back and, now, his business was suffering. I never thought the day would come when a company as big and resourceful as his would come to me for help.

Signing this deal would be equivalent to killing two birds with a stone. I’d secure a power project, and at the same time, I’d be gaining a place in the Department of Energy, a sector my business has been looking into for a while. I could easily boycott the energy plant project and my pending deal with the senator.

Maybe the wishes of the goddess were in alignment with mine this time, and she wanted me to leave New York, too.

“Like you said, Mr. Henry, Diamond Corporation is a company built on a family name and core family values. I’ll integrate your business into mine in such a way that preserves it.”

He nodded slowly.

“Thank you.”

Mergers weren’t easy. You can never be completely certain of what the person who is acquiring your business has in mind.