Page 10 of Temporary Vows

“Please do. It’s worrying, to say the least. Any ideas on suspects?”

“No. So it could be anybody. All I know is they want to make us look bad in the public’s eye.”

His expression shifts, and his bright blue eyes—the same as mine—darken to the color of a storm. “Making us look bad may have been their intention, but you made it easier for them.”

“What happens in my private life is my business.”

“Of course. Until it becomes public and you make the Vale family and company look bad.” He cocks his head and throws me a crude grin.

“That wasn’t my intention.”

“And of all the women you could choose from, you had to get mixed up with Grace Astor.”

I clench my jaw and lean forward. “We said all this yesterday. Let’s not rehash the shit. Yes, she was a poor choice, but again, it’s my business.”

His gaze thins, and he switches back to the businessman. “Have you thought about my demands?”

“I have.”

His brow quirks, and the muscle in his jaw jumps. “And?”

“I think we need to talk about it.”

His brows snap together, and fury sparks his eyes. “I already told you what I want.”

“Dad. You are being unreasonable.”

“Absolutely not.” He raises his voice so loud the ornaments on the shelf shake.

“How can you think your demands arereasonable? Not only have you given me a ridiculous time frame in which I’m supposed to give you the name of a woman I intend to marry, but you’ve also made terrible suggestions and demanded heirs.”

“I don’t care what you think isreasonable.” He makes a fist and presses it into the table. “You have been grating on my ass for the last two years.”

“That’s because we have different ways of working.”

“You can certainly say that again. You are my second eldest son. I have the same expectations for you as I do for Knox. He performs. Plays the part. You don’t.”

I hate when he compares me to Knox. It’s not fair. Everyone knows my brother is the apple of my father’s eye. Deep down, I know that doesn’t mean he loves the rest of us any less. He just holds us to the same standards, not accepting that we’re all different people.

And I usually take all the slack because like he said, I’m the second eldest.

“Dad, I do what I must, and I make this company millions.” I stare him down. He hates it when I do that, but I don’t care.

“Son, that’s not the argument here. A blind man can see that no one can do the job like you.Nobody.”

“If you can acknowledge that, give me the fucking credit I deserve and stop making ridiculous demands of me.” I’m gonna lose my shit. I can feel it.

“This company is about more than money, Dorian.” His shoulders relax a little. “It’s about legacy.Image.The Vale Global brand. What you fail to realize is that people judge a company’s abilities to perform based on who’s in charge of it.”

I want to argue with him, but I can’t. Because he’s right. “Dad, there must be something I can do to change your mind.”

He shakes his head, and the knots in my stomach tighten, forming a ball of venom.

“My problem is, I haven’t been firm enough with you. That needs to change. It’s my responsibility to honor our legacy. This company has been going for over a hundred years. It’s my jobto make sure my sons have the same honor. We are a family company. That has been our strongest selling point.”

“I honor our legacy just fine. This mistake was not mine.”

“That’s where you’re wrong and the reason I need to put my foot down.” He sets his shoulders back and lifts his chin. “Sure, we have a leak, but you made yourself look bad on your own. What’s worse is, this isn’t the first time we’ve spoken about your public image. It’s just theworst.”