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

Alessandra


Dominic’s arms engulfed me. “You won’t,” he said fiercely. “We’ve come too far. I won’t let us go back to that place.”

He’d always been good at saying the right thing. Doing the right thing was a lot harder, and every time I took a step toward believing him, some unidentifiable creature inside me yanked me back into the shadows of fear.

“You can’t promise that.” I pulled back from him and swiped at my tears. God, how many times had I cried over the past few months? I was turning into one of those weepy, dramatic characters I hated in TV shows, but there was nothing I could do about it. If I could control my emotions, we wouldn’t be where we were. “What’s the difference between then and now, Dom? When we got married, you stood next to me and promised I’d never face the world alone.” Shards of glass embedded in my chest. “But I did.”

Emotion churned through the room like a summer storm, sudden and violent, sweeping away the pretty words and pulls of attraction to reveal the crux of it. The reason why, despite all the things Dominic had done and the true remorse he’d shown, I hadn’t allowed myself to truly let go. He was sorry now because it was easy to be sorry. He had a team who could handle things while he took time off from the office, and he was lucky there’d been no emergencies while he was gone. But what happened the next time he had to choose between another billion dollars and me? When there was a conflict between a VIP client meeting and a regular Friday night date?

Pain ravaged his face, but his response was quiet and steady. “The difference is, back then, I thought I had nothing to lose. Now, I realize I have everything to lose.” Sadness reflected in his smile. “You.”

You. I never thought one word could hurt so much.

The war between believing him and retreating to safety raged through me. Another small sob shook my shoulders as Dominic pressed his forehead to me.

“Give us another chance,” he begged. “One last chance. I swear I won’t fuck it up. I know my word doesn’t mean much to you anymore, but tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.” His tears dripped into my own. “Anything. Please.”

There was nothing he could do on his own that he hadn’t already done. I could wait for a sign from the universe, some incontrovertible proof that Dominic had changed and wouldn’t regress back to the uncaring workaholic I’d lived with for far too long, but signs were open to interpretation. They existed at the whim of an unseen force, and I was tired of letting others dictate my life.

At the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me and go with my gut, and my gut told me that no matter how many people I dated or how far I tried to run, I couldn’t outrun my heart.

“One last chance.” Dominic’s body sagged with relief at my response. “Please don’t break my heart,” I whispered. That was the only request I had.

“I won’t.” His ragged breaths matched my own. He kissed me again, his embrace so sweet and desperate and searching it seeped into every molecule of my body. “I lost you once, and I never want to lose you again.”

I had nothing except faith tethering me to his promises, but wasn’t that the foundation of any relationship? Trust, communication, and faith that the other person loved us and that we could weather any storm together.

Dominic and I didn’t work the first time, but sometimes, the strongest things were those that had been broken and healed.





CHAPTER 37



Dominic




ALESSANDRA AND I SPENT THE ENTIRE WEEKEND AT HER apartment. Eating, talking, having sex. We came up for air once, when her crotchety neighbor banged on the door and yelled at us for being “too loud and vulgar,” but other than that, the days passed in a blissful haze.

We were back together. We weren’t married again, but we’d slept in the same bed and she’d invited me to her grand opening. It was a giant leap compared to our previous baby steps, and the high lasted well into Monday, when I arrived at the office an hour later than I usually did because I’d made us breakfast.

I whistled my way down the hall, ignoring my team’s wide-eyed stares. Caroline intercepted me by the elevators and followed me to my office, where she crossed her arms and eyed me the way one would an escaped tiger. “Are you sick? Do you need me to call a doctor?”

“I’m fine.” I turned on my computer and pulled up the latest numbers. “Why? Do I look sick?”

“No. You’re just…smiling so much.” She tapped her fingers against her arm. “Maybe I should call Dr. Stanley just in case. You have several important client meetings— ”

“Caroline.” I interrupted her. “I said I’m fine. Now, do you have work updates for me, or would you rather switch to a medical career?”

She instantly snapped back to chief of staff mode. “There are rumors something big is coming out this week re: a bank,” she said. “I can’t confirm anything yet, but people are nervous. Whatever it is…it’s supposed to be seismic.”

I’d heard the same rumors. Wall Street was rife with leaks and whispers. Half the time, they amounted to nothing, but I kept my ears to the ground anyway. “Keep digging,” I said. “I don’t want any surprises.”