Page 10 of Legacy

“Evening.” I kept my tone cold, icy, and formal.

“Evening,” he replied without the stiffness I’d shown. “I hope your trip was pleasant.”

Asshole.I hadn’t taken atrip.

I bit my lip. “Most pleasant.”

“Find the house okay?” he asked, again suggesting he might be bored.

Of course, I knew how to find this address. I used to live here!

“Certainly,” I replied. I’d be calm if it killed me.

Elias Xenos wouldn’t get a rise out of me, not like this.

I hoped he wouldn’t notice the slight clench in my jaw, but as he watched me intensely, studying me, I wasn’t sure if he was acting this indifferent.

Was he fighting asmile?

This man made no sense.

I shifted my attention to Vik and Ozias as they spokeabout the future of our families and fought the urge to glance back at Elias.

I knew he watched me, taking in everything about me. I felt the weight of his interest. Was he as confused by me as I was by him?

I gave in, peeking at him as we moved to the dining room. His eyes locked on my lips again. He jerked, looking away with a muttered curse, and I realized this attraction between us might be mutual. He was quicker to hide it.

The next thirty minutes were a charade of stilted small talk and discussions, with Ozias taking center stage. Elias and I spoke on and off with quick banter given in cool, indifferent tones during the horrendous half hour but allowed his father to remain in charge.

What I hadn’t anticipated was actually enjoying his company.

Dammit.The chance of a connection like this pissed me off even more.

First, I found him attractive, and now I enjoyed his company.

My annoyance with my situation grew as soon as we were seated in the dining room. Ozias had ruined my family home. He had renovated and left his mark on the room, transforming it into a garish mix of gold and gray—an overwhelming display of wealth devoid of style. All the art and antiques that had once been there were gone, replaced entirely by steel and glass.

By the time the meal was over, my exhaustion had surpassed anything I’d experienced after all the work involvedin moving my family from another country. Ozias dominated nearly every conversation, addressing Vik almost exclusively.

Men ran things in the syndicate world. I knew this. I had lived in it my entire life.

But for them to plan the wedding as if my opinion were of no consequence.

I tried to tune it out. To stay cool. To remain blank. To?—

I gritted my teeth, catching myself glancing at Elias again.

To stop looking at him.

He did the same, letting his father take charge of the conversation.

I resisted a scowl as I met Elias’s intense and curious gaze while Ozias told Vik what he wanted to happen with the wedding.

Was my future husband amused? Did he enjoy seeing me sit here like an angry, silentthing? I held back a growl, furious at the thought that he might view me as a toy, as if I were here for his entertainment.

“A month?” Vik asked in reply to Ozias’s expectations for the wedding date.

My friend looked at me, brows raised, and I nodded. It hardly mattered when it happened, just that it would.

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