Andre’s POV
He sat so comfortably in my chair, twirling his cigarette around his finger. I wanted more than anything to punch his face and shove that cigarette up into his nostrils. He had gotten on my nerves and had stretched my patience out thin.
I placed my hands firmly on the table and glowered at him. His relaxed expression irritated me. He didn’t seem to be scared at all. He was a fool. He should be terrified.
“I know that you are lying, Jonas. I am not going to fall for your little game. You are sick and twisted, and you are a fraud. Olivia thought so highly of you, but I honestly don’t even know what she sees in you. And Olivia has nothing to do with you. I would end you in a second.”
He chuckled and continued to recline in my chair.
“Big talk, Andre. We both know that you won’t do that because you care about her. You are basically a lapdog when you are with her. She still thinks very highly of me. And also, you should lighten up a bit. Your big scary face is going to scare the kids away.”
His nonchalance was pulling on my last strings of patience. I wanted to send him out, but I hesitated.
What if he wasn’t lying? What if he really did have information about the descendants of Selene?
I glanced at him angrily. I knew that he was a good-for-nothing liar, a fraud, and a thief but I wasn’t one to doubt or underestimate him so easily. He was a formidable adversary. That was the credit that I had to give him.
“I can tell that you are thinking about something, old man. Care to share what exactly it is?”
He placed his hands behind his head like a cushion and continued to stare at me with a smug look on his face.
I eased my hands off the table and straightened up. I didn’t believe him, but I was willing to test the waters.
“What do you know about the Descendants of Selene?”
His smug look became wider, and he looked at me with an eyebrow raised and a pleasant surprise.
“So you do believe that I have this information? This is very unexpected, coming from you, Mr. Alpha.”
I ignored his statements and continued to press on for the information.
“Do you have the information or not? And what is your price for it?”
Jonas took his feet off my desk and sat up straight, looking at me with intrigue.
“You are offering to pay me for my information?”
He chuckled and looked at me delightedly.
“Did Something happen to you?”
I slammed my hands on the desk again. I was in no mood for all this banter and shenanigans.
“State your price, or fuck out of my office!”
“Easy big guy. I have a price but the question is: Are you going to be willing to pay it.”
My eyes rolled in their sockets. Not this game again.
“Say it!” I demanded.
He had a sickening smile on his face. He got up from behind my desk and began to pace around me like a predator circling his prey.
“My price is a very simple one, Andre.”
He stopped right in front of me and we were both glaring at each other.
“My price is that I want you to stay away from Olivia. I don’t want you to take her to Elvis Pine. You are going to stay here while the two of us will go on this magical trip together and alone. I am the only one that can truly help her find her father and you being there will just distract her and make her forget what we came to do. After all, we could have left all this time, but you stole her willingness to leave and now we are still stuck here making plans.”
He took a step closer to me, and I felt his breath on my face.
“That is my price, Andre. Are you willing to pay it?”
I glared at him hatefully. I knew that he couldn’t be trusted. I knew that he wanted to take Olivia away from me.
“You must be a fool, Jonas, thinking that I would give up my woman to you just so that I can get information about the descendants of Selene. I love Olivia, and there is no way that I will allow her to make this trip alone with you. I’ve seen the way you buzz around her like a little fly, and the only reason why I haven’t swatted you is because I respect her, and it is because of her that you are a guest here. Don’t try to test the waters with me, Jonas. Make a wrong move, and I will make you pay for everything that you’ve done so far.”
Jonas backed away slowly, but his smile did not waver.
“I am not scared of you, Andre. If anything, you should be the one that shouldn’t be testing me. I have the information that you need, but it looks like you’ve just destroyed your only ticket to getting it.”
He turned around to the door and began to walk away.
“Goodbye, old man. You better get back to reading.”
He closed the door behind him as he left and I stood quietly thinking about his proposition. I didn’t believe him or trust him. And even if I did, no one would be foolish enough to give up their mate for such a flimsy piece of information that couldn’t be verified.
At least I now knew his true motives and intentions and I was going to keep a sharp eye on him from now on.
I was just about to take my seat and continue working when my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket.
I took it out and saw that it was the head of the research institute.
I picked up the call immediately, and the scientist’s voice was clear on the other end.
“Alpha Andre, we have good news. I think we have come up with a solution for the Luna’s symptoms…”