Chapter 37: His Woman Is My Woman

Felix's mouth curved into something deliberately provocative, the diamond studs at his ears catching the light as he tilted his head.

"Marco. Mind your own business."

"Lucas and I are practically brothers. What's his is mine too."

"Good things are meant to be shared."

He took a slow sip of wine, gaze drifting lazily toward Marco, thoroughly unbothered.

"She's Lucas's now, sure."

"Felix, you can't be serious"

Marco stared at him, momentarily at a loss.

Felix had notoriously high standards. Half the city's most eligible women had tried and failed to catch his interest over the years.

And now, out of nowhere, he'd decided to fixate on his best friend's girlfriend.

Marco couldn't entirely blame him Claire was undeniably striking, the kind of beauty that made even the most composed men do a double take.

But she was taken. And more to the point, taken by one of their closest friends.

Marco wasn't on board with wherever Felix's head was going with this.

"Marco, why so tense?" Felix arched a brow, smirking. "Don't tell me you've got your eye on her too."

"That's ridiculous." Marco grabbed his glass, a flicker of guilt crossing his face before he drained half of it in one go.

Felix caught it immediately but let it slide, chuckling to himself.

"Who's to say whose she'll end up being."

Marco frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see." Felix's smile turned wicked, and he offered nothing further.

Meanwhile, Claire and Lucas had settled in with their food, laughing easily together the picture of a genuinely smitten couple.

"President Kane, how does your whole circle end up this good-looking?"

"Seriously, not one of them falls short of you or Ethan."

She cut into her steak, popping a bite into her mouth, eyes curving with amusement.

Lucas's knife paused mid-cut, his grip tightening. He looked up at her, something cold flashing behind his eyes.

"Oh?"

"Adding them to your collection now too?"

His smile carried a sharp edge, his gaze cold enough that it seemed to threaten consequences if she pushed the comment any further.

The temperature at the table dropped several degrees.

Claire sighed internally.

Why is he like this?

I complimented his friends. That's it. That's the whole crime.

And now he looks ready to commit one.

I'm not even allowed to give a compliment without it turning into an interrogation.

Still simmering slightly, she speared another bite of steak and said nothing further.

Fine. I'll let him have this one.

Just then, two more men approached, each carrying their own plates.

Claire looked up, meeting the gaze of two more strikingly tall men, both radiating the same effortless authority as everyone else in this group.

The air in this room is getting genuinely difficult to breathe in.

Lucas, already in a mood beside her, wasn't exactly helping the atmosphere.

And now two more overwhelming presences had joined the mix.

Adrian Kane wore a sharp black suit, all clean lines and quiet sophistication every movement radiating the kind of effortless command that belonged to someone who ran boardrooms for a living.

Sebastian Cole, also in black, carried something colder narrow, deep-set eyes, a guarded intensity that kept people at arm's length without him even trying.

They sat down, both settling to Claire's right.

She found herself sandwiched squarely between three of the most intense men she'd ever been in a room with.

Her breath caught slightly.

She took a slow, steadying breath and reset.

She didn't know either of the two newcomers well she filed their names away: Adrian and Sebastian.

Lucas's gaze sharpened, tracking both of them with obvious irritation.

Claire exchanged a polite glance with each of them, then lowered her eyes back to her plate, cutting into her steak with careful, composed grace.