“Why the hell are you so obsessed with your brother?” Frances asked as she sat with him in the living room.
“Obsessed with my brother?” Cael asked. He did not like the sound of the stamen that someone on his side was making.
“Yes, you somehow make everything about him, it has been two days since the wedding and you can not seem to shut up about it, do I need to meet my boyfriend and then talk about his brother?” she asked air quoting the word boyfriend because they both knew what they actually meant to each other.
Cael was sure that his brother’s marriage was a sham but there was nothing he could do about it, all his efforts to expose it as one unfortunately ended badly for him.
“We are here to discuss my birthday party and not my brother” Cael said turning his nose up. “I was in a good mood but you managed to ruin it” he added.
“Just as you always manage to do for me” Frances murmured to herself sipping from her wine glass.
She could not deny the fact that although she started going out with him out of pity she was now quite interested in getting into the Vale family. Her mother had filled her head with various reasons why that family would be the best option for her now and she was beginning to see reason with her.
She now wished her mother had been more proactive and gotten her Cade instead of Cael but she knew that all was still good. With a little help and push from her Cael he would at least get a portion of the company if not all. She was going to try her best to get him to the top because now it seemed like her livelihood depended on it.
“Let us talk about your party, it is in a few days” Frances said. She wondered why he wanted to plan the party himself when loads of people would be dying to do it for him. Anything to be associated with the name Vale.
“Yeah,” Cael said. Frances could tell that he was no longer interested in having the conversation with her.
“Your brother would not be able to attend, he would still be on his honeymoon” Frances said. She was going to get a reaction from him one way or another.
Cael paused, quietly dropped his cup to the table in front of them and turned slowly to her with his lips pressed against each other. “Are you trying to anger me this evening?” he asked and she blinked trying to act as innocent as possible.
“Me?” she asked her hand on her chest as she continued blinking, she dropped her glass to the table as well and turned to him. “What did I do?” she asked. Under normal circumstances, he would have found her action cute but not with what was going on.
“Must you bring up my brother? Do you also wish that you were with him instead of me? Are you with me just to get to him?” Cael asked.
Frances knew deep down that she wished she was with Cade and not with him but telling him that would end her chances at ever having any access to the Vale family and even though she knew he needed a partner she also knew that he had a lot of options and she was just chosen. It might not be the best position but a lot of people would climb over each other to be there.
“You are being silly, why would I want a married man?” she asked rolling her eyes at him.
“Exactly you do not want him because he is married, if he was not I am sure you would leave me in a heartbeat” he said pouting.
Frances held his face and pulled him closer, ‘He is a fool’ she thought to herself as her heart pounded at the sight of his face this up close. ‘He just needs a little assurance and that would be all’ she told herself.
“If I am interested in your brother then I would not be here, I have no feelings whatsoever about him and I am on your side no matter what so you need to stop talking about your brother and look at me” she said.
She could tell from the way his eyes dilated and lost focus that he was flustered by her actions. She did not know she could do things like that but maybe desperation did bring out the sides people did not know they had in them.
“You are the one that keeps bringing him up” Cael murmured to himself trying to look away from her.
“I only asked because I thought you might want to portray a happy family to the media and he needs to be there for the party” she lied.
“Why does he need to be there?” he asked confused.
“Listen” she said dropping her hand from his face and holding his hands. “You want to take over the company right?”
“I have to because it is my right,” Cael said. Frances could not believe that Cael believed that. With how dim-witted he was how could he think that the Vale group of companies be left for him? If he were the new chairman he would successfully run down the company without thinking about it with his bad and wrong decision making.
“Of course but the chairman might see you as a better candidate if you are on good terms with your brother. And even better if you are the one initiating the meetings” Frances advised.
“As if” Cael scoffed. “Grandfather has already made his decision” he added looking at her so intently she felt like something was creeping up her face.
“He has not put it down in writing or announced anything official, I believe you can still try to convince him,” she said squeezing his hand before adding. “I am sure it would work”
“So what do I do?”
“Let us postpone your party and do it when Cade is back”