Chapter 85

Marcus is sitting in his own private office. He’s should be working, he supposes. Probably combing over the family accounts with a figurative fine-tooth comb, the way he knows he has to, to try to figure out how Charles is embezzling so much money without getting caught.

But he’s finding it almost impossible to focus. His thoughts are all of Evelyn, like usual these days. He’s truly never met a woman like her before.

Well, that’s not quite true. There was one other woman, a woman Evelyn reminds him of strongly, but she’s gone. She’s gone, and there’s no sense in dwelling on her. It’s not fair to Evelyn, to the life he wants to build with her as soon as they can sort out some of this…shit.

He reaches into his topmost desk drawer and pulls out the small jewelry box that his mother had handed him that morning. She hadn’t said anything at all, just pressed it into his hand with a fond smile and then swept on by to his father’s office.

Inside is her heirloom family ring, the sapphire. It’s a beautifully cut gem, simple and elegant and classic.

It’s very Evelyn. She’s going to love it.

Now he just has to figure out the best time to propose for real. He can’t believe he attempted that botched, awkward, uninspired proposal at the Italian restaurant. Completely unromantic. He knows that’s not why Evelyn said “not yet,” but still, he’s a little disappointed in himself.

He can do better, and he will.

Besides, she didn’t say no. She said yes. Just not yet. And Marcus can work with that.

He isn’t even going to raise the issue of needing to be married before being named Heir. It would be better, for all their sakes, if he was named Heir, of course. But he’s not going to push it with Evelyn. She knows that as well as he does.

If she’s saying “not yet,” she must have a really good reason for it. His father says the same, that he knows Evelyn has a good reason for it. So, Marcus is choosing to trust both of them and wait.

And it gives him time to plan out the perfect proposal. Something really unique, something very Evelyn. He smiles to himself, runs a fingertip over his mother’s family ring. The fact that she handed over this ring for Evelyn means more to Marcus than he can even say.

Evelyn might never understand the true significance of it, the level of acceptance and love that accompanies it, but Marcus does. It’s a tremendous act from his mother, one he didn’t ever expect from someone as pragmatic and closely guarded as she is.

Maybe he’ll just quickly hop on over to Evelyn’s office, Marcus thinks to himself. He could use a break, anyway; he’s not getting anywhere with these expense reports, after all. He’s not going to propose to Evelyn in her office, obviously – he puts the ring away with a wistful sigh – but it would be nice to at least say hello to her.

He stands up, stretches, wincing as he feels a pop in his lower back. Good heavens. He’s not that old yet. Marcus hopes Liam is never witness to such a display; he’d never let Marcus hear the end of it.

Marcus leaves his own office and heads toward Evelyns, his thoughts still full of her, and sapphire rings, and romantic proposals. Maybe if he got a hot air balloon, was able to take them up over the New York skyline…is such a thing even possible? There might be safety rules around that sort of thing.

His attention is dragged away from thinking of his love life by a pair of raised voices coming from behind his sister’s door, the one that leads into her suite of rooms. Marcus pauses to listen.

It’s Daisy and Joel, arguing. Loudly. Marcus shakes his head – how idiotic can these two get? They’re in a mansion full of werewolves, for god’s sake. Every wolf in the building can probably hear what they’re saying, clear as crystal.

Marcus, having the benefit of being right next to the door behind which they’re shouting at each other, has a front-row view – as it were. They’re both irate, it sounds like. Joel especially so.

“…told you that you can’t just drop out now,” Joel is saying. “What about the plan? God, Daisy, you’re such a fickle little traitor. You cross Marcus and Father, and now you’re double crossing us and going back to Team Good Wolf?”

“So, you admit that we’re the bad guys, then?” Daisy snarls, her voice like acid.

“Not even remotely what I said,” Joel barks.

“I mean, you certainly implied that Father and Marcus are the Good Wolves, which would make us…”

“Shut up!” Joel shouts. “Jesus, Daisy, just shut up for once in your goddamn life! You can’t do this to us. You can’t back out. Please tell me you haven’t squealed on us. You know what would happen if you did, right?”

There’s a long silence. Marcus waits, holding his breath. He’s holding as still as possible, to avoid Joel detecting his presence. Daisy might know he’s there, but that’s fine. They just need to make sure that Joel doesn’t.

Fortunately, Joel must be too angry to be paying attention to Marcus’s very faint presence in the hallway, because he continues railing at their sister with a borderline unhinged energy.

“We have sacrificed everything, and I do mean everything, for you to have a shot at this throne,” Joel is saying now. “I’ve put my own ambitions aside for you, to support your cause, and this is how you repay me? We had a deal, Daisy!”

“Ambitions?” Daisy laughs, the sound brittle and cruel. “Joel, when have you ever had ambitions? You’re lazy as shit. You don’t want to be Alpha – it would be way too much responsibility for you.”

“You’re one to talk,” Joel begins, but Daisy cuts him off.

“No, I’m not,” she says. “I, at least, was in this scheme for the right reasons. Because I wanted to make the world a better place for my daughter. Not because I wanted to seize control and someone else’s power for myself.”

“That is the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Joel laughs, but the sound is humorless.

“Believe what you want,” Daisy says. “But it’s true. I wanted – I still want – a better world for my daughter. And murdering my brother and father isn’t the way to achieve that. I know that now.”

“Have you told them anything?”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m not the one being stupid right now. You’re the traitor, the one backing out of the deal. I’d watch your back, Daisy. If I were you, I’d really watch your back.”

Marcus noiselessly slips away from the door. It sounds like their argument is coming to a close, and he can’t risk getting caught eavesdropping. Joel won’t be able to tell that he was standing outside the door – his scent is all over this Mansion, old and recent. And Joel doesn’t pay much attention to details, anyway.

Marcus continues on his way and knocks on Evelyn’s door. He slips inside when she answers, and he’s about to start telling her what he overheard when another knock sounds at the door. It’s Daisy.

“You guys, I think we have a problem,” she tells them both, face pale.

Marcus waves her to a seat.

“Let’s talk,” he says heavily.