Vampire Debt - Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,43

one of my favourite brunch haunts in Green. One of those Instagram-worthy places with plants hanging everywhere and heaps of cute nooks.

I sipped at my hazelnut green tea. “If I return—”

“—Which is why exactly?”

My answer would be important in determining how closely they watched me for the next few weeks. “I’m not sure you deserve an answer, really. But I appreciate the voice recorder, so I’ll be extremely honest with you this once. This doesn’t get back to Kyros. I mean it, Angelica.”

She’d tell him immediately. The vampire was a dark horse, but her matchmaking ways made her predictable.

Angelica took a dainty sip of her jasmine tea. “Of course.”

Pfft.

“I left my estate for a reason. I hate the rich bastards I have for neighbours. I need to be onsite there now to manage estate affairs. A lot of people rely on me for income, but my loathing for the rich will not ever change. Added to that, my last family member just died. The house is empty without her. Despite my greatest efforts, I have become an idle rich woman.”

Angelica hummed. “Why not take up pottery?”

“Do I look like the pottery type, Angelica?”

She smirked and made no answer. “The blood bond has nothing to do with this decision?”

No, but I wanted her to think so. I’d just waited for her to bring it up.

Pressing my lips together, I narrowed my gaze. “Nothing.”

Her smirk widened. “You’re one of our best realtors. I’m certain Kyros will accept your return.”

Oh, goody.

“And,” she added. “He’ll stop moping around the tower. His temper has been shocking the last two weeks.”

He’d stop moping, alright. In fact, Kyros would be freakin’ ecstatic when he realised what I had in store for him.

Angelica finished her tea. “We’ll see you tomorrow then?”

I finished my drink and set the porcelain cup down. “I have a few conditions.”

She froze, already standing.

I waited patiently as she resumed her seat.

“I have the Le Spyre estate to manage.” It was true. Even with the string of CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and other senior management titles between my presidential position and other employees, and even though my major companies were established and the teams well-oiled units, video calls and emails occupied several hours each day.

“I will work for Live Right twenty hours a week. Secondly, I will not live in the tower. Each day I will return to my home with my Vissimo guards.”

Angelica shook her head. “If you return to the estate each day, Clan Fyrlia will find out.”

I had to have access to the office and soundproof working conditions. “So be it.”

“Kyros won’t accept that.”

“He can come to me with a counter-offer then,” I informed her.

The vampire regarded me coolly. “Are those all your terms, Miss Tetley?”

I ignored the jab. “I’ll need my bank account and tax numbers changed, of course. And there will be no 2:00 a.m. calls to drag me into the office.”

Placing my empty cup down, I stood, grabbing my purse. “Get in touch if that works for Clan Sundulus.”

Angelica’s mouth bobbed.

I smiled down at her. “I’ll get the bill.”

Weaving to the counter, I dropped a hundred dollar bill there and winked at the pimply teen manning the register. “Keep the change.”

She beamed back. “Thank you!”

“Don’t do drugs, kiddo,” I replied sagely.

After evading the many hanging plants, I waited as Laurel drew the SUV to the front. Josie got out and I clambered into my middle seat, rearranging my powder-blue shirt dress once situated.

Laurel sped off as soon as Josie shut the door, but no one spoke for five minutes.

“You’re going back to the tower,” Laurel said without inflection.

Her eyes glimmered, and as far as I could tell, they only did that when she disagreed or wanted to say something.

Meeting her gaze in the mirror, I replied in the same tone. “I am.”

The glimmer intensified.

Hmm, what did she want to say? “Only if Kyros agrees to my terms. If he does, would you all like to stay at the estate? I just realised that I’d be dragging you guys out of the tower.”

Laughter burst from Kelsea’s lips. “You’ve seen where we live, right?”

I grimaced. “True.”

Josie touched the back of my hand. “Thank you for checking. But I speak for everyone when I say that we’re more than happy to stay in your massive fucking mansion. Our sisters and brothers are happy about our new situation.”

“Okay, if that changes—let me know.”

Laurel indicated, pulling out onto the freeway. “Kyros will assign you more Indebted. I’ll recommend at least twenty of our best to