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“Let’s talk in my office,” I say to him.

“Sprinkles,” Jonah and I say in unison. She turns and her stoic face is immediate. “We have something to discuss in my office,” I say to her. She frowns. “We are cool, Jola,” I stress to her. She looks to Jonah for assurance.

“We are cool, this is business,” he says.

“Okay,” she answers, though her eyes on me plead for me to chill.

“Why do you call her by her middle name? Dad was the only one that called her that.”

“She’s my wife, Lloyd, and I know that’s the name she prefers.”

“If anyone had told me six months before now that you’d be my brother in law, I would have laughed at the person, but here we are, and you were ready to rip my head off for making her cry,” he teases.

“By the way, don’t ever do that again,” I sternly warn.

“Duly noted.” He smirks.

We both take our seats in my office, and I wait for him to speak.

“I was going through my father’s things, and I found a prior copy of his will. In it, he willed all my sister’s shares and money to my half-brother upon her death.” I’m shocked. “I don’t know why he would do that, but something must have made him do that. He used to treat my half-brother like a son, until he found out that Nick was calling Lexi names and had expressed hatred towards her. So, he cut Nick off completely and only gave him a few thousands when he died. Which I’m quite sure upset Nick, because he likes to live like he’s a Lloyd when his real father still pays rent in a not so great part of town.” I sigh.

“I don’t know how Nick would have known about the initial will, because I didn’t know either. But dad, Lexi and I had it updated, so I don’t understand why Nick would think this still stands.” He sighs, clearly this new information is tearing at him.

“What you are telling me is, your half-brother, Nick, is trying to kill your half-sister, Jola, my wife.”

“Correct, now you see my dilemma,” he expresses. “But here’s the thing, the new will gives Jola the right to name who takes everything upon her marriage, and her husband gets a seat on the board.”

“Not interested in being on your board,” I succinctly state.

“Not even for her?” he challenges.

“She’s brilliant and can hold her seat, she doesn’t need my help in that,” I retort.

“True,” he admits.

“Since she’s now married, let her have her seat on the board, and let your fucking brother know that if she dies, he gets nothing. You may care about his feelings; I don’t, and I will put a fucking bullet in him if he comes after her again.” My voice is stern.

“Geez, dude. They are both my siblings,” he exclaims, reminding me of his facts.

“Well, he’s your brother, so your heart is weak towards him. Unfortunately for him, it’s not a flaw I possess. No one attacks my wife. So, you are going to have to make a choice on which one you want alive.”

“Fuck you, Powell.” His curse is low.

“Let’s hope we don’t get to find out how many I’ll fuck up if anything happens to her.”

“Why don’t we try to find a way to resolve this?” His tone pleads for no action from me.

“Sure, tell me how?” I lean back in my chair, watching him.

“She gets a seat on the board, her marriage is announced, and the will is read to note that this will supersede any prior will.”

“And if the idea enrages him, what then?”

“It won’t. He will realize that he has nothing to gain.” He retorts, but even he isn’t sure. I see the exasperation on his face.

“Well, let it be noted that, if after all this he still goes after her, I will take him out,” I confirm, my stern intentions to him.

“Can we at least try first before you kill my brother?” The moment he says that, I decide not to tell him about the information I have gathered about his brother, mother, and connection with Aspen. It looks like he may come to the same conclusion soon enough.