Page 34 of Broken Obsession
He didn’t linger outside, entering as though he’d done it a million times, shutting the door behind him with a click. Calmly, he glanced between the two of them, obviously noting the tension, and then addressed Yarrow.
“What’s going on? I just heard from Ismay that I’m supposedly being relocated. I never agreed to this.”
Ares sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, turning to rest against the cool glass. He crossed his arms, annoyed—mostly that he’d been keeping watch for Eden’s arrival and had missed it thanks to Yarrow’s little outburst, but also that he wasapparently trapped in a dimension where parrots ruled. “This again? Do you two make it a habit of not reading important documents? Is that what they taught you at Aeon Academy?”
Eden glanced away, mouth thinning into a straight line.
His intel that the four main voice actors were so used to signing documents they’d stopped reading through them must have been accurate.
He was glad about that fact, since it meant everything was going to plan, but this conversation was tedious.
“I’ll be taking legal steps to void our contract, effective immediately, Mr. Major.” Yarrow straightened to his full height, which might have been impressive, if not for the fact Ares was six foot five. “I’ll be filing under Misrepresentation Law 6-OB. The paperwork will be sent to you by end of day. Now, please remove yourself from the premises, or I’ll be forced to call security to escort you out.”
“That’s cute,” Ares said. “I can sort of see why Ryker likes it when Rue talks back to him. Unfortunately for you, you’re not the one I’m interested in, which means, cute or not, I won’t be going easy on you.”
Yarrow sputtered, but Eden was quick to come to his defense.
“That’s uncalled for,” he stated.
“Don’t be jealous, Paradise,” Ares cooed, causing Eden to scowl.
“You came here waving money around thinking you could uproot his entire life's work,” Eden explained. “Of course he’s reacting poorly to it. And for the record, I’m with him on this. I’m not moving, especially not halfway across the planet. If you want to sue me for that, have at it.”
“It’ll be kind of hard to pay another PI when you’re dirt poor,” Ares pointed out, shrugging when Eden noticeably stilled.
“Another?” Yarrow paused. “What happened to the one you’ve been working with?”
“He’s retired.” Ares grinned, but Eden didn’t seem to find it as amusing as he did.
“I want you to leave, Mr. Major,” Yarrow refocused. “We won’t be going anywhere.”
“You won’t be.” Ares hadn’t extended the invitation to the CEO. “But Eden’s already expected bright and early Monday morning, or should I tell the Dean at Sacrum Cor University to give the job to someone else?” He maintained eye contact with Eden as he spoke and knew he had him the second a flicker of hope flashed in the older man’s blue gaze.
“What job?”
“There was an opening for Usurn Classical Music. The professor originally meant to run the class got an unexpected job offer off planet with higher pay. It’s put the university in a bind. When I discovered you have a degree in classical vocals, I suggested you for the position, and the Dean accepted.”
“Aren’t you friends with the Dean?” Yarrow asked.
“And what if I am?” Ares gave him a stern look, expression softening once more when he rested it back on Eden. “That’s the reason I made sure to include the creation of a sub-studio for you in Aeternus. There are only two classes and they’re fairly small. They only meet three times a week, so it won’t affect your work as Ransom.”
It hadn’t taken much to find out that Eden’s dream before the success of Vanity had been to become a famous singer. He’d enrolled at Aeon Academy, this side of the planet's most prestigious art school, for that very reason.
The death of his family had clearly derailed those plans, but Eden had still graduated with his degree, and was more than qualified to fill the position at Sacrum Cor. Teaching might nothave been his original goal, but it was a steppingstone in the right direction, surely.
Now all Ares had to do was get him to take that first leap.
“If you’re worried about the students respecting you due to your infamy, don’t be,” Ares added. He’d heard from a nearby college that Eden had enquired there and been told in no uncertain terms his presence would be a distraction to the students. “I set everything up for you nice and pretty. If any concerns do arise, you can bring them straight to me, and I’ll help you sort them.”
“Why?” Eden asked.
Ares frowned. “That’s an odd question after last night, don’t you think?”
“What happened last night?” Yarrow appeared stricken when Eden didn’t immediately reply, reading the silence for what it was. “Eden, if he’s forced you to do—”
“If you don’t want the job,” Ares pushed himself off the window, stuck his hands in his pockets, and made for the door, “I’ll call the whole thing off. There’s no need to file a complaint, Yarrow. My team will be in touch. Do expect the company to have to pay the penalty for breach of contract. I believe that was several times the amount I spent. I’ll be keeping my shares as well.”
He was glad he’d had the foresight to suggest a contract separately. After buying his shares, Ares had wanted to get Yarrow on his side by reassuring him he had no intentions of butting heads over how things were run. The contract, wherein he legally agreed not to interfere, seemed to be written in Yarrow’s favor, adding that extra bit of insurance that the man would sign without much pushback.