𝐅𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 [𝟏𝟖+]

18

6.2K words + smut. Comments will be appreciated very, very, very much lmao

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"Is she blackmailing you?" Inquired Tyrone, undercurrents of rage flooding his voice. "Was that why you spent thirty million out of the blue?"

She. A she that wasn't Aphrodite.

Insides twisting, Cyrus' gaze drifted from the balcony overlooking the city to his bedroom to find a certain female creature still watching that nugatory Lion Documentary. She seemed very much fascinated by that video even with nearly closing eyelids.

"Are you there, Cinderella?"

"Yes," he replied on instinct before correcting himself. "No! Stop with that detestable name."

"You didn't answer my question!"

What was he supposed to say?

He couldn't say he had spent thirty million dollars to sabotage Romeo's company. He had paid one of Romeo's employees to convince Romeo to start running a $3 billion Ponzi scheme through his Bank in Arlovia. The country's constitution was strictly against money laundering and Ponzi schemes, so when he was caught, Romeo was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. Fortunately, the news about his crime was kept secret until his arrest, which also little room for him to escape.

However, Romeo wouldn't be Romeo if he couldn't find a way to circumvent his way out of imprisonment.

Cyrus should have known that.

Romeo's incredibly conniving lawyers persuaded the Queen to penalize Romeo with $8 billion and shorten his imprisonment. Since the Queen was a philanthropist, every dollar was donated to go to victims of his crimes, but it didn't serve Cyrus' very calculated purpose.

Besides, if Romeo's lawyers kept searching through the rulebook, they would find a loophole to bring him out sooner. If Cyrus had to counter, it had to be quick.

"Cyrus!" Tyrone's impatient voice interrupted his musings.

Cyrus wouldn't think twice about trading his remaining kidney to save his cousin, but this information? It was very confidential. It wouldn't just put his life in jeopardy, but Tyrone's, too. Besides, what good did it serve, thirty million dollars down the drain!

Tyrone's voice boomed from speakers. "Is she hounding you again?"

"No. That's not why I spent the money." His eyes coasted over the brightly lit street as the night breeze ruffled his strands. "I made an investment."

"An investment that's not stocks or real estate?" He sounded surprised.

Cyrus twisted his face to look at the alleged investment, not surprised to see her already asleep. She really must have been tired after all.

"Yes."

"Is everything alright?" The concern in his cousin's voice was unmistakable. "I've never seen you act more whimsically than I did these past months. Telling Celestina to sell the shares, blacklisting an employee for no reason, and now this? Is that whore bothering you? Or is it Corrine, because I know that one gets under your skin like no other?"

"I'm alright, and neither of them is creating a nuisance." Steering the conversation, he asked, "How is the wedding planning going on?"

"Pigs really must be flying in the air if you're talking about a wedding," teased his cousin.

Of course, his cousin was surprised. Cyrus never deigned to care about things like that; he had asked about it only to hinder his cousin from grilling him about Aphrodite and whatever convoluted thing they had. Not to mention, looking at the wedding budget and bills would give Cyrus an aneurysm.