Reign of a King (Kingdom Duet #1) by Rina Kent

Which is out of the question.

I had to lose a few favours in order to win over the bank director and Lucien Vincent. The first was easy to appease with a subsidiary that brings in five times more net profit than H&H. It’s Lucien that was a bit of a problem. Sebastian Queens, the prime minister and one of my biggest allies, doesn’t like him due to some idiotic jealous episode over his wife.

Lucien’s condition to let go of those shares was partnering up with King Enterprises for import and export between the United Kingdom and his main factories in France.

Since I needed to get my hands on his H&H shares, I agreed. Sebastian will probably complain if he finds out, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

His reason for hating Lucien is foolish in the first place, and absolute blasphemy in the business world. If he didn’t want his wife to fall in Lucien’s hands, he shouldn’t have divorced her.

But I digress, slightly.

Now that the core pieces have fallen into place, all I have to do is sit and wait until Aurora shows up.

Harris is with me in my home office, going through data for the joint project Ethan and I have been working on for the Rhodes Conglomerate.

Sooner or later, I’ll buy him out of it. Or, more accurately, kick him out.

The problem with Ethan is that he’s too tenacious and doesn’t give up.

We’ll meet again.

His words to Aurora today play on a loop at the back of my head.

I tighten my grip around the glass of cognac, then place it on the table.

There will be no seeing her again. Ethan’s fucking nerves know no limit. How dare he get close to Aurora after everything that happened with Alicia?

Sooner or later, he’ll pay for driving her to her death, and no, the years he spent in coma don’t count. But before that, he and Aurora will remain continents apart.

I’ll make sure of it. That will be my new mission — aside from the usual one that includes squashing him.

There’s a soft knock on the door before Margot appears, carrying a tray full of appetisers and a coffee.

She puts them on the table and steps back, placing both hands over her stomach. She’s a plump woman in her mid-forties with soft features and a kind nature. Margot was never married and has no family so her entire focus is on work. “Dinner?”

“In an hour. We’ll have a guest.”

“For three?” she speaks with a slight Irish accent.

She’s been with us since Alicia was alive and was Levi and Aiden’s nanny. They certainly show her more affection than they would ever show me.

Which is fine.

Those two punks would never admit it, but it’s because of their upbringing that they are who they are today. King blood runs in their veins and they’re born to rule, not to be stomped on.

I ignore the coffee and take another sip of my cognac, letting the burn settle in. “For two.”

Margot throws a peculiar glance at Harris. He shrugs and focuses back on his tablet as if he were born with it attached to his hand.

“Do you fancy beef?” she asks me.

“I have no preferences, Margot. Just make it perfect.”

“Always.” She nods and retreats.

Am I doing this to impress Aurora? Probably. She needs to be impressed in order to be intimidated. They’re weaker and easier to handle when they’re put out of their element.

She seems to be the type who’s not easily threatened, which is fine by me. The process of subduing people is more thrilling than watching from the top. It’s what happens after their fall that bores me.

Harris slides his tablet into his leather briefcase and stands up. “I’ll be leaving as well.”

“You can have dinner here.” Since Levi moved out two years ago and Aiden followed a year after for university, Harris has most of his meals here. He also spends all-nighters sometimes. Needless to say, he has no life outside of work, which makes him efficient.

“I’ll have to decline, considering you’re having dinner for two. Last I checked, I’m not one of those two.”

“You’re being petty.”

“Me, sir?” He raises a sarcastic brow. “Never.”

“Leave.”

He smiles a little, but then his expression goes back to normal. “Sir?”

“Yes?”

He readjusts his glasses. “There are some rumours.”

“What type of rumours?” Harris does a lot of media play on my behalf, so he knows most rumours are lies. He even uses them for King Enterprises’ favour when needed, but if he mentioned it, there must be something behind it.

“In the juridical circle, there’s talk about granting Maxim Griffin a trial for parole.”

“I thought he wasn’t eligible for parole because of the nature of his crimes.”

“He’s not, but there’s a new psychotherapist on the line. Apparently, his lawyer is playing the mental health card. Or it could be new evidence.”

I plant my elbows on the table and lean forward. “Who knows about this?”

“The inner circle.”

“Your source?”

“Dr Lenin. The new psychotherapist works in his facility.”

That’s close enough to be chalked up to false rumours. Dr Lenin has no reason to lie to Harris, considering he gives him the best investments – on my behalf.