"And I'm supposed to what? Simply accept all this without asking any questions?!" Jacob felt like his head was seconds away from exploding after Aiden finished explaining whatever was going on. He was beyond irritated and confused at that point.
Aiden had called for him and Lucas to meet him at his house office to give them some clarity, but all he did was give them even more questions. It was obvious he knew more than what he was sharing, and that alone was poking Jacob the wrong way. They weren't the kind to just spill everything to each other, but when it came to important things they definitely wouldn't holdout on each other either. Lucas on the other hand, seemed to be so unbothered with everything that it only irked the loyal friend and personal assistant even more.
"Relax Jacob." Lucas said as he was lazily sitting on the dark leather sofa. "It's not like we can do much even if we did have all of the details. We already know the Phoenix Clan is responsible for last night's attack. So why don't you simmer down? Nobody's in the mood to bicker right now. Especially with all of the work that's about to come our way." Just the thought of having to increment his men's training sessions due to the fiasco that went down the night before was enough to make Lucas want to crawl into bed and pretend he didn't exist for a couple of weeks.
"Oh right. Of course I should relax. Because staying in the dark about potential clan wars and mysterious assassin like girlfriends is obviously the smart thing to do." Jacob snapped back at Lucas with a sarcastic tone. "Please. Why not give me more of your amazing advice oh wise one."
"Sassy as always are we?" Lucas chuckled at his friend's obvious anger. "Well if you want more advice, I'm more than willing to give you some. Look, next time you're making pasta add some garlic power to the water as it boils before adding the-"
"I'M NOT JOKING LUCAS!" Jacob interrupted the beyond unnecessary culinary tip he was receiving with a shout.
"Lower your voice Jacob." Aiden told him as he finished signing some documents he had just reviewed. He was sitting in his desk while listening to his two best men bicker like a married couple. Something he had long gotten used to. Looking up at him he continued. "Claire is on a phone call with Lily." He was well aware his office was sound proof, but he didn't care. Unnecessary angry shouting in his angel's proximity was not allowed.
"I just don't understand Aiden." Jacob was so exasperated by his life long friend's attitude in regards to everything that was happening, that he reverted back to calling him by name. Something he only did out of the office or when he was up to the brim with emotions. Requirements that were both currently met. "How are you trusting her so much?! Haven't you seen all the damage she's managed to provoke in such a small amount of time?! Why can't we even know how she got mixed up with them?! It's ludicrous for you to expect me to not be demanding for answers!"
As soon as he finished saying that, a knock on the door was heard. Aiden's expression shifted from a neutral one to a more serious one. He wasn't trying to intimidate his friend, but he wanted to be clear.
"We'll continue this later." The message of him not wanting Claire to feel uncomfortable was a clear one. He stood up from his desk and walked over to the door. Once he opened it, his lips stretched out into a smile as soon as his eyes landed on her.
She was wearing the dark blue jeans and three color turtle neck he had picked out for her. She paired it with some white sneakers Aurora brought for her and styled her hair into what Aiden called her signature messy bun. With no make up on, he was beyond thrilled with how adorable she always seemed to look. And taking into consideration the fact that he chose to wear a similar outfit to hers, they looked like the typical lovey dovey couple that intentionally matched their clothes before going out. Something he also enjoyed more than he cared to admit out loud.
"Well if it isn't my favorite little Cheeto." Lucas said making the couple look over at him. As he fixed his sitting posture, he gestured for Claire to sit down next to him. "Come sit with me over here."
Aiden was tempted to glare at his brother since he wasn't planning on having her step in to an obviously tense room, but he didn't. He knew his brother well enough to understand there would be meaning behind his invitation. So having that in mind, he decided to go with the flow of things.
Even though Claire noticed the obvious tension in the room, she chuckled when she saw Lucas' silly grin. It reminded her of Colton. And seeing as Aiden didn't object to her being there, she decided to go indulge Lucas and sit with him.
Once she stepped inside, she couldn't help but admire the office.
Unlike most of the house, the floors were dark oak that paired perfectly with the dark oak furniture that filled the room. His desk was placed at the far right as the rest of the designated sitting area was right in front of it. It had a view to a piece of the vast garden from the ceiling to floor windows and the light blue and cream color scheme played perfectly with the bright blue sky that warmed the space up nicely. As she sat down next to the grinning Lucas, she noticed a giant dog bed in one of the offices corner. Right in front of the floor to ceiling high bookshelves that matched the ones in the room they had remodeled for Lily. It was the same kind of dog bed she had seen in multiple rooms throughout the house.
A conflicting feeling soared across her chest. On one side, she was happy Aiden went to such great lengths to avoid her ever accidentally crossing paths with his dogs, but on the other she felt ashamed. They were living and breathing animals that Aiden obviously held dear to his heart. She shouldn't be the reason behind his pets getting to spend less and less time with their human. Shifting her gaze, as to avoid any of the three men noticing what she was thinking, she made a silent vow to try her best to start getting over her fear of them.
"Does she miss me?" Lucas asked her as soon as she finished sitting down. The glint in his eyes was so cute Claire couldn't help but chuckle. She understood what he meant without the need for further explanation.
"I believe so." She replied as she felt a certain assistant staring at her intensely. "She was asking about when you two would properly continue your movie night together."
"Oh?" Lucas then cheekily winked at Aiden who was now leaning against his desk while listening in on their conversation. "Guess that settles who the little Princess likes more then huh?"
"Keep dreaming." Aiden scoffed at him.
"Don't let the truth keep you up at night Bro." Lucas teased Aiden as Claire decided to lock her gaze with Jacob who hadn't stopped burning a hole on her face. He wasn't glaring at her, he knew better than to sign such a death wish, but he wasn't ever afraid of letting people know exactly how pissed off he actually was. And since they weren't in a work setting, he didn't care about acting like his poised and stoic usual self.
"I'm sure you have a million things to ask and say, so I'll be taking you all to visit our base in the city. Hopefully, it will clarify some things for you and help throughout your planning." She said to him as she interrupted the brother's silly bickering.
"A base in the city's center? And a simple visit there is supposed to answer all of my questions?" Jacob retorted in a somewhat petty way. But beyond his irritation with her, his words were just a way of him baiting information out of her. A technique he had perfected throughout his life.
"That's not what I said." Claire's tone was soft and understanding, but her eyes were focused. She would not let him twist her words to his advantage regardless of how good he was at it or how important he was to Aiden. "I said it will hopefully clarify some things for you all. But it doesn't mean I will answer all of your questions."
"So you just expect us to willingly go along with whatever it is you say after all the trouble and bloodshed you caused yesterday?" Jacob's opinion of her had been shaky from the start, but the more he talked to her the more red flags would pop up. He wasn't hen pecked by her or relentlessly fawning over the mini version of herself like the other two men in the room. He was out for answers. And until he got them, he wouldn't bend to anybody's will as easily as he thought Aiden was doing because of her.
Aiden was about to intervene, but he stopped once he noticed Lucas' gesture. He wasn't pleased with how the situation was turning, but he trusted him. There was something his brother was trying to achieve, and if that meant he had to contain his growing irritation, then he would. At least for now.
"I expect you to not continuously judge me as quickly as you have." Claire's voice turned a bit more serious. She was polite, but now her natural personality began to ooze out of her. Kind yes, but not one to mess with or try to push around. She didn't care if it was his way of testing her or not. The possibility of cracking under the pressure of a scrutinizing gaze was something her life long lessons had beaten out of her decades ago. "I understand you are of a competitive and domineering nature and that you regard these men as your family. But neither I nor my people are your enemies. I have been secretive yes, but trust me when I say I could have gone about this a thousand other ways. Yet here I am including you all without regard for the possibility that it will be one of you who turns on me. So keep that in mind the next time you hope to tongue twist me into being submissive to your intentions." Her words were as resolute as her stance. She wouldn't back down and let him intimidate her into risking anything just because he was someone of importance to the man she was effortlessly falling for. She would rather walk out and never look back than have her resolve weakened.
After a long moment of silence Jacob retorted for the last time. "Don't expect me to be nice." Although his stance was the same, both Lucas and Aiden easily noticed how her words got through to him. He was indeed overprotective of them, but he was no fool. If he truly thought her to be an enemy, she wouldn't have been able to take a step into the office regardless of what they said to him.
"Likewise." Claire sweetly smiled at him before she turned to look at Lucas who was smiling at her as well. She didn't really understand why he was doing so, seeing as she had just spoken so roughly to their life long friend, but then she turned to look at Aiden and he was also smiling at her. They both looked... proud?
"Yeah yeah she held her own. Get over yourselves." Jacob suddenly said as he turned around and starting walking towards the door. "You guys are making breakfast so let's get a move on."
"You're making breakfast Cheeto?!" Lucas excitedly asked Claire as he turned her by the shoulders.
"Aiden said we could make it together." She answered with a giggle. He was like a giant puppy wagging his tail at the mention of food.
"Screw that!" He said as he stood up. "I'm a way better cook than he is. We'll make it!" He then moved so quickly that Claire didn't understand what happened until she saw herself grabbing on to his back. Lucas had expertly thrown her over his shoulder and bolted out of the room running while Aiden dashed behind them.
"You're pushing your luck again Lucas!" Aiden yelled at him as he chased them down the stairs.
Seeing such big men run through the house as they yelled at each other made her burst into a loud laughter that filled up every empty room they passed by. She truly hoped that days like those would keep on coming.