Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty Three
KING’S POV
“You knew.”
That wasn’t a question, it was a fucking accusation and the bastard on the other end of this call knows it as much as I do so the fact that he’s laughing right now has my blood curling in my bloody veins and my head filling fast with ways I can make him curse the day he met me. He played me like a fucking puppet and after all these years of serving him with my every tears, sweat and blood, the least I expected was his fucking respect for my private life.
“I did you a favour.” His ignorant voice carries, a thinly veiled warning lurking behind his amused tone.
“Look on the bright side and take it as my compensation to you for the task I’m burdening you with. You get to keep a pretty, trophy wife and a legitimate company away from the family business and as a bonus, you also get the sister you can’t seem to get out of your head. I think it’s a good deal, no?”
“You could have chosen anyone else.” I say quietly, my head reeling.
“But I chose you because this is a one in a life time offer and I wanted it safe in the hands of my best man.”
“We both know this wasn’t about that.” I sigh.
“You saw an opportunity to remind me that you’re still in charge. Needed to remind me that you control everyone around you in case I was starting to get any funny ideas because you call me son and you took it without batting an eyelid.”
A brief, loaded moment passes between us because I couldn’t be any more right than right now and we both know it. It takes north of a minute before his insane response comes through in his tight, controlled voice devoid of any emotion.
“Maybe.”
“Fuck. You.”
He laughs lightly like he can’t believe my guts but this time the sound is humourless and as cold as he is.
“No King, you already did that when you broke my fucking rules. It wouldn’t have gotten this complicated if you didn’t decide to stick your cock in my partner's daughter while you were supposed to be working and your head with it. I’m sorry she got roped into this but I won’t apologize for running my business without a fucking care in the world who your cock’s business hurts at the end of the day.”
Shit! Bloody fucking shit!
“So yes, you’ll get married to Peach or whatever fruit Kane has in his house there and you’ll watch yourself. Stick to the plan and enjoy the privilege a thousand men will kill to have at their feet like you do. And King?”
He pauses and I can so clearly see his face in my head go emotionless as he takes a sip of his whiskey.
“If you so much as think about doing anything stupid, I’ll forget everything that’s ever existed between us in a heartbeat and I’ll make you regret being born. I love you, but I love my business and power a whole fucking lot more.” He laughs quietly like nothing about this fucked up, psycho shit he just spat existed.
“Let’s not fight, go get your women and show them why you’re King. I have to run, have a bastard to fillet.”
Before I can string my thoughts together or come up with something remotely intelligible to say to that, the line goes dead.
I respect Yasuki, probably always will to some extent but that man is a fucking psycho with no regard for anyone and anything including years of hard work and loyalty. If there’s anything to be learnt here, it’s the fact that he’ll betray me in a heartbeat if it serves his cause and it’s high time I got with the program.
It takes every fibre of my being to keep me from hauling my phone against the nearest wall.
The last thing I need right now is to draw the attention of any of the Kanes in the next room because what the fuck do I say to them then?
I fucked your eldest daughter when I should have been doing literally anything but that and now I’m borderline obsessed with the idea of her it feels like a fucking sin to even look at the one I’m supposed to be getting married to? I take one look at her excited, smiling face and I feel like a fraud because all I’ve been able to think about since I came face to face with the one woman I should have forgotten is her.
Every second I’ve sat here playing Yasuki’s game, I’ve been tortured by the sight of someone else having to rescue her from me.
The hurt in her eyes.......
Fuck!
“Is everything okay?” Remy asks as he comes to stand next to me while we wait for Bran to bring the car around.
I nod once, refusing to look at him because Remy is the only person I know that cam read my poker face.
“Well, you might want to fix your murder gaze because your soon to be father in-law is headed towards us.” He sounds almost amused by the last part and I damn near give in to the urge to throttle his neck.
I turn to find Jeremy Kane walking towards us, my bride to be clinging to him like a skin tag. For someone being forced into marriage just to get Yasuki's noose off her father’s neck, she’s quite excited about the prospect.
She’s had her eyes all over me since I walked through the door, smiling like she can’t wait to get me alone and practically undressed me with her eyes that are nothing like her sister’s at the dinner table.
She looks nothing like Candy with her blonde hair and blue eyes and they’re definitely worlds apart in personality because Candy will chew glass before she let her father pawn her off to fix his bullshit.
“It was nice hosting you, Mr Cobb.” Jeremy Kane starts shamelessly.
“I hope we can get to know each other properly before the wedding. If you need anything while you settle in, don’t hesitate to call me and if it’s something my baby can help with,” He winks suggestively and for a fleeting moment I wish Yasuki was fileting him instead of whoever else Igor Romanov provided him with for sport.
“She’ll be happy to, right Peach?”
She nods her eyes fixed on me like a cute predator and that’s as funny as it’s audacious.
“Thank you.” I bite off, impatient for this to be over already.
“And for my eldest, she’ll apologize for her absence tonight next time. She gets so stubborn it’s hard to convince her that this is for the best. Please, do not hold it against her, I’ll make sure she comes around.”
My silence must have been answer enough because he finally shuts his trap just as the car rolls to a stop in front of me.
It’s not until the car is on the road, heading for my hotel that I let myself admit how fucked I am.