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

I laughed. “Sounds good. Thanks again, Isa.”

I’d lucked out when I’d met Vivian, who’d then introduced me to Sloane and Isabella. I’d lost touch with my college friends years ago, and though I had casual friends in New York, I’d never felt like part of a group until Vivian took me under her wing.

Happy hours, shopping trips, girls’ nights…our friendship made me realize how much I’d lost during my marriage, not only in terms of close confidantes but also in the small things that rounded out a normal, healthy life.

Abandoning my goals in favor of someone else’s wasn’t healthy. Replacing my hobbies with societal obligations because the latter were better for my husband’s business wasn’t healthy. Taking a supporting role instead of a main role in what should’ve been an equal partnership wasn’t healthy.

Dominic had his faults, but I wasn’t blameless either. I should’ve stood up for myself and what I wanted far earlier than I had. Younger me had thought love was enough to solve any problem, but growing up meant recognizing the importance of loving yourself as much as you did someone else.

I hung up and changed into a sundress before wandering into the suite’s living room. Sunlight spilled through the glass wall and drenched the pale oak floors with golden hues. My stomach rumbled with hunger, but I couldn’t decide whether to order room service or wait for Dominic.

I made a left toward his room. I lifted my hand to knock, but his voice bled through the door before I made contact.

“…can’t make it back to New York this weekend.” His deep timbre sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine. “I don’t care. Tell Grossman he’ll have to wait.” A short pause. I couldn’t see him, but I could picture the irritation stamped on his face. “That’s what I pay you for. Take care of the problem, Caroline, because I’m not leaving Brazil until Alessandra does.”

The mention of my name plunged my stomach into free fall. I knew Dominic was giving up a lot of business opportunities to be here, but there was a difference between understanding something in theory and hearing it in practice.

I was still finding my equilibrium when the door opened and he nearly walked straight into me. Surprise erased the lines of annoyance from his brow.

“Alessandra? What’s wrong?”

An unexpected tinge of sadness tugged at my heart at his assumption that I was only seeking him out because something was wrong.

“Nothing.” I fiddled with my bracelets. “Did you have something planned for us today besides meals?”

“I’d rented canoes for this afternoon,” Dominic said cautiously. “Why?”

“So nothing in the morning?” I ignored his question.

He shook his head.

“Good.” I made an executive decision on the spot. “Because we’re going to the market.”





Dominic


Florianópolis’s Public Market occupied an old colonial building right in the city center. A walk down any of its aisles revealed dozens of vendors selling clothes, food, ceramics, and local handcrafts. The air was alive with the sounds of English and Portuguese as tour guides led their groups through the maze and locals bartered in their native languages.

Alessandra and I grabbed a quick breakfast of coxinhas (chicken croquettes) and ate them while browsing the stalls.

“Which one do you like better?” She held up two scarves. “I can’t decide.”

I stared at them. They looked exactly the same. “That one.” I gestured at the one on the right.

“Perfect. Thanks.” She bought the one on the left. “Why are you laughing?”

“No reason.” I knew she’d choose the left one. When it came to shopping, she always went with the option I discarded. I suspected she didn’t trust my taste in women’s fashion, and I would’ve been offended had I not agreed with her.

I snuck a glance at her as we moved on to the next stall. I’d deliberately kept our schedule open in Florianópolis. I didn’t want to overwhelm her or force her to spend every minute with me while we were here. We had several days here; I figured we’d take it slow and see what she wanted to do, which was why I’d been pleasantly surprised when she proposed visiting the market.

I preferred the Michelin-starred chefs and gourmet restaurants, but Alessandra loved street food.

“Did you have work this morning?” she asked. “I heard…um, I thought I heard you talking to Caroline.”

“I had a quick call.” Caroline was my eyes and ears while I was gone, and she delivered detailed reports over the phone every week. One of my clients was in New York this weekend, but I wasn’t flying back to appease his ego when I would much rather be in Brazil with Alessandra.

“Speaking of work, how’s the store going?” I asked. “I hear Isabella is in charge while you’re here.” Kai was nothing if not meticulous when it came to relaying information.

“Yeah, her and Monty.” Alessandra laughed. “I think her snake almost gave one of the contractors a heart attack the other day, but apparently, it’s a great taskmaster. Everyone’s too scared to slack off with a python glaring at them.”

Ball pythons were one of the friendliest species of snake, but I supposed the average person only saw the snake part.