'Uncle?' Lucien looked at him without changing his expression one bit. He didn't flinch, but inside he was surprised.
He hadn't expected that at all; he had assumed that the head of the family was Roxana's father... or that perhaps her parents were already dead.
But no: the man in front of him was his uncle.
'This really took me by surprise,' thought Lucien. 'I came prepared to face the infernal father-in-law, not the meddlesome uncle.'
Vykram stepped forward with the arrogance of someone who believes the sun rises because he ordered it to.
And Lucien, who was still assessing the situation, gave her a small, venomous smile.
"What a considerate uncle," she said softly, too softly. "Finding suitors for his beloved niece... when she's already married."
The comment stung like acid.
Lucien wanted to attack him right then and there, rip out his tongue and use it as a decoration... but he knew he wasn't strong enough to win that fight yet.
