I purse my lips. "Why do I get the feeling you’re beginning to admire him."
"I’m warming up to him," she concedes.
"He did bring me here without giving me a choice," I point out.
"And that has definitely helped to take your mind off the media reactions before the wedding. Also, the media backlash itself seems to have died off."
I rub my temple. "Which is really strange. It’s almost like he reached out to the influencers and online trolls and told them to back off, and they did."
She rolls her eyes. "Really? That’s your explanation for the media leaving you in peace?"
I lower my hand to my side. "You’re right, of course. Not even the great Liam Kincaid would be able to influence the influencers."
23
Liam
"You’re trying to influence the influencers. You’re playing with fire."
Karina scowls at me from the screen of my phone.
"Not my first time; definitely not my last." I lean back in the chair in my home office.
Her frown deepens. "My family is the Bratva and I’ve seen some insane things in my life." She firms her lips. "While this may not be life-threatening, there’s certainly a risk of reputation suicide that you’re heading toward."
I raise my shoulder. Maybe I should be more worried about what happens if what I’m doing comes out. But in all honesty, I can’t be bothered. "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Make sure you continue to pay influencers to spin the news in a positive light, while you keep the trolls at bay."
"It’s going to cost a lot."
If it were anyone else telling me so, I’d bite their head off. But Karina is Arpad Beauchamp’s wife. He happens to be a friend, as well as one of the Seven, and someone with whom I’ve done business in the past. So, I content myself with saying, "I have the money."
"It’s going to be double the budget I asked," she warns.
"I’ve set aside a billion dollars for this; is that enough?"
Her gaze widens. "You sure?"
I twist my lips. "Never more sure of anything than I am now."
She scans my features. "So, it’s like that."
I frown. "Like what?"
"Another alphahole bites the dust."
"What are you talking about?"
"Of course you’re in love. That’s why you want to marry her. I don’t know why I doubted that."
"I’m not in love with—" I press my lips together.
Her eyes gleam. "You were saying?"
"That you need to get on with what you were doing."
"Yes, boss." She smiles broadly. "As long as you’re footing the bill, I’m happy to keep the wolves at bay. But know this, it’s only a matter of time before one of them decides notoriety is better than money."
"Everyone has a price."