I watched her walk away before I took the vacated spot and sat across from my brother. “My fiancée tells me her sister isn’t too happy about the news.” The hostility was out in the open, because yet again, that bitch was sabotaging my life.

Magnus wore a stoic expression, in jeans and a gray shirt, his hands together between his thighs. “Can you blame her?”

My eyes narrowed at the insult. “I’m richer than the devil, I’m good-looking, I granted her freedom. Yes. I can blame her.” I grabbed the glass of wine Gilbert had provided and took a drink.

My brother wasn’t as restrained as he usually was. He spoke his mind, like he had something important to say. “Raven isn’t impressed by money. And she doesn’t want her freedom.” Pride was noticeable not just in his eyes, but in the sound of his voice. “She wants to be with me wherever I go.”

I relaxed into the couch, my arm resting over the back with the wineglass still in my grasp. If he wanted to be proud of the loyalty he’d acquired from a woman no other man would want, that was his prerogative. Seconds of intense eye contact transpired before my eyes narrowed slightly. “Isn’t that romantic?” I brought the glass to my lips and took another drink. “If the bitch wants to work, let her.”

Magnus immediately turned angry. “Don’t do that.”

“What?” I knew what, but I asked anyway. Just needed to remind him that his woman was forever beneath mine.

“You know exactly what, Fender. I think Melanie is dumb as a dog, but you don’t hear me saying that.”

I didn’t appreciate the insult, but I didn’t respond to it because I was the one who’d made the first attack. It was pointless anyway, because he was wrong. They were both wrong about every assumption they made about Chérie. I returned the wineglass to the table. “Sounds like this is getting serious…”

He ignored my sarcasm and held my gaze.

I let the tension go. “I guess I’m gonna have to learn to tolerate her, aren’t I?”

“She’s more than tolerable.” That pride was back.

“I disagree. And I’ll always disagree.” We’d leave it at that.

After a tense silence, Magnus spoke. “When’s the wedding?”

“Whenever she gets a dress, I guess. We aren’t having a big ridiculous wedding. We’ll probably get married out on the lawn.”

“I expected you to throw a big party.”

Our wedding was just about us. No one else. I didn’t want to have to entertain guests with conversations I didn’t care about. I wanted all my attention on Chérie. “She doesn’t know any of those people. Prefers it just be us…and the two of you.”

He didn’t respond to the invitation.