“If you accuse me at the board meeting, I’ll release the information,” Charles stated flatly. “I’ll release everything I have on your wife. Including this conversation, which I’m recording.” He pulled out his phone to show Rene he wasn’t bluffing. “It might end up hurting me, but it will absolutely take you down, because Sylvie will know you could have saved her.”

“At the expense of my mother.”

Charles’s eyes rolled. “Cricket will be fine. She’ll have to find some other expensive house to live in. My father was born in that house. She’s not a Darois, and you’re not the king of this family. You were handed the crown and never made to work for it.”

“Never worked for it? Are you kidding me? I’ve had to put up with dealing with this ungrateful lot for years. You think they’re going to respect you if you’re sitting in this office? I have news for you—they will not. You’ll simply take my place as the bad guy who doesn’t give them the yacht they want, the job they deserve, the money that’s due to them.”

“They’ll respect me and I’ll finally have my rightful place,” Charles snarled back. “I’ll finally get what should have been mine all along. I won’t let you deny me my birthright a day longer.”

Rene was confused. “Birthright? I know we treat this like a kingdom, but you don’t have a right to this job.”

“I have every bit as much right as you do, you hypocrite.” Charles’s jaw was tight with anger. “And I’m not the only one who believes it. You think this family is hard to deal with? Then hit the road and get out of it. I’ll handle everything from here. Don’t play with me, Rene, or you’ll find yourself left with nothing.”

Charles turned and walked out and Rene was left reeling. What the hell was going on? He’d always known Charles hated him. He’d thought it was about their fathers’ rivalry, but it clearly went so much deeper. It went so deep, Charles was willing to utterly destroy a woman who’d done him no harm.

He was willing to take everything Rene loved.

This was war and he needed to figure out how to win. If Charles was willing to rip his world apart, it might be time to return the favor. Anger burned through him, and he could feel his fists clench. The impulse to run after Charles and get rid of the problem permanently was almost overwhelming. He could see his fist smashing through his cousin’s face.

“Mr. Darois?” Jane was suddenly standing in his doorway.

“Where the hell have you been?” He’d been interrupted twice, and there had been no gatekeeper. That was half of her damn job. Why couldn’t anyone do their job?