BOUND TO THE TEXAS TYCOON

Chapter Nine

Adonis POV

“Yes, Adonis. This is Sebastian,” Gabriella said.

I let out a long breath, and some of the tightness in my chest finally eased. “I see. Thanks for being honest, Gabriella.” The words came out polite enough, but doubt still lingered in the back of my mind. Something about the way she had stared at the sketch earlier felt off. Still, I pushed the feeling aside. I knew how much she hated Sebastian and the idea of him with her daughter. That had to count for something.

I reached forward and took the sketch and envelope from her hands. “I’ll take my leave now. Send my regards to Dad.”

“Adonis, wait.”

I paused at the edge of the living room and turned back. “What is it?”

She stepped closer, her expression shifting into that calculated look I had come to recognize too well. “This is about the same thing I mentioned on your wedding day. Dave just finished college. He’s fresh out of school and more than capable of managing your hotels here in Texas. I have solid business knowledge myself. You can trust us. You won’t regret it.”

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. The conversation felt like a rerun I never asked for. “I made my answer clear that day, Gabriella. First, I’m more than capable of managing my own empire alongside my best friend. Second, I have no problem with Dave working for the company or the hotels, but he won’t get special treatment just because he’s my brother-in-law. If he’s fine starting as a manager in one of the branches, he can report for duty.”

“Adonis, you can’t be serious.” A tight smile crossed her face. “You want my son, Dave Almonte, working as a regular manager in his elder sister’s husband’s five-star hotel?”

I held her gaze without flinching. “Gabriella, the fact that I care about your daughter doesn’t make me a fool for the rest of your family. I paid for your husband’s surgery, all of his treatments, and every checkup. I’ve given you plenty of money and I continue to do so. But I’m not handing over the COO position of my hotels to Dave. I’ll take my leave now. Tell your husband we’ll come for dinner next weekend.”

I turned and walked out before she could push any further. The door clicked shut behind me, and I shook my head. I’d always known she was greedy and rude. It showed in the way she had raised her kids, always looking for the next advantage, the next handout.

I was still standing near the front steps when a sleek black car pulled into the driveway. Ralph Lorenzo stepped out from the back seat, adjusting his glasses before walking straight toward me. Ralph owned a string of casinos and clubs across the state. He had tried doing business with my father for years, but Dad always turned him down. Now his focus had clearly shifted to me. I also knew he was an acquaintance of Jasmine’s father, which made these run-ins even more annoying.

“Adonis, my boy. Really good to see you here,” he said, extending his hand once he reached me. “How’s life as a married man treating you?”

“It’s fine.” I forced a polite smile and shook his hand firmly.

“And how is the most beautiful girl in Texas?” His smile widened.

“Jasmine’s doing well. Thank you, sir.”

He nodded, then got straight to business. “Adonis, it must be luck that I ran into you here today. I was planning to drive out to the ranch soon to talk about the same proposal I’ve been making for a while now. Your father left you a massive empire at a young age. I’m not after your wealth. I simply want us to become business partners. You invest in my ventures, and there’s that abandoned piece of land on your ranch I’ve had my eye on since your father passed. I’d like you to sell it to me.”

I kept my voice steady, though irritation was building. “Mr. Lorenzo, I respect you, but this is starting to become inconvenient. Every time we meet, it circles back to the same conversation. I’m not interested in investing in casinos or clubs. As for the land on the ranch, I plan to build schools and other facilities for the kids in the countryside. I hope you can understand that.”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Adonis, you take after your father Alexander so much, and I admire that. But building schools for those children? That’s not your responsibility. Your father never did anything like that while he was alive. Why start now?”

“With all due respect,” I said, keeping my tone even, “my father and I are different people with different goals. I care about those kids. I’d rather donate every dollar I have to help them than watch them struggle. I’m not selling that land, and I’m not doing business with you. I don’t want to discuss this again, sir.”

“Think about it one more time, Adonis. You might change your mind.”

“I’m never going to change my mind. Have a nice day, Mr. Lorenzo.”

I walked past him toward my car and adjusted my Rolex out of habit. His voice stopped me cold.

“Adonis, on the day of your wedding, when Jasmine tried to escape, I was the one who stopped her. “I held her down and made her see reason about running away on her wedding day.” I bet you didn’t know that. But isn’t that enough proof that I’m not the bad guy you seem to think I am? Think about it, my boy. I won’t stop until you change your mind.”

He smirked, then opened the front door of the Almonte house and stepped inside like he owned the place.

I stood frozen in the driveway, his words echoing in my head. Confusion hit me hard. The wedding reception had taken place at the ranch. I had stationed guards everywhere, extra security at every possible exit. For Jasmine to even attempt to slip away without being spotted, someone who knew the layout well must have helped her. Someone on the inside.

My mind raced. If there was a worker on my ranch willing to betray me and help Jasmine escape, I needed to find out who it was. And fast.

But who could it be?

Ralph Lorenzo’s words continued to echo in my mind.

The man had been obsessed with that piece of land for years. Every conversation somehow circled back to it.

Why?

There had to be something I was missing.

I made a mental note to ask Gabriel to quietly investigate why Lorenzo was so interested in that section of the ranch. “No one became that obsessed with a piece of land without a reason.”

And I intended to find out what that reason was.

I climbed into the car. The driver pulled away smoothly, but the question wouldn’t leave me alone. The doubt about Gabriella’s confirmation of the sketch mixed with this new revelation about Lorenzo. Nothing was as straightforward as it seemed anymore. Jasmine’s past, her family’s greed, and now possible disloyalty on my own property. I stared out the window as the city gave way to the road back to my villa, my grip tight on the armrest.