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

“You didn’t. As someone who can’t tell one type of lily from another, I’m impressed by what you want to do.” Aiden examined me. “Do you have a lawyer? I’m happy to negotiate with them.”

I had a feeling Cole’s family law expertise didn’t count. “No,” I admitted.

Aiden frowned. He probably thought I was ridiculous, and I didn’t blame him. People planned for milestones like this. Meanwhile, I just walked by the storefront one day and decided I wanted to rent it.

Heat prickled my skin.

“How about this?” he finally said. “If you pay a portion of the construction costs and agree to a longer lease period, I’ll give you three months’ free rent. It should help with initial costs while you get your shop off the ground.”

My eyes jerked back to his. “Why would you do that?” Surprise had dissolved my normal filters, and I didn’t have time to phrase the question in a more tactful way.

“Vacancy is expensive, and I’d rather not spend more time interviewing potential tenants than necessary,” Aiden said. “Like I said, I want people I click with, and even though we just met, I can tell you’re one of them. Pay your rent on time, keep the shop in good condition, and we’ll get along swimmingly.”

I drew my bottom lip between my teeth.

If something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. The last thing I needed was to get scammed into some ruinous real estate scam.

Aiden must’ve picked up on my hesitation because he added, “I know this is moving fast, but it’s hard to find good tenants in the city. When I see one, I tend to snatch them up. I’ll email you a lease with the amended terms so you can have a lawyer look it over. You don’t have to decide now, but I would like an answer within the next two weeks.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”

That sounded fair enough to me. I didn’t want to use Dominic’s lawyers, but one of my friends must know someone who could help me out.

I shook Aiden’s hand, my stomach fluttering with nerves and a hint of excitement. “Deal.”



“He wants to bang you,” Isabella said the following night as we walked into Le Boudoir. “There’s no way a New York City landlord would be that nice unless he has ulterior motives.”

“No, he doesn’t. He has his own business reasons for giving me free rent.” I’d researched it after returning home from the tour yesterday, and it was a common “perk” landlords offered during negotiations.

“Yeah, but the fact he brought it up without you having to ask?” Isabella arched an eyebrow. “Suspicious.”

“I agree.” Vivian slid out of her lush faux fur coat and handed it to the coat check attendant. “Especially since he’s around your age and single. You didn’t see a wedding ring, right?”

During our walk to the restaurant, I’d told my friends what happened with Aiden and I already regretted it. Sloane was the only one missing from the gang-up because she was still in Europe.

“You guys are ridiculous,” I said. “Not everyone has an ulterior motive. Besides, he hasn’t sent the papers yet. Until I have a lawyer look over them, nothing’s concrete.”

I shot a quick glance at Dante and Kai, who were trying their best to pretend they weren’t listening. They’d stayed several steps behind us on the walk over, but I knew they’d heard everything. Considering they were good friends with Dominic, the conversation must have been as awkward for them as it was for me.

Luckily, my friends’ ridiculous assumptions about Aiden’s motives dissolved into greetings and small talk as other guests came over to say hi.

Le Boudoir was the latest jewel in the Laurent Restaurant Group’s crown, and most of Manhattan’s elite had turned out for its exclusive soft opening. I’d stayed away from society events the past few weeks because I didn’t want to face the inevitable questions about Dominic—no one gossiped more than the rich and idle—but my friends had convinced me to make an exception. It was a small event, it was hosted by Sebastian Laurent, and there was zero chance of Dominic attending since, according to Dante, he was supposed to be en route to London right now.

Key phrase: supposed to be.

My stomach plunged into free fall when I stepped into the main dining room and instantly spotted a familiar head of dark blond hair by the bar. I didn’t even have to look for him; his presence was like gravity drawing me in whether I wanted it to or not.

“You said he was traveling to London,” Vivian whispered, glaring at her husband.

“I said he was supposed to be traveling to London,” Dante corrected. “It seems he, ah, had a change in plans.”

I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. Everything—the music, the guests, the servers circling with trays of champagne—dulled into a muted roar when Dominic glanced up from his conversation with Sebastian. Our gazes collided, dark blue against light, and the impact almost knocked my knees out from under me.

My heartbeat slowed to a painful rhythm. We’d been married for a decade, yet seeing him here after last night was like laying eyes on him for the first time all over again.

“You must be Dominic. I’m Alessandra, but my friends call me Ále.” I smiled, trying to hide an unexpected spark of attraction.