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I raised my chin and remained standing silently in the middle of the room. He stormed towards me until his leather shoes were toe to toe with my black heels. From the corner of my eye I noticed Adonis standing in the hall, he was giving me a pleading look.Why?He pointed to his ring finger and mouthed something to me. I couldn’t make it out unless I gave him my full attention, and something told me that I shouldn’t do that. That Lorenzo would completely lose his shit if he saw Adonis there. So I did what he was asking. I turned my back on Lorenzo and opened the top drawer of the dresser where I’d chucked the ring, pulled it out, and forcefully slid in onto my finger as I glared at the man who thought he could control me.Shit, he kinda was.
“Good girl.” he purred, his rage completely gone, and took my hand to drag me out of the room.
Adonis had disappeared, I guessed back to his own room.
“It will have to be a quick breakfast today amore mio. I have a busy schedule.”
I nodded sharply. I hated it when he snapped from mood to mood, I hated everything about him really, but this, this was the thing I struggled with the most. He was a monster, and that was easy to digest, but not knowing what he would do or say next, the unpredictability was as frustrating as it was frightening. Especially with how clearly I was starting to see him now.
After an uncomfortable breakfast I headed into the office that I shared with Cooper and busied myself with work. I needed the mental break for a couple of hours before I let my mind wonder to plotting. Cooper wasn’t around, and the silence for once was welcome. Sure, I missed him, but occasionally I needed time and space to myself. Something I almost never got anymore.
The biggest downside to Cooper being elsewhere though was that I had to get my own coffee.
I stood up from my desk as I closed down the account that I’d spent the last hour working on and grabbed my cup. As I opened the door, I found myself walking straight into Clive.
I muttered an apology, and he gave me a small nod.
“The boss would like to see you in his office.” he said.
“He isn’t my boss anymore.” I said bitterly. I was glad of it, but leaving The Brotherhood was stinging a little more than I’d expected it to.
“No, but he is mine, and he’s requested to see you.”
“Oh he’srequested, how lovely, what a nice change from his usual demands.” I said sarcastically, it wasn’t Clive’s fault, and I felt instantly crappy as the words left my mouth. “Sorry Clive.” I winced. “I’ll go.”
I headed straight into Lorenzo’s office without knocking and placed my empty cup on his desk. He typed away on his computer, ignoring me as I tapped my toe against the hardwood floor.
“Well,” I finally snapped.
He slowly looked up at me and a terrifying grin spread across his face.
“Il mio tesoro, I have wonderful news, our engagement is going to be in the paper, and I’ve managed to free up my afternoon for us to go and have our photo taken for it.”
My fists clenched at my sides and my eyes narrowed in on him.
“You’re a completely deluded if you think for one second that I’mactuallygoing to go ahead with that.” I threw my hands up in the air, trying and failing to reign in the explosion of anger, “I’m not marrying you; you can force this ring onto my finger, but the bottom line is that I will not do it. There will be no public announcement.”
“You’re very cute when you’re angry,” he said as my hands fell down to my hips and I all but blew smoke from my nostrils. “But you’re wasting time shouting, you need to go and get changed, Clive has laid a dress out for you inourbedroom, please hurry.”
“Did you listen to a single word I said?” I yelled.
“Yes, every word, but your words don’t matter, they aren’t true. You will go ahead with all of this because you know that someone will get hurt if you don’t. That accountant with the brown hair, annoyingly bubbly thing, she probably wouldn’t be able to fight off a toddler, let alone a fully grown man who has killed more people than she’s fucked.”
I forced myself not to laugh at that, because Eden had only been with one man her entire life. Ishouldn’tlaugh, because he was threatening me with her, and suddenly I realised why Adonis had been pleading me to put on the ring, he knew this already.
“You wouldn’t.” I said, and instantly cringed because of course he would.
“Grey has been watching her since last night. Don’t think that I don’t know that you’ve lied about your whereabouts.” he snarled, and a shiver ran up my spine. “Whoever you’re fucking now it needs to stop, and what better way than with this. Now go get changed.”
I inhaled slowly, attempting to calm my mood a little. I had no choice; I’d have to do this and deal with the consequences later because I would not put that innocent woman in any more danger. The silver lining though, he didn’t knowwhoI’d been with last night.
“Fine, but good luck getting a nice picture.” I said and turned to the door just as it swung open, and Adonis came strolling in.
His eyes locked on mine and it felt as though he was searching for something, but I had no idea what.
I lingered by the door as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite Lorenzo.
“This is Brotherhood business, Leave.” Lorenzo snapped at me.
