Fox Life

The look Gale leveled at his phone was filled with a mix of emotions. He hadn't lied to Kyro, but he hadn't told the whole truth, either. If he did, Kyro would have never agreed to return, and that would have been detrimental to everyone.     

But the feeling that it would end up biting him in the behind gnawed at Gale. He paced through the lavishly decorated room, the phone still held in his hand. It wasn't hard to call back, but he knew it would be a mistake.     

If Kyro found out that although Greesten might pose as a USA company, but had actually its roots in UK, he'd be too worried to leave his fox behind by herself. But it was the best course of action. If she stayed out of view at least for a couple weeks, Gale could find out just how much everyone knew and what to do about it.     

He had a sense that Greesten had an idea about Iris. First, they had pushed for her to be caught and named her a dangerous individual. Then, when it didn't work out, they started looking for her themselves. His investigation into them had just started, but he already knew that they had a whole department tasked with just finding the girl if she ever returned to the country.     

And they knew she had left. It sounded danger, but Gale trusted in his contacts. Without the help of the masses, the authorities wouldn't be able to find Iris in that large city. It would be no different than trying to identify a single fish in a school of them.     

"What's got you so agitated to call on me so early?" Mark asked, entering the room. He said early, but he was already dressed and awake, clearly having woken up hours ago.     

"Not your problem," Gale dismissed him and put away his phone.     

His choice was the best one under the circumstances. Kyro needed to be back, and his girl would be safer in her country when there was a good chance that Greesten knew about her ability.     

"I hope you didn't disturb me just to say that," Mark said as he sat down at the table. They were in his living room, and he didn't forget to show it off.     

Gale didn't care for it, though. He'd seen more than his share of blue blood pricks acting like they owned the world. "What if I did?" he asked with a raise of an eyebrow in a mocking manner. "You know how it happen—"     

As expected, Mark's face twisted with barely suppressed anger, but before he could erupt, the door to the room opened. A servant entered with a tray of snacks which she put on the table.     

"Boys, do play nice," Elise said, coming right after. She was dressed in a casual lavender dress and hadn't bothered to put on any make-up. It didn't detract from her beauty, though. She was one of those lucky enough to be born naturally perfect.     

While admiring the view, Gale heard the grinding of teeth from the side. He smiled at that, waiting with anticipation for the reaction that would come in three, two, one…     

"Stop ogling my sister!" Mark bellowed, his face growing red. He rushed to his feet, hands shaking.     

It was quite amusing so Gale shifted his gaze back to Elise. "Mhm? But she's a pretty sight," he said with appreciation in his voice. Elise rolled her eyes at him, but her brother wasn't that easy-going.     

It was an obvious taunt, but he still reacted to it. Gale wondered if it was just because it was him saying those words. The two of them had never seen eye to eye, and the Elise matter hadn't helped the situation either.     

"Mark!" Elise shouted out, grabbing her brother by the hand to hold him in place. "Can't you see he's just toying with you? And you"—she turned to give Gale a dark look—"stop acting like a kid. Didn't you come here to discuss your partnership? Is this how you conduct your business?"     

The last remark hit closer to home than Gale would've liked. He pushed his hair back from his eyes and looked away. He was just so tired of it all.     

For the last week he'd been doing nothing but burying himself in various documents and reports from his people. It could've been left to his associates, but the matter was too personal and important to be abandoned to underlings. If even a single mistake occurred, Dioscuri might fade into distant memory. And Kyro might even end up in jail.     

They were walking on a tightrope, with one mistake meaning a long plunge down without any safety net to catch them. And he was so tired of it. Before, he'd at least go out to have fun in the evenings to clear his head, but now Lily was waiting for him at home, and he didn't want to disappoint her by disappearing for days on end.     

With a sigh, he pulled a chair and lowered himself in it. Elise was right on one thing, though. He didn't have the freedom to play around here, no matter how much he wanted a moment to relax. Mark was an important tool and had to be kept around.     

"Let's get to it then. There's another player in our game. I came to warn you to be wary of him."     

"Who is it?" Mark asked, frowning. He was breathing heavily to calm himself, but he had already entered his business mode as well.     

"Greesen, and before you ask, yes, the pharmaceutical giant. I recently found out they have a bone to pick with us."     

The frown on Mark's face deepened. "It's too risky if they'll get involved. We can't proceed if you might get blocked at the most crucial moment." His eyes narrowed and he asked, "What did you do?"     

For the first time in his life, Gale found himself wrongly accused. He marveled at the feeling, the righteous indignation rising within him. "I'm clean this time," he said with a little pride. "Blame Kyro on this. He managed to get one troublesome girlfriend."     

"Iris?" Elise asked, interrupting their conversation. She wasn't supposed to be present in their meeting, but since Mark didn't chase her out, Gale guessed that she knew at least some of what they were planning.     

"The same one. She's in way over her head and I've been delegated with cleaning up after her."     

"What happened?" Elise asked with worry. She seemed to actually be concerned about her. "Can I help with anything?"     

It surprised Gale before he remembered that Iris had brought him the letter. He should've guessed that it meant they were acquainted. "Friendly advice - stay away from her if you value your freedom. Now, about Greesen, I'll make sure they won't interfere," he said to Mark. "But I thought you should know it just in case. It might be a bit more troublesome, but we can still go through with our plan."