Empire of Sin (Empire #2) by Rina Kent

“So you’re blaming me now? Am I at fault for taking you away from that life? For offering you a better one?”

“It’s not better, Papa. I can’t…I can’t live in the midst of danger all the time. I can’t stay on my toes and avoid the outside world because I could be attacked at any second. I might survive the first time or the second, but what about the rest of my life? What about when you’re gone and I become an even bigger target?”

“You’ll be no target if you marry Damien. Everyone is too scared of him to even think about attacking him.”

“I don’t want to, Papa. Please.”

“Then what do you want? A certain lawyer who’s currently going against us in court?”

My lips part. “How…how do you know about him?”

“Adrian told me everything.”

Of course, Adrian would be playing both sides. I was foolish to believe he wouldn’t.

“I also heard you want him to win.” His expression becomes closed off. “Against us.”

“He’s defending a physical and sexual abuse victim, Papa, just like my mother was. If she ever meant anything to you, if I mean anything to you, please stop interfering. You killed an abuser once. Don’t let this one walk free.”

“So you want me to think you’re doing this for the girl, not a certain…” he trails off, staring at a file in front of him. “Knox Van Doren.”

Something slashes my insides at the thought that Papa already has a file on him. Was it Adrian again? Or maybe Kirill?

“He has nothing to do with this,” I murmur.

“He better not or he’ll be collateral damage.”

“Papa, don’t…please.”

“He’s not what you think, Nastyusha.”

“What do you mean?”

“This case is personal to him.”

“How could it be personal? He doesn’t know either Sandra or Matt.”

“No, but he’s well-acquainted with Sandra’s circumstances since he went through something similar himself. My people went to a lot of trouble to get me this information since his foster father practically buried it, but he couldn’t have hidden it from me.”

“What are you talking about, Papa?” I realize I’m shaking, my fingers clasped together and sweat gathering between my brows. “What information are you talking about?”

“His mother was a prostitute and a drug addict.”

“He already told me that.”

“Did he also tell you that when her body no longer had any value, she prostituted her two children to pedophiles?”

I gasp, my hands going to cover my mouth. The information Papa just revealed ever so casually crashes against my ribcage and splits it open.

Despite my attempts to reject it, to tell him it’s not true, many pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Like how Knox doesn’t like to have sex from the front, Teal’s overprotectiveness, and especially his stiffness ever since he met Sandra.

I thought it was him being an asshole, but it must’ve been because she triggered him somehow. Because her story brought back awful memories from his own past.

Oh, God. I was clueless.

So damn clueless.

“He’s not for you, Anastasia.”

My mouth falls open as I stare my father square in the eye. “And the man who kills a village for dinner is? What type of logic is that, Papa?”

“Damien will protect you.”

“He won’t care about me enough to protect me. Down the line, he might become no different than my stepdad. The man whose file you have in front of you, however, does. Even when I lied to him and hid my identity, all he did was take care of me.”

“An outsider is out of the question.”

“Rai married Kyle and he’s British.”

“Kyle might have been raised in England, but he’s not an outsider. His father is one of our leaders.”

“But…”

“My decision is final. Don’t make me get rid of him.”

“Papa!”

“Do as you’re told, Anastasia. Marry Damien and cut any relations with this lawyer and I’ll spare him. I’ll even stop backing Matt.”

A tear slides down my cheek because the decision I’ll have to make will burn me alive.





36





KNOX





A round of applause greets me as soon as I’m inside the office. Even Lauren and Chris step aside and join the others in the celebratory greeting.

Every senior and junior partner is present, in addition to all the assistant lawyers and even the interns.

Nate and Aspen are at the front of them all, wearing what seems to be proud expressions. The managing partner of W&S strides toward me and grabs me by the shoulder with a little squeeze. “Great job.”

“You’re saying that as if I had a chance to lose.”

“You did.” It’s Aspen who speaks with a slight lift in her brows. “In fact, you might have gotten lucky at the end.”

“Turning the defense’s witness against him isn’t lucky, Aspen. It’s hard work.” Though luck might have played a little part in it.

Our evidence wasn’t rejected as we thought it would be. Not only that, but Karen, Sandra’s stepmother, visited me late at night to tell me she wanted to make up for her mistake.