Page 95 of Beneath Scarred Vows

And fuck his blind obsession.

33

ARES

The door slams behind me. I walk aggressively down the hallway.

I need space.

I need clarity.

What I don't fucking need is the way her voice still rings in my ears.

I head into my library and lock the door behind me. I pour myself a drink and sink into the chair near the fireplace.

It's not lit, but I stare at it like it is—jaw clenched, mind unraveling.

After everything. She defended him.

"She defended George fucking Zervas."

I'm so mad I see red. My brothers have put together airtight findings and accounts. Dimitri has been back and forth between here and Greece doing the work he does best. I never expectedthis. Never thought she'd shit all over everything we've worked toward and discovered.

I pull out my phone and call Theo. He answers on the second ring.

"Everything alright?"

"Katerina defended Zervas."

"What?"

"Family friend, apparently. She said he never wanted to take over. Bought an island and was planning to disappear before his father's early death."

Theo is quiet for a beat. "Do you believe her?"

"No," I say and toss back the drink, hating the way it burns. "But I want to know if there's any truth in the story."

"Ares, what we got is?—"

"Look into it," I say, interrupting him. "I want confirmation. If he bought the island. If he tried to run. Any contact between him and her father before the fire."

Theo takes a deep breath. "I… uh, okay, I'll handle it. Give me a few hours."

I end the call and drop the phone on the table next to me. I stare at it for a long time. Wondering.

George has to be involved. I mean, the day my father was killed, they moved in on our ports. They invaded our territory.

I stand.

No, she's wrong. She clings to the past. She's—dammit—I shouldn't have gotten her involved in anything. She doesn't understand like I thought.

I lean back in the chair, wondering if being with her, agreeing to the marriage, was one of the worst things I've ever done.

A few hours later, there's a knock at the library door.

"Not now," I yell.

"It's me," Theo's voice comes through the door.