Page 87 of Release Me
‘Understood.’ Her long manicured nails thrum over the keyboard.
I turn away before she can ask anything else, pressing my thumb and forefinger to my brow. I don’t even know exactly what I’m going to say when we’re all sitting around that table. Only that I need to get them all onside before Anthony makes his move.
Callaghan falls into step beside me as we head towards the lifts. He doesn’t speak, but he doesn’t need to. His silence is a buffer, letting me sort the chaos in my head.
Anthony’s betrayal wasn’t just a knife in Rebekka’s back. It was a public declaration of war, and he made that move inmyclub. My family saw it all. They saw me take her upstairs. They saw me leave with her. There’s no going back now.
And I don’t want to.
The boardroom smells of polish and old money. Twelve high-backed chairs surround a dark walnut table. Floor-to-ceiling windows display views of Grafton Street. Pale winter sunlight spills in across the thick, plush carpet.
I don’t sit.
I can’t.
Instead, I pace the length of the room like a caged animal, every step echoing in the silence. My pulse is erratic, a leftover mix of memories of Rebekka in my bed, on my kitchen table, my couch and everywhere else I took her this weekend. If I’m going to keep her, it’ll be the fight of my life. I know him. Anthony will come after me physically, financially, socially. There’s a good chance he’ll target my family too.
Which is why I need them to take me seriously for once. Stop treating me like the family joker. Because I’m no longer prepared to behave like one to cover up what I truly want in this life. And what I want is her.
The door opens. Sean steps in first, calm, composed, hissuit immaculate as if he walked out of a portrait. His deep brown eyes lock on mine, sharp and knowing, and he shuts the door behind him with a soft click.
‘You look like a man who hasn’t slept in days.’ His voice is low, almost wry.
I bite back one of my usual one-liners. If I want them to start taking me seriously, I’ll have to start behaving more seriously. ‘I haven’t—for a lot of reasons,’ I mutter, running a hand through my hair.
He studies me for a beat, reading me the way only Sean can. ‘That was quite the statement on Friday, claiming Rebekka in front of our family… and half of Dublin. You were the topic of the dinner table yesterday.’
‘I bet.’ I grimace. Our parents are traditional, maybe not as traditional as the De Courcys. They wouldn’t force us into a marriage that we truly didn’t want, but they really do believe in the value of marriage. Which is why I’m almost ashamed to tell them I’m in love with a married woman. Much less my former friend’s wife. I don’t know how they’ll take the news, but it’s a risk I have to take. She’s worth it and more.
‘You know I love her, Sean.’ I stop pacing, lean both palms against the table, and meet his stare. ‘She told me she loves me.’ The words still taste unreal, like I’m tempting fate by repeating them out loud.
Sean’s expression doesn’t flicker much, but I know him well enough to catch the subtle shift—softened eyes, a long exhale. ‘That’s a dangerous truth, Rian.’
‘It’s the only truth I give a damn about,’ I fire back.
He steps closer, resting a hand on the back of one of the chairs. ‘Do you understand what this means? You’re not just admitting to an affair; you’re declaring war on Anthony. And the De Courcys don’t fight clean.’
‘I don’t give a shit if they fight with machine guns,’ I snap. ‘He humiliated her in my club, Sean. He’s been humiliating her for years. I’m not standing by anymore. He doesn’t love her. He never did. And he sure as fuck doesn’t deserve her.’
Sean tilts his head, watching me carefully. ‘So you’re calling in the family. You want us behind you.’
‘Exactly. And if I can’t get every one of you onside, I’m fucked before I start.’
For a moment he just studies me, weighing something in that calculating mind of his. Then he nods once, slow but definite. ‘Even our parents have your back on this. They said so yesterday. Mother loves Rebekka.’
Relief punches through my chest, quick and sharp. ‘What’s not to love?’
The door swings open again. Heavy footsteps. Caelon’s laugh booms down the corridor long before he appears. James strides in first, followed by Killian and then Caelon. Scarlett is right on James’s heels with her Chanel tote slung over her arm.
‘Baby Beckett,’ Scarlett greets me warmly. That name has to go. ‘We missed you at lunch yesterday.’
‘He was eating a different type of delicacy.’ James winks. I deadpan. Not in the mood for jokes today. They all take their usual seats without needing to be asked.
Caelon snorts. ‘Rian, I knew you were wild, but man, a fling with your friend’s wife is playing with fire. Even if said friend is a total twat.’
I stay standing, pacing at the head of the table like a man about to deliver bad news to shareholders. Maybe I am.
‘Can we talk about Rian’s love life later over a drink? I’ve got meetings all morning. What’s all this about?’ James prompts, adjusting his cufflinks like he’s already bracing for battle.
