Page 82 of The Land that Binds

She whipped around. “What?”

Klaus gripped the handles of the duffel, then moved it to the floor. He leaned his elbows on the desk, far enough from the coffee spillage, which he didn’t bother to wipe up. “You and your sisters really caused a stir with your campaign.”

Freya tipped up her chin. “And we’re not sorry about it.”

He smiled again, and it made her want to punch that perfect square jaw and clean-shaven face. She might have considered Klaus Kasner handsome, if he wasn’t so evil. But he was, and for the foreseeable future, men were off the table.

“David and Goliath,” he continued. “How clever.”

“How accurate.”

He chuckled, then leaned back again and crossed a leg. She caught a glimpse of his dark brown Gucci loafers, paired with his starched navy suit. He looked like a king sitting on his throne.

“It worked, you know. Not just for raising money, but for causing me hell.” He raised a hand toward his open office door and the hallway behind them. “As you can see, there’s no one here. No one wants to come to Kasner and taste wine or give us the business. Thirty percent of our wine club members have canceled their subscriptions this summer. Sales are down twenty-five, and tourism is down by forty. I even had hired hands refusing to work in our fields for harvest, and while most vineyards up and down Seneca are finished with harvest, we’re still picking grapes.”

She smirked. “Again, I’m not sorry. You messed with my family’s livelihood.”

“And now, you’ve messed with mine.”

Her chest ignited with anger. It had been a common feeling that summer, especially when she was around him.

“I thought about it, you know. I thought about coming after you and your family for the things that were implied online about me. You undermined me as a new leader in this company, and made it sound like I shouldn’t ask for the money that is rightfully ours. But…I’m no monster, Freya. I know my father didn’t ask for the money after your mother died out of respect for your family. So I let the campaign play out, genuinely curious if you could pull it off.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but he waved a hand, cutting her off.

“I’m not keeping you here to fight about it,” he declared. “I actually don’t want to fight about it at all.”

“Then why are you keeping me here?”

“I could tell you I’m coming after you with my lawyers, but instead, I would like to change the narrative.” His body remained at ease. “You’ve painted the story of David and Goliath, but I would like us to write a new story.”

She crinkled her nose, feeling confused. “What kind of story?”

“How about Romeo and Juliet?”

Her face fell. She dropped her arms, her hands loose at her sides.

Klaus threaded his fingers together in his lap. His emerald-green eyes stayed glued on her, his body calm as he spoke three words she never would have expected coming from his lips.

“Marry me, Freya.”