Page 181 of The Hunter's Empire

He shrugs unapologetically. "So I... encouraged him to rethink his decisions."

Keith deadpans. "You shot him in the ass."

"It was a warning."

Despite the soreness in my side, I burst into laughter. The movement immediately sends pain through my ribs, and I wince, pressing a hand against the bandages.

Aurelia gently shakes her head. "See? Look what you've done."

Anton points at me. "That's not my fault."

Aurelia smirks before turning back to him. "So..." Her eyes sparkle mischievously. "Are you absolutely sure she's just an employee?"

Anton freezes. "What?"

"The woman you defended."

He immediately looks offended. "I defend all my employees."

"Mhm."

"I do."

Keith folds his arms. "You've never shot anyone over one before."

Anton opens his mouth, closes it again, then glares at all of us. "You people are unbelievable."

Before anyone can respond, he turns and walks straight out of the room.

The moment the door closes behind him, Aurelia smirks. "Well, that's new."

I raise an eyebrow. "What is?"

"The king of New York nightlife finally caught feelings for someone."

"And judging by that reaction, it's serious." Keith says quietly.

"He has been denying it for weeks."

I blink. "Seriously?"

Aurelia nods.

I can't help smiling. "Anton? Nervous? I'd pay money to see that."

"Trust me, it was entertaining." Aurelia says.

"Then why am I only hearing about this now?"

"Because Anton would have hidden it from Keith too if he hadn't needed help cleaning up the mess it created."

Keith sighs. "Unfortunately for him, some of us got dragged into damage control."

Aurelia's grin widens. "And once I found out, getting Keith to tell me the rest became my personal mission."

"I held out for almost a week." Keith mutters.

"Three days." Aurelia corrects immediately.