Marcus's POV
I played chess with my father, but my focus drifted more specifically, to Anna Shaw and the red half-moons her nails had raked across my back. I moved a piece without thinking, earning a sharp frown from across the board.
Thwack!
His walking stick struck my shoulder not enough to hurt, just enough to yank me back to reality.
“If you’re not going to take this seriously, leave,” he growled, though a flicker of amusement softened the warning.
I winced in mock pain. “Just some scratches,” I murmured, lips twitching into a smile. “A rather fierce kitten.”
His expression shifted. After decades at the helm of the Murphy empire, little escaped him. “A kitten?” he echoed knowingly. “So you’ve found someone.”
I didn’t respond, but I didn’t need to. He read the truth in my silence
