Dangerous game

**Dimitri:**

"You are playing a dangerous game, Dimitri," Locke said, shaking his head at me. "Although I understand what you're doing, it was unnecessary..."

"It was very necessary," I said, interrupting the man, not wanting to hear more of his nonsense. The man's words got stuck in his throat, and I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting to see what he would argue. If he believed in what he was saying, he would have a valid explanation to give. But, judging by his silence, I knew he had none.

"You know nothing about the new market, what it demands and what it needs. If you believe your men will keep financing your businesses, there will come a time when they will find a better place. It's the way I've always seen things, and I know you know that very well. It's one of the reasons why my father chose me to work with you."

He said, and I shook my head at the man. The way he spoke, the confidence he had in himself was something I admired. And although I had to admit, he had a point, he couldn't see that this was not a 'market' we were running. These were safe grounds hotels, and that only made them much more dangerous for anyone normal to be within our grounds. Even when they were, they often could tell they needed to have a certain behavior.

"If I knew nothing of what you're claiming, you would be very wrong. But I'll have to explain one thing to you: I haven't been running a safe ground alongside your father since I was eighteen for you to come and break everything we've built in a month." I said, and he frowned. The man looked at his feet for a second before scoffing.

"Then you can withdraw your shares too. I'll make sure you regret it when that happens," he said, taking a step back. He turned to leave the room, and I looked at Leonardo, my second-in-command, and smiled, knowing he would stop him. The man stood in front of the door, not allowing him to leave.

"You are impulsive, young and inexperienced. Do you really believe cutting your father's second-in-command will be without cost?" I asked, shaking my head in question. The man looked over his shoulder at me, taking a deep breath before turning to face me. His eyes met mine, and he crossed his arms over his chest, and I waited. "Good boy. You know how to take a hint when asked to do so."

"First of all, you will control your temper, and if you think you have the balls to face me, I can cut them for you and you will know how you should be calming down." I said, looking the man dead in the eyes. "Then you will listen to what I tell you, and trust me, going against me won't be good for you. You know, the last person who tried to do that lost his head, and I doubt you want to find yourself without one."

"Should I consider that a threat? Or is it what you call a challenge in your world?" He asked, and I smiled, shaking my head at him.

"It's what I call a warning, but you are free to call it, consider it, and take it as you can. The last thing I care about is explaining things to an amateur like you." I said, turning to the table. "You can leave now. I'll see you at the next meeting, that is, of course, if you still have the balls to show up after the failure you displayed today."

Leonardo stepped aside. I could see him through the window in front of me as the man left without saying a word. He was furious, but I didn't care. What he heard, he deserved and needed to hear. It was something his own father wouldn't tell him, but again, by this time, I believed he had appointed him as a joke. The man was testing where his son would go with this, and I wouldn't allow him to fail. I wasn't going to end up with a failed man as a partner.

"What do you intend to do?" Leonardo asked when he was sure the man was out of earshot. I shook my head, tapping the table twice before turning to face my beta. The man knew me more than anyone and knew I didn't like dealing with stupidity. But he also knew I liked to have a little fun, and this was my own version of fun now.

"For now, I'm going home. We have a lot to deal with now that Angel is back, and you know, with Haizel about to break everything and anything that might cross her path; I'm sure there's a lot to handle." I said, and he smiled, knowing we would have a challenge at home to deal with.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring Angel back? With Haizel and you always on edge, do you think it's the wisest idea?" He asked, and I shook my head.

"I know it's not." I said, and he frowned. "But I also know she would never have left the child with me, and being my heir, I won't let him live with another man."

"Another man?" asked Leonardo, shaking his head in question as he tried to understand what I was saying.

"I saw her with Locke the other day. And if he's going to try his moves on her, I'll stop him." I said, and Leonardo took a deep breath. "You know, as an Alpha's woman, even if she's an ex, as long as she has a child, an heir, she shouldn't be with another man. And that's something she seemed to forget when talking to the bastard. However, I'll remind her of that."