“I can already tell you the answer to that is no.” Blake chuckled as they walked into the room, Conrad and Wulfric following behind.
“No one asked you, Blake,” Emmerich shot back, though there was no real heat behind it.
“You were saying that you needed to talk to him alone, Allen?” Ansel drawled, trying to get the conversation back on track.
“Who needs to talk to me?” Emmerich looked around then, suddenly becoming serious when his eyes spotted Allen. After a few beats of silent conversation between them, Em nodded. “Let’s go to my office. Blake, join us.”
Blake followed behind their brother while gesturing for Wulfric and Conrad to stay with the rest of us. Roderick watched the group leave, a tic in his jaw betraying some kind of frustration. He exhaled, a quiet, measured breath, but that did nothing to conceal his feelings.
“So, Roderick, you said it was important, something to do with Maeve, and we could only talk about it in person. What’s going on?”
Roderick dove right in, his tone hard, as he stepped forward and settled on the chair beside me. “There are contacts that want to speak with you now that you are taking over as the Madame, which means a trip to Ashview as soon as possible. They won’t like being kept waiting for long.”
“I have shit going on—”
“They don’t care,” Roderick replied curtly. “That’s not their problem.”
“Well, I’m not fucking Maeve,” I told him with venom dripping from every word. He stilled as I brushed my hair over my shoulder. “They get to wait for me, not the other way around. Now, is that all?”
“No,” he said as he shook his head. “I need you to sign some things, and I have paperwork you’ll need to look over. I can answer any questions you have about all of it.”
I slipped off the chair and gestured for him to come with me. “Let’s find an office then. We can get that all taken care of.”
Roderick caught up with me and took the lead, bringing me to an office I hadn’t been to before. He let me go in first, shutting the door as I sat down behind the desk, running my hands over the dark wood. There were some papers sitting around, two cigars set to the side, and a few books stacked on the side. No computer or phone anywhere in sight. It must be Ansel’s office since he wasn’t a fan of technology.
“We won’t be disturbed here, and I know he soundproofed this room,” Roderick mentioned as he pulled papers out of his bag and laid them in front of me. Just glancing over them, I knew they weren’t documents related to Maeve’s stuff. “This is the will that you wanted me to draw up. I know that I had it all done up before, but with your new position, there were more things that I needed to include in the document. Look over everything and make sure it’s all set how you want it. Sacha was named the guardian of the children if something happens to you. I’ll be your executor, handling the money for you. Do you have that information for me?”
I grabbed my cell and pulled up the information, giving him everything he needed. He filled out a few things then had me check it all over before signing. It felt odd to be signing paperwork about what would happen if I died or was seriously injured. I was twenty-two fucking years old. This wasn’t what I should be worrying about.
“Nic?” His gentle tone had me jerking in my seat, making me realize I had been staring off into space.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to play it off. “Just lost in thought. Do you know who wants to meet with me?”
Roderick didn’t say anything at first, his dark eyes studying me before he leaned back. “A very powerful group of men who are also part of a huge network… I don’t want to say more. It’s not really an organization that you talk about, even behind closed doors. They have eyes and ears everywhere.”
My lips curled, my mind already guessing who he was talking about. After all, there were only a few people who would fit that vague but powerful description. “Time to find religion then, Roderick? I haven’t been to church in a long time, but I have plenty of sins I could repent for if I felt so inclined.” The blood drained from Roderick’s face, and I smirked cockily. “Not a religious man?”
“How?”
“The real question is whether you really want to know the answer to that question.” I hummed. “I was picked to be her successor for a reason, Roderick, and while I might be young, do not mistake that for me being inexperienced. I made more connections than even Maeve realized.”
“Duly noted,” Roderick choked out before roughly clearing his throat.
“My brother takes precedence over fragile male egos,” I told him coldly. “And I won’t be starting my role as Madame by dancing to their tune, or anyone else’s for that matter. Maeve had something to prove, but I don’t, not anymore. If they reach out to you again before I’m ready, tell them to wait.”
“You have a death wish,” he replied softly, but there was respect glowing in his eyes.
“Says the man who’s interested in the new head of the F?rstner Family.” I chuckled, continuing on in spite of the shock in his eyes. I liked Roderick, but this man had to get a better poker face. “But I think we are both people that are good at taking secrets to the grave. Is there anything else?”
Roderick studied me for a moment, weighing my words, then he grabbed a folder from his bag. “Here’s all the property information on what Maeve left you. I’ll make sure to schedule time with Allen before we leave.”
“Not tomorrow,” I told him softly. “The day after will be the soonest I’m available. Probably.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Roderick stood up, gathered his things, and walked out. I remained curled up in Ansel’s chair, opening the papers and skimming through everything. There were multiple homes as well as a large estate that was surprisingly close to here. Security, privacy, it would be perfect for a fresh start.
* * *