His smile cracked again for half a second before reforming. “Direct. I can appreciate that in a man.”
“I’m not here for your appreciation. I’m here for your daughter.”
He blinked, and just like that the game shifted again. “You’re serious then, no need to think any longer?”
“I don’t waste time. I’ll be marrying her.”
He laughed softly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You make it sound as if I’ve already given you permission.” The vein in his temple pulsed once, betraying the calm in his voice.
"Come on now, Darius. We both know this is past the point of me asking for permission. I'm being nice enough to inform you of what's happening."
"Very well," he conceded, the words tight, chuckling under his breath, pretending to find amusement where there wasn’t any. “So be it. You’ll find she’s well-trained.”
“I’ll decide what she is. From now on, you’ll deal with me directly, and I’ll be contacting her myself. I’ll see her when I please. No middlemen will be in our relationship.”
Darius tilted his head, a smirk curling his mouth. “Relationship?” he echoed, the word dripping with mockery.
I smiled faintly, unamused. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
He raised his glass in mock salute. “And what do you plan to do, Mr. Kostas? Take her out on dates? Go dancing?”
“I’ll make sure she’s seen and shown all the things you never could—or never bothered to.”
There it was—the crack I'd been looking for. His fading smile vanished entirely.
"Mind yourself, Kostas. There's a fine line between a man who knows his worth and one who overestimates it."
His threats weren’t even worth a sneer. It was almost amusing to see the way he’d built himself up sheerly on inflated ego.
"Yes, one of those men is in this room as we speak."
A dry laugh escaped him—the sound of a man grasping for control with slippery fingers. "And once you've taken possession of my daughter? What then?"
"You don’t need to worry about that. In fact, one of my men will shadow her starting tomorrow. When you see him, know you're looking at me."
“Allowing another man that close to what’s yours?” he mused. “That’s either brave or foolish. Temptation can be a dangerous thing.”
I smiled faintly. “Men know better than to touch what belongs to me—family or otherwise.”
There was no missing the implication of that statement. Besides, the man I was sending would sooner slit his own throat than cross that line.
Darius nodded slowly. “Then he’s welcome here.”
Like he could have fucking denied it.
“Good.” I checked my watch, then met his gaze again. “We can hash out the rest of the details later. I’d like to see her before I go.”
“Of course,” he said smoothly, reaching for his phone. He tapped the screen a few times, the blue light reflecting off his cufflinks. “She’s on the enclosed porch still. I’ll take you—”
“I can find my own way,” I cut in, already rising.
He hesitated just long enough for the insult to sting before forcing a smile. I didn’t wait for him to respond before walking out of the room. The house was too quiet—ornate halls wrapped in the kind of silence that only existed where power fed on fear. I didn’t need a guide. I’d already memorized the layout before I arrived.
Men like him built their empires on control, and control always left a pattern.
Blind spots.
Entrances.