My brother and I had been divided a long time, but I was still disappointed by the words I heard.
“Bastien.” His voice turned serious, his stare losing all hint of humor.
I met his look.
“The Fifth Republic will fall. The old order will return. And you can’t stop it.” His cheek was propped on his closed knuckles again, his somber eyes watching me across the table. “I suggest you embrace the old order to save your neck—or step down and let someone else take your place. Take my advice.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“I guess you wouldn’t know.” He continued to stare at me, the coffee table between us. “I may not like you, but that doesn’t mean I want you dead.”
“I thought you didn’t care about anyone but yourself.”
“I care about Mom. Though, not so much right now. And she’d be ticked i
