Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
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"LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. You're pissed at Ariana because you think she's cheating on you?"
Irritation flickered in my chest as I moved a pawn on the chessboard. "That's what I said, yes. And no, I don't think. I know."
The evidence stared right back at me in the form of that fucking bracelet on her wrist. She cherished the fucking thing more than her own life, for fuck's sake. I'd never seen her look as desperate as she did when I tried to take the bracelet away from her, or when she woke up thinking it was gone.
This was the same woman, who hadn't batted an eye when I said I wanted to get married to her. She didn't know what she was walking into when she stepped into that office to accept my proposal, but she'd done it anyway without fear shining in her eyes once.
Yet, I'd seen genuine fear in her tear-filled eyes yesterday.
All because of that fucking bracelet.
Amedeo chucked, leaning back in his seat. "Okay, lover boy. Jeez, you're pissy today. By the way, I think it's hilarious that you have a grudge against a piece of jewelry. A fucking scrap of metal, Alek. Don't you feel ridiculous?"
A scrap of metal that showed her loyalty and connection to someone else who wasn't me, while she was married to me.
I clenched my fist around the queen, scowling at the chessboard in front of me. "Why exactly are you here?"
"Uh, it's a plane headed to Russia?" A smug smirk curved the corner of his lips. "I'm going to go see my family."
Son of a bitch. He was enjoying this way more than he should. "Why are you sitting here?" I clarified. "There are several other seats in the jet."
"What, I can't keep a friend company?" He raised his tumbler to his lips, taking a sip out of his glass of bourbon.
I pointed at the chessboard spread out in front of me. "I have this to keep me company."
"Some old things never change. You're still a bastard with a few screws loose in his head. You play chess all by yourself. For hours," he added with a pointed disapproving look.
I flipped him off. "What's wrong with being by myself? And don't forget this bastard is the reason you're alive today."
Amedeo smiled over the rim of his glass. "Truly. Whatever will we do without you?"
"Get. Out."
He shook his head at me. "I'll go catch a nap before we land."
I nodded absentmindedly, moving up another piece on the board.
"Before I leave. . ."
"I don't wanna hear it," I cut him off.
"Well, too fucking bad. Did you consider the fact that you could be wrong about this whole cheating thing?"
