King of Greed (Kings of Sin #3) by Ana Huang

It was the middle of the workweek. I had orders to complete, bills to pay, and a business to run. What I didn’t have was time to agonize over my bad decisions.

I ate a quick breakfast and poured myself a second cup of coffee before hunkering down at my desk.

No Dominic. No divorce. Just work.

Luckily, I had plenty of emails and meetings to keep me busy through the morning. I’d hired two assistants to manage logistics and customer service last year, and I’d just finished a video call with them when my cell rang.

“Hello?” I picked up without checking the caller ID first, too distracted by a new order requesting I create a pressed flowers collage shaped like the customer’s wife’s vagina. The sad part was, it wasn’t the strangest request I’d ever gotten.

“Hi, I’m looking for Alessandra Ferreira,” a deep male voice rumbled over the line.

All thoughts of floral vaginas flew out of my head.

I straightened, my heart picking up speed. I’d only used my maiden name once recently. “Speaking.”

“This is Aiden Clarke returning your message from yesterday. You were interested in learning more about the storefront in NoMad.”

“Yes.” The word squeaked out at an embarrassing pitch. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I mean yes, I am.”

Honestly, I’d forgotten about the storefront until his call. It’d seemed like a good idea yesterday, but I knew nothing about opening a physical store. Then again, I hadn’t known anything about operating an online business until I did it, so there was something to be said for taking the jump.

Dreams were worth chasing.

After a brief screening, Aiden offered a tour and meeting for later that day. I accepted without hesitation. No risk, no reward, right?

I sped through the rest of my work and arrived at the storefront after lunch, overcaffeinated and breathless after nearly getting mowed down by a speeding cab.

My eyes searched the sidewalk for a shiny suit and professionally whitened smile—the hallmarks of a New York Realtor—but I only saw a man who could double as a lumberjack in his flannel shirt and jeans.

“Alessandra? I’m Aiden,” he said. “Glad you could make it, and sorry again about the last-minute meeting. I have a business trip tomorrow and don’t quite know when I’ll be back.”

“No problem.” I tried to hide my surprise. He was younger and better-looking than I’d expected. Late thirties at most, with dark brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Combined with his casual outfit and friendly demeanor, he looked like he should be buying everyone a round of beer at the nearest pub instead of managing prime real estate. “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”

“Not a problem. I’m a bit compulsive about returning calls.” His eyes crinkled with a grin. “According to my best friend, it’s why I’m still single. I can’t stick to the wait three days until you call rule.”

I laughed. “It’s a stupid rule anyway.”

I did wonder briefly if he was hitting on me by bringing up his relationship status so early, but I brushed the sentiment aside. We’d just met, and I wasn’t narcissistic enough to think every man who saw me was interested in me.

Aiden didn’t give off any flirty vibes again during our tour, so I chalked up his quip to mere friendliness.

The walk-through was quick given how small the space was. In addition to the main floor, there was a bathroom and another room that could serve as an office and/or a supply closet. Aiden was honest about the parts of the interior that needed work, which I appreciated, and he listened attentively when I explained what I wanted to do with my business.

“How much is the rent?” I asked at the end of the tour. I probably should’ve confirmed that at the beginning, but I’d been too enamored by the exposed brick walls and natural light to think about the details.

When Aiden quoted me the price, I flinched. I definitely should’ve asked about the price first. There was no way I could afford it with my shop’s current profits, and I didn’t want to complicate the divorce by using my and Dominic’s joint bank account.

“I’ll be honest. I own several properties in the city, but this one is my favorite.” Aiden rapped his knuckles against the wall. “It’s a fixer-upper, but it has charm.”

I would’ve chalked his words up to Realtor talk if I didn’t agree. “You own it personally?”

“Yep. My father bought a couple of places for cheap back in the day, and I added to it. We rent out to about a dozen businesses across the city.” Another flash of a smile. City landlords were rarely nice, and I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this man owned millions of dollars’ worth of real estate. “This is the only vacant space left. It used to be a bakery, but the previous owners retired a couple of months ago and I haven’t found anyone to replace them. I’m pretty hands-on with my tenants—they have my number and know they can call any time of day if there’s a problem—so I like to find ones I click with.”

Dammit. A great location, a nice landlord, and brick walls? It was the perfect space…if it didn’t cost an arm and two legs every month.

“That’s great.” I swallowed the disappointment building in my throat. “I’ll be honest, I love the space, I really do, but I can’t afford it. I should’ve asked before you came all the way here.” I gestured around the sun-dappled main room. “I’m sorry for wasting your time.”