Chapter 17
Andrew's Suspicion
(Andrew's POV)
Andrew De La Cruz leaned against his desk, his fingers drumming a slow, deliberate rhythm against the polished wood beneath him. The call with Ezekiel had been brief, too brief. That alone made him more suspicious.
Ezekiel Blackwood was a man who weighed his words carefully, but this time, his hesitation had been different. It wasn't the hesitation of a man considering his options, it was the hesitation of a man trapped, desperately looking for a way out.
Andrew wasn't a fool. He knew desperation when he saw it. Ezekiel was desperate. And desperate men made reckless decisions.
Andrew exhaled through his nose, reaching for the crystal glass beside him. The whiskey inside burned his throat as he downed it in one go, but it did nothing to quiet the unease settling in his gut.
Something was off.
Ezekiel wanted a private meeting. Why Now? He was already in a binding contract with him, there was nothing left to discuss. Unless, of course, Ezekiel had other offers on the table to him.
Andrew's jaw clenched.
There was only one man who would dare approach Ezekiel with an alternative deal.
The same man who would want Mary, he should have known that after Elijah met Mary at that party, he would not just let her be.
Elijah Brooke.
The mere thought of his name made Andrew's grip tighten around the glass. Elijah had been circling like a vulture ever since that night at the gala. He had seen the way Elijah looked at Mary, the way his eyes followed her as if she were something he could take, the way he stared at her made his blood boil.
If Andrew hadn't acted then, but Elijah would have taken his shot at Mary.
He had always known Elijah would make a move. He just hadn't expected Ezekiel to consider it.
That was his first mistake.
Andrew pushed away from the desk and reached for his phone.
"Lucas," he said as soon as his right-hand man answered.
"Boss?"
"I need eyes on Ezekiel Blackwood," Andrew said, his voice low, controlled. "Discreet but thorough. I want to know who he's been meeting with, who he's been talking to. If anyone from Elijah's camp has been near him, I want to know yesterday."
There was a short pause before Lucas responded. "Understood. I'll have a report within the next few hours."
"Good." Andrew hung up.
He could have demanded an immediate answer, but he knew better than to rush this. If Ezekiel was playing both sides, Andrew needed proof before he acted. Because when he did, there would be no second chances.
A soft knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Mary stepped inside.
Andrew's eyes darkened as they landed on her. She looked like she had been working late, her hair slightly disheveled, her arms crossed over her chest.
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice devoid of warmth.
Mary tilted her head, her brown eyes searching his face. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Andrew narrowed his gaze. "What?"
"You've been tense all night." She stepped closer. "More than usual. Something's wrong."
Andrew studied her carefully. Mary was sharp. Too sharp. He could see the gears turning in her head, the way she picked up on the smallest details.
She was testing him.
"I don't owe you an explanation," he said.
"No, you don't," she agreed. "But if something affects my father, I think I have the right to know."
Andrew's eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Mary had always been protective of Ezekiel, despite everything. Even now, when she knew he had sold her into this marriage for the sake of his company, she still cared.
"Your father is a grown man," Andrew said, leaning against his desk. "He makes his own decisions."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," she shot back.
Andrew smirked. "Are you implying your father is incapable of handling himself?"
Mary's jaw clenched. "No. I'm implying that he's desperate enough to make mistakes."
Andrew's smirk faded.
Interesting.
Mary knew something.
Or at the very least, she suspected something.
"Stay out of this, Mary," Andrew said, his voice taking on a dangerous edge.
She lifted her chin. "You don't control me."
Andrew's blue eyes darkened.
Didn't he?
The air between them thickened. It was always like this, tense, charged, as if they were both waiting for the other to snap first.
Mary held his gaze, unflinching.
Andrew had to admit, she was impressive. She had been thrown into his world against her will, yet she still stood her ground. Most people feared him. Most people knew better than to question him.
Mary Blackwood wasn't most people.
And maybe that was why she got under his skin so easily.
Andrew pushed off the desk and took a slow step toward her.
Mary didn't move.
He stepped closer.
Still, she didn't back down.
They were inches apart now, so close he could see the flicker of defiance in her brown eyes.
"You don't trust me," she murmured.
Andrew let out a low chuckle. "Trust isn't something I give freely, sweetheart."
Mary swallowed, but she didn't break eye contact.
For a moment, Andrew considered telling her the truth, that he suspected her father was meeting with Elijah. That Ezekiel might be betraying them both.
But he didn't.
Because Mary was loyal to Ezekiel.
And if she found out what Andrew suspected, she might try to stop him.
Andrew's gaze dropped to her lips.
The temptations to pin her to the wall, as he ravages her lips like they belonged to him.
A dangerous thought crept into his mind, one he quickly shut down.
This wasn't the time.
Without another word, he stepped back, putting distance between them.
Mary blinked, as if snapping out of whatever spell had held them both in place.
"This conversation is over," Andrew said.
Mary's jaw tightened, but she didn't argue. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked out, leaving Andrew alone once more.
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
Mary was right about one thing, Ezekiel was desperate.
And desperate men did stupid things.
Andrew just had to make sure Ezekiel didn't live long enough to regret it.