TOB 3: MEET THE KINGS AND HEIRS

CHAPTER 3: MEET THE KINGS AND HEIRS

ROSE AMARA’S POV

As my father had instructed, I pushed open the dining room door and entered with my head held high.

The leaders of an elite group may easily intimidate someone. Uncle is one of the majority of those who have been to jail. While it is shameful to the outside world, it is a badge of honor for any clan member.

King of the West Nathan is seated at the head of the table. In his fifties, he is elderly. His once-blonde hair has totally turned white over time and is now recognizable. Because of his denial of rejecting treatment, the cancer did not result in the loss of his hair, which has made him appear older.

I try not to glare at him now that I know he’s trying to ship Bella  off to one of those ruthless men who will eat her alive.

In his role as the sovereign, Hades moves from my side to his right. Ryen, the general, is seated to his left. Hades is on a par with him in terms of power, but Ryen plays a more important function that involves protecting the brotherhood rather than coordinating between the clan and the chambers.

He has a line of information that rivals others and is aware of the appropriate individuals to bribe, most likely as a result of his extensive network throughout the country.

Ryen has been around since the time of his father and has consistently done his part despite being in his mid-thirties. He is the most secretive member of the select group and plays his cards close to his chest. I feel like I should constantly be careful of him because of this.

This meeting must be significant because he came. Despite Ryen's reluctance to host or attend events, his uncle always gave him the benefit of the doubt due to his vital function. The bottom line is that nobody wants to offend Ryen because those who do? Yes, nobody has any idea where they go when they vanish.

He is also embarrassingly quiet, speaking only when the leader addresses him or when it is absolutely necessary. Ryen is devoted to the Royal, but that is all to whom he is devoted. If we ever found ourselves on opposing sides of a conflict, he wouldn't think twice about crushing me.

The four kings and their heirs occupy the rest of the chairs: Pakstan of the North with Pharaoah, Theo of the South with Thorn, River of the East, and me, and lastly, Nathan of the fuckin' West with his second son, Elliot.

The latter gives me a scowl, and I return it without blinking. He is a little younger than father in age, but he is still tall, and his grey eyes are exceedingly penetrating. Without sure, he is the one who proposed Bella be wed to one of his kids, who are more repulsive than he is.

The prostitution ring, the most reprehensible aspect of the Royal that I've been actively working to destroy, is under the control of that idiot.

He wants me gone because I dared to assert in front of the clan that the brotherhood doesn't need the prostitution ring and that we should instead focus our efforts on obtaining higher pay from the corporation.

Since then, Nathan has wished for my death. He is the one who encouraged my mom's cousin Ella to exploit and murder me. He obviously doesn't know our last names at all if he believes I will ever forget about it.

“What are you doing here?” he snarls, as expected.

I ignored him and raised my father's hand to my head while kissing his knuckles. All of the Royals enter the rooms in this manner. I'm the East's young lady. In addition, whether they like to acknowledge it or not, I am one of the pillars that support this clan.

Every exceptional person has their finest soldier, a person they can put their life in the hands of, standing behind them. In a meeting with the chambers, just one is permitted out of respect for the boss, because these leaders often don't move without a swarm of soldiers.

Zeus, my senior, comes following and sits behind my chair as I settle next to Hades.  The latter gave me a snake-like grin while looking down at me. I return the smile and don't try to disguise the fact that it's artificial.

Along with being dangerous, he is also incredibly careless. If another criminal family has mistreated us in any way, Nathan is the kind of ruler who will order attacks on them within our borders. He claims that the purpose of this is to train children to lower their heads in front of the brothers. He has consistently been on my "to be careful of" list because of his aggressive attitude and unquenchable ambition.

From his location across from me, Pakstan gets the boot. He is more composed than Pharoah, while having a comparable build in terms of weight, perhaps as a result of his mastery of concealment. Although his black-framed spectacles give him an air of sharpness and intelligence, they cannot mask the intensity of his foxlike eyes.

I chuckled to myself. He could no longer open his lips and concur with Nathan's assertion, because I had something in that jerk.

“Do you have something for us, Young Lady?” Nathan asks in his serene, but very noticeable Russian accent. He’s also as old as my father but appears younger because he’s healthy and still actually works out with his soldiers.

The most exclusive and close-knit is Nathan's family. If need be, they will fight for him while having their eyes covered. He was one of those who assisted us in calming the royals when Mother passed away.

He’d never bow down to a woman. Like his son.

“Yes, Young Lady, To what do we owe this pleasure?” Thorn waggles his brows at me. Although both his parents are British, he is American born and bred, and therefore, he speaks without an accent most of the time.

Despite the fact that I have repeatedly shown that I am just as British as they are, when they are around me, they speak in English because they believe I am that 'American' who doesn't belong with them.

I look at Nathan and responded, "Yes," in Russian. "I'll give you the figures for the most recent quarter and a forecast of net profit going forward."

“You can do that in company.” Theo doesn’t hide his aggression. “You have no place among the royals, Rose.”

I grit my teeth at the disrespectful way he used a nickname, but I plastered a smile on it instead.

Kill them with kindness, Rose. Don’t weaken your family’s name.

I pull my report out of my purse and say, "I beg to disagree, Theo," before I begin to enumerate the figures. After I'm done, I interlace my fingers on the table and gaze at him so coldly that I can feel the blood in my face freezing.

"Last time I looked, the revenue from your brothels was less than half of mine. The amount a member contributes to the organization is, as far as I know, how valuable that person is to the group. Perhaps we ought to confirm who belongs in the Royal and who doesn't.

He stands up, his round frame nearly bouncing with the effort, and points a finger at me. “You little—”

“Sit down,” Hades orders. “Show respect to the east chamber.”

Theo mumbles an apology and begrudgingly sits while still giving me the death glare.

“It’s good that you’re here, Rose. We have some business to discuss.” My father speaks for the first time since I came in.

“I have business to discuss, too.”

Theo scoffs under his breath at the affectionate way I addressed my father.

My attention turned to him. “You have a problem?”

“None at all, Young Lady,” … He pauses, readjusting his glasses with his middle finger. “Yet.”

I recognized the threat in his gesture, so I responded by utilizing his deceptive technique. I push the coffee cup in front of me while maintaining eye contact, then quickly press a bit of sugar inside before it melts. Nice to know.

His most devoted soldier, Sander, becomes rigid and raises his hand to his rifle as he furrows his brows. He is as ruthless as his immediate supervisor despite having feminine looks and a petite build for a guard.

However, he won't take any action since he and I both know that we will not think twice to put Theo and his entire tribe in risk.

I grin while trying to sip my coffee gently as my father clears his throat. Even if people make fun of me, my father doesn't want me to stir up any trouble in the brotherhood.

Thus, I act in secret. He won't be harmed by what he doesn't know.

Elliot hits my shoulder with his, grinning like we’re close friends and he wants in on the secret.

“Hmm??” He reaches for the pack of cigarettes in front of him and retrieves one. Instead of lighting it, he places the lighter a breath away from it.

“None of your business,” I countered.

The only one who knows Nathan's secret is me. The justification for keeping anything over his head is called into question if anyone else is aware.

Ryen gives me a quick glance, indicating that he was seen what was going on as well.

Hades also shook his head at me. Nathan didn't see anything, since he was too busy focusing on why he didn't want me at the table. The fool.

But his son isn't a dumb. He is listening and observing everything as he leans back like a board.

And now, let’s get this meeting started.