Chapter 43 She's A Useless Pawn
Julian's POV
Briar's laugh cut through the tension like a blade, sharp and mocking. "Do I? Then tell me, Julian—why did you agree to save Vance Botanicals in the first place? If I'm so insignificant, why bother with the whole charade?"
My jaw clenched, muscles working as I fought to keep my wolf in check.
She continued, "Or do you want him to bleed you for another 7 million? I wonder what Silverwind Pack would think if they found out about that little arrangement. How do you think it would affect your precious alliance with the Davenports? Would Alpha Raymond still be so eager to marry his daughter into your family?"
"And honestly?" Briar sat back, her posture shifting into something loose and careless. "I'm tired of this whole thing. The company, the constant fighting, all of it. You want to destroy Vance Botanicals? Go ahead. Burn it to the ground. I don't care anymore."
The words should have felt like victory. Instead, they triggered something close to panic. I'd pushed too hard, and now she was slipping away—not in tears or rage, but in complete apathy.
You can't drain a resource dry if it stops fighting back. The lesson my father had beaten into me suddenly seemed desperately relevant. Break someone's spirit completely and they become useless, just dead weight instead of a useful tool.
I needed her sharp, needed her fighting.
The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I turned my attention back to the tablet in my hands, not actually reading anything but needing somewhere to look that wasn't her carefully blank expression.
When we finally pulled up to her apartment building, I glanced up to find her asleep, her head tilted against the window. The harsh lines of tension that usually marked her features had smoothed away, leaving her face soft and unguarded in the dim interior lighting. Her breathing was deep and even, one hand curled loosely in her lap.
I found myself staring, unable to look away from this rare moment of vulnerability. She looked younger like this, almost innocent, and something twisted uncomfortably in my chest.
"If you could just stay this docile," I murmured, barely aware I was speaking aloud. "Everything would be so much simpler."
"But you don't want her docile, Alpha." James's voice came from the front seat, quiet and carefully neutral. "Isn't that precisely what you find most compelling about Miss Vance? That untamed quality she has?"
"I don't find anything compelling about her," I said sharply, though my eyes remained fixed on Briar's sleeping form. "She's entertainment, nothing more. A distraction."
The words tasted like lies even as I spoke them, but I forced myself to believe them. My father had taught me young that caring about something—actually caring—meant giving it power over you. The moment you admitted to wanting something, you'd already lost.
"Will you be staying here tonight, Alpha?" James asked after a moment. "It's already quite late."
"Chloe lives in this building," I said, the words coming out more defensive than I'd intended.
James's silence was pointed. Finally, he ventured carefully, "Then might I ask why you chose to invest in this particular property, sir?"
I said nothing, staring out the window at the darkened building. After a moment, James cleared his throat softly and shifted topics. "Alpha Dominic wants me to remind you that he expects you at the Pack House tonight, Alpha. It's already quite late."
I glanced at my watch. It was already past nine thirty, and the drive would take at least an hour. I should have left immediately.
Instead, I heard myself say, "We're not in a hurry. Let her sleep a bit longer."
I told myself it was practical, but as I sat there watching the rise and fall of her breathing, I knew I was lying to myself. I just wanted a few more minutes of this, of her being still and peaceful instead of constantly fighting me.
Thirty minutes passed before I finally reached over and shook her shoulder gently. "We're here."
Briar stirred, her eyes fluttering open with obvious disorientation. She blinked at me for a moment, then fumbled for the door handle.
"Miss Vance," James called from the front seat, his tone gently reproachful. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Briar paused, one hand on the door, and glanced back at me. She raised her other hand in a dismissive wave, not even bothering to meet my eyes, then climbed out and headed toward the building without looking back.
I watched her disappear through the entrance. James pulled away from the curb, and I forced myself to look down at my tablet again.
The drive to the Pack House took exactly an hour. By the time we pulled up to the sprawling estate, it was nearly eleven o'clock. The building loomed against the night sky, every window blazing with light despite the late hour. The moon hung full and bright overhead, and I felt my wolf stir restlessly.
My father was waiting in the entrance hall, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression thunderous. "You were supposed to be here at eight," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "It's nearly eleven. Where the hell have you been?"
"Traffic," I said smoothly, already moving past him toward the stairs.
"Sir," the head butler murmured, appearing at my elbow with house slippers. I let him exchange my shoes for the soft indoor footwear.
"My study," my father said, his tone making it clear this wasn't a request. "Now."
I followed him up the sweeping staircase and down the corridor to his private office. He closed the door behind us with a soft click.
"I want you to terminate Vance Botanicals' Apex bid," he said without preamble, moving to stand behind his massive desk. "Immediately."
My hands clenched at my sides. "That's not necessary."
"It's completely necessary. Raymond Davenport has the political connections to smooth over any regulatory issues, but Devon Montgomery is demanding certain concessions before he'll step aside. Concessions that require your full cooperation."
Briar's voice echoed in my head: My father managed to get out of his gambling debts by using me as collateral. So I'm curious, what's his plan this time? Sell me to Devon Montgomery? Or maybe Kieran Ashford?
The rage that flooded through me was instant and overwhelming, my wolf surging forward with a possessive snarl that I barely managed to suppress. Devon Montgomery could rot in hell before I'd let him anywhere near Briar. Kieran Ashford could join him.
"I don't need the Montgomery family's help," I said, my voice coming out harder than I'd intended. "I'll secure the contract on my own terms."
My father's eyes narrowed. "You haven't terminated her bid."
"No," I admitted. "I haven't."
"That company is a money laundering operation and nothing more," he said, setting down the paperweight with a sharp crack. "You need to divest yourself of it completely. The sooner the better."
"I'll handle it in my own time."
"Your own time?" He moved around the desk, closing the distance between us with predatory grace. "Let me remind you of our agreement, Julian. You wanted to play your little games with Briar, and I allowed it on the condition that you would honor your commitment to Chloe Davenport. That arrangement still stands."
"I'm aware of the terms."
"Then act like it." His voice dropped to something cold and cutting. "Briar Vance is a useless pawn. You've had your fun with her, in fact. It's time to stop wasting resources on dead weight and focus on what actually matters. The alliance with Silverwind Pack, your responsibilities to this family, your future as Alpha."
He paused, studying my face with calculating precision. "And while you're at it, transfer your shares in Vance Botanicals to someone else. I won't have her continuing to drain Sterling Pharmaceuticals' resources."
If she couldn't drain Sterling Pharmaceuticals anymore, then she'd have to drain me directly. Personal assets, separate from the family company, completely under my control.
I rose from my chair, straightening my jacket with deliberate calm. "I'll handle the situation as I see fit."
"Julian—" he started, his voice rising with warning.
"I said I'll handle it," I repeated, already moving toward the door. "You'll have to trust my judgment on this."
"Trust your judgment?" He was shouting now, his Alpha power flooding the room in waves. "You've shown nothing but poor judgment where that girl is concerned! I'm ordering you to—"
I closed the door behind me, cutting off his words, and headed down the hallway. His voice followed me, muffled but still audible, hurling threats and commands that I had no intention of obeying.