Julian allowed Clive to be spared the bad mood of Zane and instead offered to have them drink in his space. The younger brother's room was positioned furthest away from where Bernard stayed. On the third floor left side.
"So you want to tell me why it seemed like the two of you were ready to kill each other? I didn't even know that you were planning on coming back today." He filled the two glasses he brought with him. He handed over his brother's before taking his own.
"I decided to do it at the last moment. A rather poor last choice decision on my end." Zane gulped the liquid down in one shot. Ignoring the tight burn that spilled down his throat.
"Do you have any more cigarettes I can borrow?" He held his hand out expectantly but his brother pushed it away.
"I think indulging in one vice is more than enough for tonight. You still haven't answered my question about what happened between the two of you." Zane's eyes took on a dark shade as prepared to answer the question.
"My father apparently decided that he's sick of playing the role of the mourning husband. His taste in younger women hasn't changed one bit." Julian let out a low whistle in response to these words.
"We both had our suspicions about that. I didn't think though he'd be foolish enough to bring anyone here." Zane made a noise of agreement.
"I suppose that means you haven't caught anyone around here while I've been away." Julian shrugged, refilling their glasses for the third time. Leaning back on the sofa, he stirred the drink causing the ice to clink against the side of the glass.
"I have never spotted anything clearly. A few times when I thought something might've been up but never confirmed. He's been staying around here a lot more than normal though."
"Considering neither of us stays around here that often, it would make the best place. Not like anyone here would think about ratting on him."
"Was it that bad though? You seemed like you were in much worse of a mood than earlier."
"If you think that he was planning on having her be one of the candidates for me to marry. I think that you can figure out the answer based upon that yourself." Julian almost spit out his drink upon hearing these words.
"You mean he actually wanted to give her to you? No fucking joke?"
"She didn't seem to think that it was any kind of joke." Zane rested his arm on the chair's arm. He took his time with the third glass to avoid getting drunk too quickly. He could end up doing something foolish if he wasn't careful.
"I would prefer to not about that anymore though. There's something else that I would like to ask your opinion about."
"Something completely unrelated to this topic?" Julian clarified, sitting up so he could fill his glass again. The younger sibling didn't seem to care so much if he ended up drunk. No reason he couldn't spend the night at the estate unlike his older sibling.
"Not totally unrelated. Something to do with the girl that I mentioned to you before. I'm trying to determine what I want to do with her."
"Do with her? Did you find out she was lying or something? I thought that last time we talked you said she seemed pretty clean." Zane's lip twitched, a small smirk wanting to break free. Of course, his brother would remember such details.
"I didn't mean in that way. She's as clean as far as I can tell. Nothing new came up. Beyond the fact that she's likely going behind her employer's back in the name of justice."
"A girl on the right side of the law? I never thought that you would take a fancy to anyone like that?" Julian winced when the chair cushion hit him square in the face. Zane didn't even try to hold back when he threw.
"Slow down on drinking and stop with the nonsense. I don't have any kind of fancy for her. I do think though that she would be the best bet for getting my father to leave me be." Despite saying this, Zane filled his glass back up for the fourth time. The strong amber liquid slowly made his anger dissipate. Enough and he might actually be able to forget about what upset him.
"Sounds like you have everything already thought out. What do you need me to help you with?" Julian held onto the pillow to avoid his brother throwing it again.
"I need your help in making sure that I am making the right choice on this matter. It's not like I'm just picking up some random nobody woman off the street. You do realize who this Rose I'm talking about is?" Julian seemed to think about it for a second before shrugging his shoulders. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes before replying.
"Some paralegal, right? Her family is on the right side of the law or something. Big names in the legal or law enforcement world. I don't know many details but enough to know what you're getting at. More than any of that, I think it is more important to ask if you want the girl?"
"What do you mean by that question?" Zane furrowed his brows at his brother.
"I mean, do you want her? Is she the one that you can stand being with for the sake of getting your father off your back?" The younger brother sighed.
"I can understand the concern with all the technical details. The trouble that could come about taking someone like her. All of that can be managed. The one thing that can't is your decision on the matter. Thus, I ask you again if you want the girl? If you don't have an answer, you might want to rethink your plans."
Did he want the girl? Girl was hardly the right term for her though it didn't change the question. He hadn't actually put much thought into that. The young mafioso didn't really care who he took. He just needed someone who his father would accept and would understand what he needed.
That hardly fit the person Rose was based upon the limited interaction and experience with her. Yet, there was something about her he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that said against all odds, maybe she'd be the best fit. Something that would require him to take more time to think about the matter before making a decision.