Bold Beautiful Love -- A Temptation Court Contemporary Romance: Temptation Court: Passion in New York by Angel Payne Page B
Authors: Angel Payne
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single one of them made it past Court Enterprises’ vetting team was also because of someone on the inside.”
Shockingly, Fortin has the wits to feign his outrage first. “You are making a very large allegation.”
The invisible whip returns to Selyna’s hand. “Why the hell would we sabotage the advancement of our own country?”
“Why did the Borgias and the Boleyns sabotage theirs?” I counter. “Because cracks in the crown mean holes for snakes to slither in—and take control.”
Fortin fumes. “How. Dare. You.”
“I do dare. In about a dozen different ways.” My dead-calm retaliation springs from the control I regain within. No more urges to shatter the window or wear out the floor tiles. “Because you dared first.” After having my life blown up twice by lies I never saw, seeking the truth is now one of my obsessions—and talents. The shit is as bold as subway graffiti across both their faces. “But right now, the Cimarrons are none the wiser—and any of Kavill’s minions who have already made it here will be hunted down and caught. The two of you will be kept out of that net, because it would shatter the shreds of affection your daughter still carries for you both—and unbelievably, it’ll tear her up to see you in the traitor’s pit at Censhyr Prison.”
Fortin’s face pales by five shades. “You would not dare .”
Selyna bursts with a mocking laugh. “Of course he would not. Besides, the traitor’s pit has not been used in seventy-five years.”
Folded arms. Calculated shrug. “I guess you trust Samsyn Cimarron’s benevolence more than I.”
The woman turns the same shade as her husband. After the better part of a minute, she utters, “What are the terms?”
I turn and take two casual steps the left. When reaching the wall, lean a shoulder against it. “You’ll receive a generous yearly stipend from the Court Trust, in exchange for never pulling this bullshit again with the business dealings of your country. As soon as I marry Ella—and I promise you, that will be as soon as humanly possible—you’ll both resign from your obligations and positions in the Arcadian court, using the excuse that you’ll be traveling more often to New York, preparing to spend time with your grandchildren.”
Only through supreme effort do I restrain a laugh at their first response. Selyna is more horrified about becoming a grandmother than I anticipated—though Fortin is the first to spit words.
“That—that is impossible. I am a respected member of the High Council—”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“—and there are two years left until reappointments—”
“I don’t give a fuck .”
Silence again. I let it fall. Am even grateful for it. I hadn’t lied; I’m toast from the last twenty-four hours, and pretending I’m not rejoicing in every second of this is an even deeper drain.
Especially because I’m not even done yet.
“You’ll have plenty to stay busy with, Fortin.” I drain as much of the sneer from it as I can. “Take up golf, man; I hear it’s fun. Go catch some Pokémon, or have fun investing your money the honest way. You’ll only have mine for a limited time, anyway.”
That certainly perks Selyna up. “Excuse me?”
“Ohhh, right.” I snap my fingers. “Forgot about the fine print, didn’t I?”
Her glare darkens. “ What fine print?”
“You see, the fund for your stipend will be dissolved and distributed to a number of drug rehab non-profits upon my death. If that death ‘just happens’ to occur sometime soon, and is deemed to be at all suspicious, my legal team already has instructions to unseal the contents of the file I wrote up during the flight. In it is all the information they need to share with the Arcadian and American authorities—connecting the two of you, in some shape or form, to every single one of Kavill’s shell companies.” I hitch a corner of my mouth. “Remember, all those contracts were executed in New York City. So
Shockingly, Fortin has the wits to feign his outrage first. “You are making a very large allegation.”
The invisible whip returns to Selyna’s hand. “Why the hell would we sabotage the advancement of our own country?”
“Why did the Borgias and the Boleyns sabotage theirs?” I counter. “Because cracks in the crown mean holes for snakes to slither in—and take control.”
Fortin fumes. “How. Dare. You.”
“I do dare. In about a dozen different ways.” My dead-calm retaliation springs from the control I regain within. No more urges to shatter the window or wear out the floor tiles. “Because you dared first.” After having my life blown up twice by lies I never saw, seeking the truth is now one of my obsessions—and talents. The shit is as bold as subway graffiti across both their faces. “But right now, the Cimarrons are none the wiser—and any of Kavill’s minions who have already made it here will be hunted down and caught. The two of you will be kept out of that net, because it would shatter the shreds of affection your daughter still carries for you both—and unbelievably, it’ll tear her up to see you in the traitor’s pit at Censhyr Prison.”
Fortin’s face pales by five shades. “You would not dare .”
Selyna bursts with a mocking laugh. “Of course he would not. Besides, the traitor’s pit has not been used in seventy-five years.”
Folded arms. Calculated shrug. “I guess you trust Samsyn Cimarron’s benevolence more than I.”
The woman turns the same shade as her husband. After the better part of a minute, she utters, “What are the terms?”
I turn and take two casual steps the left. When reaching the wall, lean a shoulder against it. “You’ll receive a generous yearly stipend from the Court Trust, in exchange for never pulling this bullshit again with the business dealings of your country. As soon as I marry Ella—and I promise you, that will be as soon as humanly possible—you’ll both resign from your obligations and positions in the Arcadian court, using the excuse that you’ll be traveling more often to New York, preparing to spend time with your grandchildren.”
Only through supreme effort do I restrain a laugh at their first response. Selyna is more horrified about becoming a grandmother than I anticipated—though Fortin is the first to spit words.
“That—that is impossible. I am a respected member of the High Council—”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“—and there are two years left until reappointments—”
“I don’t give a fuck .”
Silence again. I let it fall. Am even grateful for it. I hadn’t lied; I’m toast from the last twenty-four hours, and pretending I’m not rejoicing in every second of this is an even deeper drain.
Especially because I’m not even done yet.
“You’ll have plenty to stay busy with, Fortin.” I drain as much of the sneer from it as I can. “Take up golf, man; I hear it’s fun. Go catch some Pokémon, or have fun investing your money the honest way. You’ll only have mine for a limited time, anyway.”
That certainly perks Selyna up. “Excuse me?”
“Ohhh, right.” I snap my fingers. “Forgot about the fine print, didn’t I?”
Her glare darkens. “ What fine print?”
“You see, the fund for your stipend will be dissolved and distributed to a number of drug rehab non-profits upon my death. If that death ‘just happens’ to occur sometime soon, and is deemed to be at all suspicious, my legal team already has instructions to unseal the contents of the file I wrote up during the flight. In it is all the information they need to share with the Arcadian and American authorities—connecting the two of you, in some shape or form, to every single one of Kavill’s shell companies.” I hitch a corner of my mouth. “Remember, all those contracts were executed in New York City. So
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