‘I will,’ Ivy said, giving her sister a hug. ‘If you want to wait in the car, Dax and I will—‘
‘No,’ Rosie said, shaking her head and curling her fingers around her purse. ‘I can find my way home.’
Rosie didn’t have to be treated like a child, so Ivy let her go. For all the years that they hadn’t seen or heard from each other, Ivy had assumed that her sister was savvy and could take care of herself. The sad thing she had learned today was that Rosie struggled with her self-respect.
Making herself into whatever her man of the moment wanted her to be took its toll on the once beautiful and vibrant woman. After this was over, Ivy would take the time to reconnect with her sister because Rosie needed to be reminded that she was a worthwhile person who had several wonderful qualities.
Now with Rosie and Trystan gone from the room, Mauri went to the armchair closest to the fireplace and sat down. She had first met him just a few months ago, and while he didn’t exactly look feeble today, he did have a less imposing stature and that was as much to do with his attitude as his build.
‘These events have upset everything,’ Mauri said. ‘I wanted you to come back to California to embrace your role in the family, Dax. Having you at the helm is the best way to ensure that the family name remains respected. But it hasn’t been smooth sailing reintegrating you into the family.’
Dax still had his arm around Ivy, and he guided her down to sit on the couch she had previously occupied with Rosie. ‘You said that you had Ivy’s things,’ Dax said.
She might have expected him to leap straight onto what Mauri had said and disclose what the marital couple had discussed about Dax not taking up a role in the Stark business. Instead, he had asked about her things, which told Ivy that he wanted to be sure they had everything before he pissed off Mauri again.
‘Yes,’ Mauri said and pressed a button on an electronic panel, which was resting on the table.
Almost straight away, the bedroom door opened, and a steward came out carrying a blue backpack, her blue backpack. Showing how eager she was to have it returned to her, she stood, her legs acting of their own volition. The steward paused beside Mauri, but he pointed to Ivy.
‘Return it to Ivy,’ Mauri said, and the steward crossed to hand it over.
The relief at having it back, at seeing what she feared she never would again, was enough to relax her. She sat back down at Dax’s side, tucking herself between her man and her bag, Ivy placed a hand on each.
‘Won’t you open it and let us know what it contains that was so important to you?’ Mauri asked. At the party, he had implied that he already knew which item Ivy valued the most and she was not going to put on a show for him.
‘No,’ she said, hoping that her simple answer would be enough.
‘She’ll open it later,’ Dax said. ‘And if anything is missing—‘
‘Nothing is missing,’ Mauri said. ‘Now would you like me to arrange to have Ivy taken somewhere safe while we discuss business?’
‘Somewhere safe is at my side,’ Dax said. ‘You’re not taking her anywhere.’
‘You know that we mean her no harm. I would think that returning her possessions was enough to win your trust and show you that we are serious about having her in the family as well. We will all have to learn to trust each other if we are to move forward and make progress—‘
‘We’re not going to move forward,’ Dax said. ‘Ivy and I have already discussed everything that you said to me.’
‘You discuss business with your wife?’ Mauri asked.
‘I discuss everything with my wife,’ Dax said. ‘Which is why I don’t need you to usher her out of the room every time you want to say something to me that you don’t think she’ll like.’
‘I have a feeling that I am not going to like what you’re going to say to me,’ Mauri said, pushing back in his chair.
‘Probably not. I’m not coming back, Mauri. It’s not going to happen.’
‘Simple as that?’
‘Yeah,’ Dax said.
‘We can’t accept that, rejection is not an option. The Stark family needs you—‘
‘But I don’t need them,’ Dax said. ‘It sounds like a great opportunity, and you know that this time last year I’d have jumped on it. I’m sorry that you’re sick. But Brad will never accept my—‘
‘I can deal with Brad. I will talk to him—‘
‘And as soon as you’re gone we’ll start butting heads,’ Dax said. ‘I won’t take orders from him. I never respected him because he never respected me. I’m tired of Trystan, he’ll cause more problems when you’re not around. Brad can’t control him, and I won’t be his babysitter anymore. And Bruno—‘
‘Is no longer around.’
‘Because of me,’ Dax said, sitting forward. ‘He doesn’t like me, doesn’t respect me, and the feeling is mutual. He has the means to ruin the family, he might not do it when you’re here because he still has respect for you. But I guarantee that as soon as you’re not here, we’re going to be dealing with blackmail and extortion. He knows all of the family secrets and unless we give him a position of power or a load of money, he can blow the whistle to the cops or start in-fighting among the men.’
‘You’ve thought about this.’
‘I used to take orders, do what I was told because I respected you, and I wanted your approval. I don’t need your approval anymore, and I don’t need any part in what you do. Brad lives to run the business, and Bruno can be his problem. There’s no incentive to come back.’
‘You will have financial security for life.’
‘I’m an easy fall guy, if that’s not your intention now then it will be Brad’s when he’s tired of hearing my input. We don’t need you, Mauri, any of you.’
‘You need us now, we can offer protection for Ivy against these bounty hunters out looking for their money. She is in serious danger, and you have to keep her safe, it’s your job as—‘
‘I know what my job is,’ Dax said. ‘I’m not going to stop looking for the person responsible for the bounty, and I know how to keep my wife safe.’
‘You don’t have the resources that we can offer you,’ Mauri said. ‘You can stay here at the house, and you know that Ivy will be unharmed. At the beach house, we proved that Ivy’s wellbeing is important to the Starks, our security men—‘
‘Let Trystan come in and take her sister away,’ Dax said. ‘Your men are loyal, and they follow orders. But they don’t know the history. You would never let anyone know what you did to Ivy, what Trystan and Bruno did, what I took part in. That would bring shame to you and the family and despite all that he’s done, you still defend Trystan.’
Mauri’s cool expression switched to her. ‘You have changed him,’ Mauri said.
‘He did all the work himself,’ Ivy said. ‘And he’s not changed, he’s just a better version of himself.’
Dax had learned not to follow orders without question, being with her had taught him that he was more than what Mauri and the other Stark men saw him as. Dax knew now that he was valuable, just for being himself. He didn’t have to work for her, or run any operation well enough to make her proud.
‘You are very lucky,’ Mauri said to Dax. ‘I’m surprised that you found something real and sustainable in such oppressive circumstances.’
‘He didn’t oppress me,’ Ivy said. ‘Dax embraced who I was just as I embraced him. You wanted him to change me, to make me a different person, to break me. But he didn’t.’
‘I never even tried,’ Dax said, bringing his focus to hers. ‘No one changes you, Minx.’
‘Can’t mess with perfection,’ she smiled and rested her mouth on his arm. ‘Dax has kindness and modesty under that hard-ass, arrogant-as-hell exterior, and those are things that he didn’t learn from you or what you do. We have a new life together, and it’s one that won’t involve any of this.’
‘I’m curious,’ Mauri said. ‘If he had wanted to return, would you have allowed it?’