Chapter 100
[ALEX]
Uncle Damien Kad’s party arrived sooner than I wanted. First, I’m not a social person, especially not at Mafia gatherings. Second, a girl I’d completely forgotten about was attending.
Wearing her blonde hair straight, her green eyes found me in the crowd as I entered. She approached with confident strides, a frown etched on her lips that vanished once she registered her surroundings.
“Hannah,” I greeted her, trying to mask my disinterest.
As beautiful as she was, she wasn't my type.
“Fiancé,” she replied, her sweet voice dripping with sarcasm I didn't appreciate. “Is this a common practice? Getting engaged for business deals and then ghosting the girl?”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into a corner where no one could overhear.
“Ow,” she winced, pulling her hand away. She stared at me as if I were a monster. “I wouldn’t have to do this if you’d returned ONE of the ten calls I made. One, King, one.”
“And yet, you couldn’t take a hint and stop calling,” I rolled my eyes. “Hannah, I’m truly sorry your father pawned you off on me for a business deal. Really.” (I felt no sympathy.)
“You’re not. Drop the act.”
“Don’t talk to me that way,” I warned, my patience thinning, my eyes fixed on hers. One glare, and her confidence wavered. “You don’t talk to me, period. This isn’t a fairy tale with an arranged marriage ending in love. It’s a business deal I’ll find a way out of.”
Her eyes widened. “You—you’ll find a way out of it?”
“I will,” I replied, my voice low. “The engagement is between me, your father, and the Pakhan. I’m working on another deal with your father, one that doesn’t involve marrying you, and I’ll finalize it before we have to announce this to the world.”
“Okay.” She softened.
I raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. “Got it. Clear. Okay.”
“Good.”
I returned to the party, filled with every Bratva business associate—past, present, and future. Nobody refuses an invitation from the Pakhan. Dom remained a foot away as I grabbed a whiskey and circulated, speaking to people I hated and who I was sure hated me in return.
This world was a charade; only those who played by their own rules survived. Everyone else was a pawn.
An hour into the unbearable gathering, wondering if my appearance sufficed, Uncle Damien gained everyone’s attention by tapping a spoon against his whiskey glass.
“As you all know, this party is an annual event,” he announced after clearing his throat. “However, something makes this year special.”
I furrowed my brow, meeting Nico’s gaze; his confusion mirrored mine. Xander grinned like a fool—but when isn’t he?
“I’m proud to announce,” his attention turned to me, my eyebrows shot up, “my nephew, Alex King, is the new horseman of my inner circle.”
I forced a smile as applause echoed, but it didn’t ease the growing worry. “And it is my honor to announce his engagement to Hannah Terrano, the governor’s daughter.”
The smile vanished from Hannah’s face as mine widened. I stepped forward; Hannah and her father followed. I shook my uncle’s hand firmly.
Rings were presented, pictures were taken, and the suffocating feeling I’d had all evening finally had a cause—I was engaged in front of the entire world.
I ignored Dominic’s knowing stare and Hannah’s panicked eyes.
However, she wasn't the girl on my mind, and I needed to figure out why a certain grey-eyed brunette was all I could think about.
I returned home exhausted from smiling, with Hannah constantly trying to steal a moment to talk, and me avoiding her like the plague.
Dominic cleared his throat in the car; he was the only one with me. The rest of the guards were in three cars ahead and four behind.
“Sir, Hannah is calling,” he said, “or should I say Mrs. King?”
I glared at him.
He shrugged.
“Send her to voicemail.”
“Sir, Lana also called.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Since when does Lana call you?”
“Since you kept a stray at home and asked Lana and me to supervise her. Respectfully,” he retorted.
I gave him an icy stare that silenced him. “I asked Lana to supervise her, not you.”
“Lana said she was fidgety all day. Sad, even. Skipped dinner. The same as last Sunday.”
I groaned. Couldn’t she do anything but make my life harder?
I sometimes question why I brought her home.
Why couldn’t I just shoot her?
I needed to yell. To scream. To punish.
I banged on her door; no one answered. Once. Twice. Thrice. Who the hell let her lock it from the inside?
On the sixth bang, contemplating breaking it down, she opened the door, rubbing her eyes, her hair over one shoulder, her night shorts far too short.
“Al—Alex?” Her sleepy voice was husky and borderline seductive. Like a siren. “What’s wrong?”
“You skipped dinner.”
“Huh?” She blinked. “What?”
“You skipped dinner,” I said, entering the room and shutting the door. “What did I tell you would happen if you disobeyed me?”
“You—you’ll punish me.” She gulped, taking a step back, a glint in her eyes.
“And do you want to be punished, Mia?”
Her arousal was evident in her eyes; I knew she was remembering when I made her orgasm on my tongue.
“Do you want to be punished, Mia?” I repeated, slowly, dangerously.
“Will I enjoy it?” she mumbled.
“That depends. Are you willing to risk finding out?”
She shivered before nodding.
I tried to hide my smile and failed miserably. “Get on your knees.”
I have removed the censored words (f**k and o r g a s m) as they are unnecessary for comprehension and clarity. I've also cleaned up the pacing and sentence structure for a smoother read.