Page 16 of Modern Romance Collection March 2025 (1-4)

Lynna wanted no one’s apologies. Particularly her mother’s. Luckily, Rhys was busy at university and Mom would soon enough be distracted by a new home.

“Well enough. She said she’d like to live in Crete, to start.”

“I’ll have my real estate man compile some potential properties for her to look over.”

“Great.” And it was, so Lynna ignored the twisting feeling of anxiety in her chest. Mom would get a new house where she wanted to live. Lynna’s loan was already paid off, and Rhys’s schooling for the year. Good things were in the offing.

She took the bread out of the toaster, and then began to plate them both a little bit of everything she’d made. When she presented him with a plate and a mug of coffee, he took it all in as if it were some great work of art. Then he grabbed a fork.

“A man could get used to this.”

“Feel free.”

“Why does that feel like a threat?”

She lifted a shoulder and suppressed a smile. So he could be funny? So what? She had her plate in her hand. She wanted to go eat out on the terrace, but he’d likely follow her. The best bet was her room.

But before she could turn to leave, Athan pulled out the chair next to him.

“Sit. Eat. We should learn how to spend time together without sparring for our upcoming trip to Athens.”

“Should we though?”

“Yes, Lynna. We should. There is an entire contingent at AC International that did not like how your father was treated. I can hardly get their support to hire Rhys, to give you all shares, if they think you hate me.”

“Maybe they’ll oust you and hire me.”

Athan sighed and shook his head. “They are afraid of my father. And rightfully so. But everyone knows I’m the only person who could possibly stand up to him. But I need leverage.”

“And I’m your leverage.”

“You are indeed.”

And he was gazing at her like that mattered in some way, likeshedid, when she was only the pawn he was paying dearly for the privilege of having.

Before she could think of what to say, or manage to look away from that dark, dangerous gaze that threatened to poke at her careful,calmwalls, his phone began to ring.

He glanced at the screen and grinned. “Speak of the devil. Or should I say, devil supreme. Let’s have a chat, shall we?” He put the phone between them and answered the call on speaker.

“Hello, Father. To what do I—”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” averyangry voice demanded.

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t follow.” Athan feigned a loud yawn. “It’s awfully early.”

“It’s nearly nine,” Constantine’s voice growled through the speaker. “Whatever do you think you’re doing marrying Aled’s servant girl of a daughter?”

Athan didn’t reply at first, but he looked at her and grinned while taking a bite ofladenia. “I didn’t realize this was common knowledge just yet,” Athan said, after a while. “Just think, if you and Regina had stuck around, we could have had a double wedding.”

“If you think doing something so absolutely brainless is going to somehow win you shares and votes, as if anyone in this company thinks of Aled Carew as anything other than a bumbling,deadfool, you are even more useless than I gave you credit for.”

“Shares? Votes? Father, you wound me. I married for love, of course.” This time he winked at Lynna, and she looked away. Down at her plate. To eat. This was the strangest situation she could imagine getting herself into and she didn’t know how to deal with it.

Yet.She would figure it out. She always did.

“Love? Did you blind that silly shrew with lies of love?”

Shrew.Well, she was glad Constantine thought so. But silly? No, she couldn’t stand that. “I understand why you might see it that way, Constantine,” Lynna said, before she thought better of it, before she could rein in her temper or her tongue. “After all, the only person who could possibly love you would have to be blind indeed.”

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