Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 130414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
My future husband pressed his loafer between Scott’s shoulder blades. A scream wedged in my throat. What was he doing?
“Touch my fiancée in any capacity whatsoever—even breathe in her direction, in fact—and I’ll relieve you of your lousy excuse for a spine.” The words were cold, calm, and callous.
“Aow!” Scott wormed beneath him. “My back.”
For once, pure serenity settled into Romeo’s features. “Tell me you understand, and you may return to your miserable existence.”
Oliver frowned at what appeared to be a broken nail on his otherwise flawless hand. “Christ, Costa. Who pissed in your pea soup?”
Zach speed-dialed Romeo’s assistant, unruffled as though this was just another Sunday. “Hey, Cara. Call Hayward or whomever Romeo has on retainer now.” Pause. “Assault, of all things.” Another pause. “No, I am not interested in a blind date with your niece, but thank you for the offer.”
Finally, the haul in my throat loosened. I released the scream. Romeo didn’t even spare me a glance.
“I promise,” Scott spluttered. “I swear on my life I’ll never look at her again.”
“I believe you.” Romeo removed his foot from Scott’s back, rolling him face up with the tip of his shoe. “Because you’re fired, effective immediately.”
Everyone on the plane went silent. Even I couldn’t find the right words. Guilt consumed me. This had happened to Scott because of me and my thoughtlessness. My juvenile need to stick it to my fiancé.
“But your father hired m—”
“My father’s not here now and will expire soon enough. I make the calls.”
I didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually, Al dragged Scott out, the car arrived, and Zach and Oliver moved in my direction.
Oliver tapped my shoulder. “Come on, Davenport.”
I didn’t even have the energy to correct him.
When Zach strode past Romeo, he shook his head. “In the twenty-nine years I’ve known you, I haven’t seen you lose your temper once. I’ve seen you lose it three times tonight alone.”
Romeo flashed him a glare. “If you have something to say, say it, Sun.”
Zach dusted his cashmere-clad shoulder. “A picture’s worth a thousand words, but your face only says one—pussy-whipped.”
Chapter Ten
Dallas
Utter silence suspended in the air. Sensing the dark mood, Jared shut off the classical radio and raised the divider of the S600 Maybach. Of course, Romeo had a chauffeur. And, of course, his chauffeur wore a three-piece uniform, ornamented with a black cap and leather gloves. Romeo seemed very fond of treating everyone around him like they had the depth of a Sims character. He considered people as placeholders that existed solely to advance his personal plot.
I glared out the window, watching cars zip past, knowing I’d lose control if we got into an argument. A D.C. license plate winked at me, taxation without representation inked across in bold script. It snapped the last thread holding my anger at bay.
Talk about kindred spirits. I paid a heavy price for one mistake and had no voice of my own.
If only I could angry-cry. Find some sort of relief. But Romeo Costa didn’t deserve my tears. Heck, he didn’t deserve any of my bodily fluids.
Eventually, we turned onto an endless street lined with trimmed privacy hedges and rows of looming double gates that hid dozens of mansions from view. It seemed only fitting that the tyrant beside me lived on the aptly named Dark Prince Road.
Several minutes later, a towering set of iron gates came into view. A quarter-mile driveway flanked by cherry blossoms guided the Maybach to Romeo’s house. Perhaps house wasn’t the right word to describe a 30,000-square-foot Italian villa, sprawled over ten acres of historic pre-Civil War property. Six bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, two pools, and a private vineyard. I’d Zillow’d it on my phone the moment my eyes landed on the mammoth structure.
When we passed the first dozen trees, Romeo finally remembered my presence. “Due to the risks involved in my line of work, there are security cameras installed everywhere, in case you’re planning your grand escape.”
I wasn’t. Mainly because I had nowhere to go. My father would never accept me—I wouldn’t do that to Frankie, anyway—and I refused to leave before I retaliated for all the things Romeo had done to me.
I chose not to answer him.
His jaw clenched. “He stepped over the line.”
“You stepped on him.” I tried my hardest to keep my voice from shaking. “Why must you humiliate everyone who crosses you so harshly? It is such an unbecoming trait.”
“We don’t choose our traits. We merely endure them.”
It was obvious he had enough baggage to fill an airport carousel, but I refused to humor him. No excuse could pardon his behavior, no matter his backstory.
The nearer we got to his mansion, the more I could see of it. Lush greenery enfolded the statement manor in Potomac fashion. The property hosted separate grounds for staff. On the opposite end, an engineering shop nestled between the edge of a small forest and an entire security building. And here I thought my family was well-off.