Page 35 of The Billionaire's Last-Minute Marriage
There it was. Xander let out a slow breath at the reminder of his actions. The reminder of the bitter rivalry that had cut short their tentative bond of brotherhood years before.
‘When I ran you out of New York, it was because Zeus had already found out what you’d uncovered. He planned to make an example of you. To teach you a lesson by implicating you in a corruption case that would have possibly cost you years of freedom. I chose your freedom over brotherhood. I knew that you would never forgive me or believe me if I tried to tell you the truth.’
‘You’re telling me that you weren’t trying to get me out of the way?’
‘Maybe it started that way—I am a selfish bastard in many ways. But I realise now that I made the wrong choice. I’m sorry, I should have told you and then let you fight your own battle.’
‘Did you just...apologise to me?’ Eros raised an incredulous brow. ‘Marriage must have really done a number on you.’
It had, Xander realised. Pandora had been the one to sow the seeds of all this openness and communication and forgiveness. He knew now that if Eros hadn’t come to him, he would have sought him out anyway to make this same apology. Because he meant every word.
He looked at the man he’d spent so long hating and memories of their short-lived brotherhood returned. He’d played it cool back then but his time working with his brother had been the happiest in his memory. They’d been a seamless working machine, both driven by the desire to improve things at their father’s company. He wondered how their relationship might have grown and developed if he hadn’t been so focused on proving himself to be more than just a consolation prize as a son.
Eros was silent, the only sound the dull tick of the grandfather clock in the hall. Then he stood and began striding towards him. Xander exhaled in shock as he was enveloped in a brief brotherly embrace.
‘You know what this means, don’t you?’ Eros said.
‘Yes, that with our combined shares we have control over Mytikas Holdings regardless of the rest of the board.’
‘So you can let your wife go.’
‘What?’ Xander exclaimed in shock.
Eros looked taken aback. ‘I’m sorry, I just assumed that your marriage to Pandora was the same arrangement as the one you had with Priya, one of convenience just to win the inheritance.’
‘I have an arrangement with Pandora, yes.’ He spoke the words, hating the sound of them as they came out of his mouth. Hating how wrong they felt. But it was the truth.
‘Really? You don’t sound convinced,’ Eros mused. ‘If that’s the case, I’m sure she will be happy to be let off the hook and get her pay-off early.’
‘Pandora is not just some gold-digger and I won’t have her thought of that way,’ Xander warned darkly, walking away and pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘I wasn’t prepared for any of this, but you’re right about the combined shares—it makes perfect sense. I’d be a fool not to join forces with you. I just... I need a moment to think over all the angles.’
‘Why do I get the feeling that you’re not just thinking about the company right now?’ Eros surveyed him with shrewd interest. ‘Will this impact your fancy nuptials tomorrow?’
‘She deserves to be released from our contract, yes. It’s the best solution for everyone involved.’
‘Ah.’ Eros nodded once. ‘Spoken like a man in love.’
Xander froze, his stomach tensing uncomfortably. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘It sneaks up on the best of us.’ Eros clapped him on the back. ‘Do me a favour, go and talk to your wife before you take any action on this. Trust me, I learned my mistake the hard way on that one.’
Xander nodded, his mind moving quickly over all the details and changes, trying to navigate it all. He hardly noticed himself saying goodbye to his brother, who promised to see him at the wedding. He hardly noticed anything at all, other than the increasingly uncomfortable sense of dread filling his chest with every minute that passed.
The feeling persisted as he travelled to the helipad on the roof of Mytikas Holdings. Clearly, he was not as okay with this new development as he’d thought.
As had been made clear in countless meetings this week, this society wedding was a pivotal moment for Mytikas Holdings and his plans for the future as their CEO.
But now, in light of his conversation with Eros...all of that had changed. He could take over everything on his own terms. As far as moments went, this was huge, the culmination of a decade of strategising. But strangely, he felt no urge to celebrate.
Pandora had been in Japan for the best part of a week, not that he’d counted, of course. He simply kept track of such things. But even as he tried to convince himself of that truth, he felt the impatience and need to see her growing within him. He’d been like this all week, distracted and irritable, his thoughts consumed by soft porcelain skin and her stunning silver eyes. But it wasn’t just her body he’d missed. It was everything about her. She’d unknowingly become the brightest part of his day from the moment they’d begun working together. He’d savoured their arguments and her set-downs and he’d valued her opinions and sharp mind.
What on earth had happened to his plans for a cold marriage of convenience?
Even trying to minimise what they had shared during that week in Japan was useless; his mind knew the reality. It was never just about sex or physical attraction with Pandora. What they had was so much more, it practically consumed him.
It was madness. It was dangerous. But he couldn’t seem to make himself stop wanting her with him. Not just for one more night or one more week or even one more year...but as a permanent fixture. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, but when had that happened? When had she become something so intrinsic to his happiness?
Eros’s words seemed to float through his mind, taunting him.Spoken like a man in love.He stiffened at the thought, reflexively pushing it away. In his world, love had only ever meant weakness and vulnerability. It was the arrow you gave to another person to slice through your heart on a whim. It was weakness.
