Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 40037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
But they were violent men, not fathers. They did the best they could for the time they had me, before sending me off to another.
How can I help her?
With each step, darkness emanated from those pretty brown eyes. Heart-wrenching emotion poured from the corners of her mouth, even though she tried to keep them pursed.
She tried to stand straight and walk tall.
She was so young and had taken the weight of an entire kingdom on those slender shoulders. I could tell that she was beginning to feel the weight of this world and the pressure of being a leader.
Her people flanked us on both sides. But even their expressions showed that they were concerned and unsure of how to handle this situation.
Everything about them screamed disbelief and anger, but they were probably forced to hold back their aggression and had to pay a higher respect for her grandmother.
Kashmere needs more help. No one should be able to talk to her that way, not even her grandmother.
Anger swam in my chest, prickling and itching my throat.
What should I say?
And with all the turmoil, I was sure, she’d been walking a rocky journey of leadership all on her own. And I could see that the blackness of our world threatening to swallow her young soul up. To crumble her bright spirit.
So much that my heart ached.
I tenderly squeezed her hand.
How could I make her smile?
I didn’t like this feeling.
I usually didn’t suffer from an overabundance of empathy.
I was desensitized to most situations, and the women I came into contact with seemed to make this even worse. Though they were strong, they whined and primped or cried too much.
The few women in charge in my world usually made my skin crawl.
By contrast, Kashmere had somehow become an exception. Something about her caught my attention in a way that confused me.
I felt like I actually cared for her, though this feeling was unnatural for me. It was odd, yet strangely calming. The need to know more about her was more important than my normal inclinations.
We continued to walk down a long hallway.
I could see that she was battling the sadness and grief that tried to pull her down.
Damn it. Is she going to cry?
She tried to keep her face straight, but I could see that tears were trying to fall from those pretty brown eyes.
In the next second, a neutral mask covered her face. Her shoulders stood stern and her head stayed high.
There she goes.
She took the lead.
And I followed.
She’s stronger than she appears.
Her elegant poise was so different from the other women that I’d met and fucked. While her tiny frame echoed a quiet sadness, confident feminine power emanated from her.
She was currently working hard to lead the Killer Crows, and keep her family safe.
Unfortunately, I knew that one day the Killer Crows would fall. If the foundation of the family wasn’t strong, then it would not last forever.
Perhaps, it would be a help to be here, for not just my family, but hers.
The DeLuca Family was a high level crime organization, not because we had a lot of guns or committed a lot of violence, but because we worked together.
We remained loyal.
She needs to rule with a stronger hand and put everyone in their proper place.
If Don Enzo was interested in breaking down the Syndicate and conquering Paradise City, many other high level criminals would be too. And with the way her grandmother talked to her and how even this Simon—someone who was supposed to follow her lead, instead was whispering to me—she would crumble.
They don’t even know that they’re destroying her. . .and thus. . .destroying themselves.
A man’s dark voice sounded from behind us. “Kashmere!”
We stopped and both turned around.
Her people and mine stepped aside.
Not him again.
The man from earlier, Simon stormed our way. “Where are you going? We haven’t done the toast or begun the meal.”
Kashmere held a firm expression. “We wanted to have a private conversation.”
Simon looked pissed and folded his hands in front of him. “Once you two are married, you both will have plenty of times to have private conversations. But for tonight—”
“What is your position again?” I leaned my head to the side.
Simon blinked. “I am the supervising Executive of the entire Board. A CEO. Supervisor. Anything that suggests the Head Person in Charge, would be my job.”
I let go of Kashmere’s hand, stepped close, and towered over him. “And what does the job involve?”
He raised his eyebrows at me. “I do a lot. I’m to supervise the spending and—”
“Yell at the Chairman on the night she’s getting to know a strange man that in a day will become her husband?” I sneered.
Simon frowned. “Well. . .you are not her husband yet. The Board will still need to approve this arrangement and part of this process is this evening dinner and—”