King of Wrath (Kings of Sin #1) by Ana Huang

But for some unknown reason, it did.

Christian and I reached the front door.

“This personal matter…” he said as I exited into the hall. “Wouldn’t happen to be Vivian’s ex-boyfriend showing up at your house, would it?”

Surprise halted my steps, followed by a cold blast of fury. I turned, my glare lasering in on Christian. “What the fuck did you do, Harper?”

“I merely facilitated a reunion between your fiancée and an old friend,” he said casually. “Since you enjoyed fucking with me so much, I figured I’d return the favor. Oh, and Dante?” His smile lacked any hint of humor. “Touch Stella again, and you’ll no longer have a fiancée.”

The door slammed in my face.

Red dotted my vision until it coated the walls and floor with crimson.

That fucker.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t let his threat slide, but I didn’t have time for his bullshit.

I’d deal with Christian later.

It took ten minutes to reach my jet, fifty to land in New York, and another thirty to arrive at my apartment.

Plenty of time for my fury to reach a full boil.

I should’ve handled the Heath situation myself instead of delegating to Christian. He was good at his job, but he weaponized any and all information at his disposal.

Then there was fucking Heath. I hadn’t received any urgent updates from Edward, but the thought of him being in such close proximity to Vivian for almost two hours set my teeth on edge.

When I reached my apartment, Edward greeted me at the door, his face carefully blank. “Good evening, sir.”

“Where are they?”

He didn’t blink an eye at my curt response. “The living room.”

I was gone before the last word fully left his mouth.

What could Heath and Vivian have been doing all this time? What were they talking about? Had they been in contact since he sent her those roses?

I stopped in the living room doorway. My eyes immediately found Vivian, who was backed against the wall next to the fireplace. Heath towered over her, his body partially obscuring her from view.

Fire ignited low in my gut.

I walked toward them, my steps silent against the thick carpet, my muscles coiling with each stride.

“I told you, I didn’t text you.” Vivian’s soft exasperation drifted into my ears when I neared. Neither of them noticed my arrival. “I don’t know what happened, but the message isn’t from me.”

“You don’t have to lie to me.” Heath’s voice needled my skin like tiny, annoying wasps. I wanted to reach down his throat and yank his tongue out. “You don’t want to marry Dante. We both know that. You’re only with him because of your parents. Look, just…just wait until my IPO, okay? Postpone the wedding.”

“I can’t do that.” Exasperation edged into weariness. “I care about you, Heath. I always will. You were my first love. But I’m not…I can’t do that to Dante or my family.”

“Were?” The needling voice tightened.

“Heath…”

“I still love you. You know that. I’ve always loved you. If it weren’t for your parents…” His head lowered. “Dammit, Viv. It was supposed to be us.”

“I know.” The thickness of her voice made my gut twist. “But it’s not.”

“Do you love him?”

My gut twisted further at Vivian’s long pause.

“You don’t,” Heath said. “If you did, you wouldn’t hesitate.”

“It’s not that simple.”

I’d heard enough.

“Next time you try to steal a man’s fiancée,” I said, my voice deadly calm despite the rage tunneling through me. “Don’t be stupid enough to do it in his house.”

Heath whipped around.

Surprise flashed through his eyes, but he didn’t get a chance to react before I hauled my arm back and slammed my fist into his face.





VIVIAN

A sickening crunch ripped the air, followed by a pained howl. Blood spurted from Heath’s nose, and the scent of copper drenched my surroundings, seeping beneath my skin and rendering me immobile.

I could only watch, horrified, as Dante hauled a spluttering Heath up by the collar and pinned him against the wall.

Anger carved harsh lines across Dante’s face, hardening his jaw and turning his cheekbones into slashes of tension against the firelight. His eyes simmered with slow-burning fury, the type that snuck up and annihilated you before you knew it’d even arrived.

He’d always been intimidating, but in that moment, he looked larger than life, like the devil himself had left hell to exact his retribution.

“I don’t give a fuck how long you and Vivian have known each other or how long ago you dated.” Dante’s soft snarl sent ice skittering down my spine. “You don’t touch her. You don’t talk to her. You don’t even fucking think about her. If you do, I’ll break every fucking bone in your body until your own mother won’t recognize you. Understand?”

Beads of crimson dripped from Heath’s chin down his shirt.

“You’re out of your mind,” he spat. Despite his bravado, his pupils were the size of quarters. Fear leaked from him, almost as potent as the smell of blood. “I’ll sue you for assault.”