Panthera Spelaea Ch. 71-80

I felt like Don Corleone in 'The Godfather' when he realized it had been Barzini all along. The betrayal hurt because he'd done it and THEN played like he was my friend and protector. His first instinct was to use me to further his interests, not to help me out. The girls could tell I was upset as I processed the information. Anna was the one who finally broke me out of my anger. "I can't believe I'm a sister-wife to a man worth BILLIONS," she said with a giggle.

"Nobody else can have him," Svetlana replied.

"I'll never see that money. My girls are priceless, though." They got me calmed down again, and we were able to continue talking. "What happened with Ekatarina?"

"We think Todd went rogue on that one," Edward said. "With the attack a failure, he had to know we'd find the mole."

I nodded. "And the island?"

"When Edward called, it sounded like the perfect opportunity. Grandfather didn't blink at the cost; he'd lost more money than that already fighting off Art's attacks. He was mad about my Uncle's death at your hands. Taking the Eagle and the Lion was worth any cost."

I just shook my head. "And now they are all dead, and you're left picking up the pieces. Then you find out you're a billion dollars short, and some guy in Tasmania is now a major stakeholder in YOUR company."

Alexandra nodded. "I was pissed off. In my mind, Edward had double-crossed my father and failed to deliver. It took me some time to push the estate through and assert control of the company, plus I'm still dealing with Karpen Investments and their takeover effort. I needed to rally other stakeholders to stick it out with me, which meant I had to see Edward. If he voted his shares with Art, I'd be hard-pressed to hold the Chief Executive position. I got on a plane and headed for Tasmania."

"What were you going to do?"

"Kill him for his betrayal," she said before looking at him dreamily. "Then we met, and it was love at first sight. That night I tried to fuck him to death, but the man's immortal."

We all laughed at that comment. "And now you are the immortal mate of the Scimitar Cat."

"I know," she said as she shot a look at the girls. "Am I going to have to share him like you two?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I'm kind of new at this."

Edward moved the discussion back on topic. "That's why I'm glad you are here. I'm voting my shares with my mate; you control another ten percent. If you vote with us, Alexandra can keep control of her family business no matter what Art does."

"But if I do?"

"Art will see that as us betraying him personally. He may come after the two of us, and you know what kind of reach he has."

"Fuck." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, trying to see a way out of this mess. "No wonder you didn't bring Alexandra to the wedding."

"If Art finds out, he'll figure out what's been going on. I'm keeping our relationship secret as long as I can."

The secret wouldn't last forever, and I'd have to vote my stock sometime. I needed to talk to Dad before I did anything else.

I looked out at the rocky shoreline, where Australian Fur Seals lay sunning themselves. I suddenly felt like a seal swimming among Great White Sharks. They had those here in the Great Southern Ocean.

Big ones.