Page 10 of Forbidden Daddy
"Make it two hours," I said.
"Roman—"
"Two hours, Declan. Or it can wait until tomorrow."
There was a pause. "Fine. But Roman? This can’t wait much longer. The family is asking questions."
The line went dead. I set the phone down and took another sip of whiskey, my mind already racing. The family. The council of old Irish bastards who thought they still had a say in how I ran my operations. They’d been circling like vultures ever since the sabotage started, questioning my leadership, my methods, my ability to control my territory.
They wanted traditional. They wanted someone who understood the old ways, who respected the bloodlines and the codes that had kept the Irish families in power for generations. What they didn’t want was someone who was trying to legitimize thebusiness, to move away from the violence and chaos that had defined our world for so long.
But they were stuck with me. I was Patrick Creed’s son, his chosen heir, and until they could prove I was unfit to lead, they had to respect that.
The problem was, if the sabotage continued, if I couldn’t root out the mole in my organization, they wouldn’t need to prove anything. I’d be proving it for them.
I walked back to my desk and activated the security system, cycling through the camera feeds. Cassie was still at her desk, typing something on her computer. She looked composed, professional, like nothing had happened between us. But I could see the slight tremor in her hands, the way she kept glancing toward my office door.
She wanted more. Just like I did.
My phone rang again. This time, it was Declan calling back.
"I thought we agreed on two hours," I said.
"Roman, listen to me. I just got word from Connor. The family is meeting next month, and they’re not happy. They want you to get your affairs in order."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"It means they think you’re distracted. Unfocused. And they’re saying that if you’re not engaged by the time they meet, they’ll consider naming a new heir."
I felt my blood pressure spike. "They can’t do that. I’m Patrick Creed’s son."
"And Mickey was his brother. Don’t forget that bloodlines run in multiple directions, Roman. You need to show them you’re stable. Settled. That you have something worth protecting besides your own interests."
Mickey. My father’s brother, the man who’d tried to seize control of the family operations after my father’s death. The man I’d been forced to eliminate when he’d made his play for power. The family had accepted that decision—barely—but they hadn’t forgotten that I was capable of killing my own blood when it served my interests.
"I don’t need a wife to prove my loyalty," I said.
"Maybe not. But you need something to prove you’re thinking beyond yourself. The old guard doesn’t trust unmarried men in positions of power. They think we’re too volatile, too unpredictable."
He was right, and I hated him for it. The Irish families were steeped in tradition, in codes that went back centuries. Marriage meant stability. It meant respectability. It meant you had something to lose, which made you less likely to take unnecessary risks.
I glanced at the monitor again. Cassie had stood up from her desk and was walking toward the break room, her hips swaying in a way that made my mouth water. She was beautiful, intelligent, and she’d proven today that she could handle my world—at least the parts of it I’d shown her.
More importantly, she was here. Available. And after what had just happened between us, she was already mine in all the ways that mattered.
"Tell them I have someone," I said.
There was a pause. "Roman?—"
"I said, tell them I have someone. We’re announcing soon."
"Who? Because if you’re thinking about that redhead from the club, or the senator’s daughter, you’ve been?—"
"Not your concern, Declan. Just make sure the family knows I’m handling it."
Another pause. "Roman, whoever she is, she needs to understand what she’s getting into. This isn’t just about wearing a ring and showing up to events. She’ll be part of the family. Part of the business. There’s no going back from that."
"I’m aware."
