A single brow rose over Charles’s green eyes. It had been said that Charles looked a lot like Rene, though a duller version, like Rene had gotten all the light and Charles had been left in the shadows.

Rene had never once said that, but he knew damn well Charles held it against him.

“Wedding? Now that is interesting,” Charles said. “I wasn’t aware you were even dating, cos.”

“Well, you don’t know everything about me, do you?”

“Oh, I make it my goal to do exactly that. You know what they say about friends and . . . family. Keep your friends close and your family closer.” Charles squared off his shoulders.

Enemies. Was that what he’d become to his family? The enemy who held them all down? “Then you know how private I am about my personal life. I don’t advertise who I’m dating.”

“But you don’t hide it, either. You never have,” Charles replied. “Let’s stop beating around the bush and be honest. Who’d you hire? You can’t think that Aunt Roberta is going to believe for a second that you up and got married and mean to stay that way. Did you hire that model you used to date? Roberta hated her. How much of the family money are you spending on this ridiculous scheme to keep me out?”

“My son did not have to hire a woman to marry him.” His mother sounded outraged. “Rene, I’m going outside to get a switch. Charles’s momma didn’t whoop him enough.”

Louis chuckled. “I think we should probably stay close.”

Charles ignored the outburst, putting all his focus on Rene. “This isn’t going to work. This makes you look pathetic and ridiculous. No one with half a brain is going to believe this marriage is real.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re dealing with our cousins,” Rene shot back. It wasn’t fair of him, but he was angry. He’d been nervous before, but anger started to thrum through his system. “And don’t you dare accuse me of using company money for personal business. You know I don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, the great Rene Darois is independently wealthy because his father was smart enough to marry a Talbot.” He turned to Cricket. “No offense, Aunt Cricket. I think it’s admirable that you managed to be born into such a wealthy family. One would think since Rene’s got his own cash that he would be kinder to the rest of us who are dependent on the company.”

The situation was more complex, but Rene couldn’t make Charles understand. It was futile to try. “It’s not about kindness. It’s about keeping the company solvent for future generations, including your children.”