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It didn’t help that he was staring at me just as much as I was staring at him.
To make it even more awkward, Tim and Carlos kept finding reasons for Beethoven and me to engage one another. So far, not one word had been spoken about business. Maybe Tim really did want to get a feel for Carlos and me on a personal level. I started to relax more, hoping the evening would be a success.
Just before our entrees were to be delivered, Ella cleared the salad plates. Tim took that opportunity to privately speak with Carlos, leaving me and Beethoven in the dining room alone.
“Now that we’re alone,” Beethoven started, “How are you feeling about this arrangement? And please, be honest.”
I scratched the back of my head, thinking over his question carefully. With me having no idea what arrangement he was referring to, I shrugged.
“I’m not sure. Carlos didn’t share much with me about it.”
Scoffing, Beethoven sat up further in his seat with a shake of his head. “And you’re cool with being left in the dark? You have a say in this too.”
“A say?” Chuckling, I cupped my hands on top of the table. “My father never let me in on his business affairs, and I don’t expect Carlos to either. The less I know, the better.”
Confusion covered his handsome face. His nostrils flared and brows wrinkled as he frowned.
“So let me get this straight. Your brother tells you that he needs you to marry a man you don’t even know, and you just… go along with the shit?”
My heart dropped before it began to beat rapidly.
Marry a man I don’t even know?
There had to be some kind of mistake.
My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Swallowing hard, I pushed back the emotions that were consuming me as my body swayed in the seat.
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to, but I’m not here to discuss marrying anyone. Carlos told me he needed to meet with Tim for dinner so he would continue to work with him, that’s it.”
His body relaxed in his seat. Beethoven released a low hum before chuckling and shaking his head.
“So he didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what? You can’t possibly be suggesting the way for Tim to work with my brother is for me to marry someone.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he spoke through gritted teeth, fisting the table in a way that made me jump. “My father wants us to get married so y’all will be considered family. That’s the only way he will work with your brother.”
“And Carlos knew about this?”
Beethoven’s head shook as he sat back in his seat. “Yeah. I thought you knew too.”
Finally… everything started to make sense. Why Carlos gave very little details about this dinner meeting. Why he kept telling me he loved me and wanted me to remember he did everything for me. Why Tim kept shooting conversation topics me and Beethoven’s way.
“That fucking bastard!” I seethed quietly, hopping up from the seat so quickly it almost fell backward.
If I was to be used and betrayed by anyone, I wouldn’t expect it to be my brother... the only person in my family I had left. Especially so soon after we lost our father. All of that was the truth, and now that I was aware of it, Carlos had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.
6
Beethoven
I felt bad for Whiskee.
I thought she knew about the arrangement; otherwise, I would have kept my mouth shut so her brother could tell her. She needed to know, though. I was confident Pops and Carlos were somewhere finalizing the details of the agreement.
Whiskee was beautiful, which made this evening harder than I thought it would be. No matter how much I tried to avoid talking to her, Pops kept forcing conversation between us. Whiskee was cool. She had a calm spirit—until now. She was shaking as she stormed out of the dining room and she had every reason to be upset.
It was one thing for my father to ask this of me because I was in the business and dedicated to doing whatever it took to ensure it continued to flourish. From the sound of it, Whiskee didn’t have anything to do with the business. It wasn’t fair for her to be forced into this life, whether it benefited us all or not. If she wasn’t willing to do this on her own, I would not force her to.
