Prologue
Dominic
Two weeks ago
Storming into my parents' house, I head straight for my father's office, bypassing their housekeeper, and ignoring the delicious smell of food that's filtering out of the kitchen where my mother probably is—too focused on seeing my father and getting some well-needed answers about this clusterfuck of a marriage agreement.
"What the hell is going on?" I shout, walking into the room, almost stumbling over my own feet as I near his desk.
He glances up at me, his crystal blue eyes clashing with my murky brown ones as he sighs.
Running his fingers through his dark, sparse hair, he leans back in his chair and folds his arms over his chest.
"Have a seat, son, and maybe pour yourself a drink before we discuss the changes that have been made," he says, nodding towards the crystal bottle that's filled with vodka resting on his desk.
"I don't need a drink. I just need to know what the hell is going on," I tell him, sitting in the leather chair opposite him. "What changes could they possibly be making three weeks before the bloody wedding?"
He huffs and pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
"What's going on?"
Seeing him so stressed out is unusual, and when he grimaces as he leans forward, rests his arms on the desk between us, and stares up at me with an apologetic gaze, I gulp.
My stomach begins to churn, knowing that whatever he's about to tell me can't be good.
"Well, you're not marrying Ellie Garcia anymore."
My brows raise in surprise, and a spark of hope lights inside my chest.
"So, the wedding's off?"
He shakes his head.
"The wedding is still going ahead, but you'll be marrying Brody's youngest daughter, Alicia, instead."
I frown at him, confused.
"When you say youngest daughter… how old is she, exactly?"
He tuts. "She's of age, you idiot. I wouldn't push you to marry a fucking child. She's twenty-three, so she's more suitable for you than Ellie was, I guess."
"Okay, hold on. What are their reasons for suddenly switching the bride?" I ask.
"Brody didn't say. He said we can discuss it over dinner in a few weeks' time."
"Are you joking me?" I shout, standing from my seat and pushing my chair back so that I can pace back and forth in front of his desk as my spiralling thoughts flow out of my mouth. "Why must you be such a pushover in these situations? They could be planning something, and you haven't even questioned it! This is going to be exactly like Sophia's marriage. You let Alessandro get his way, and you never once pushed to get something in return, and look what happened. People almost died! Jaylen was in a goddamn coma because of that bastard!"
"Watch your tone with me, Dominic," he snaps, standing up and pounding his fist against the wooden desk.
"No. This whole arrangement is fucked up enough already. We're not getting anything out of this. Jericho made this deal, and then he bailed and left us to handle it. The only thing that's beneficial to us from this marriage is the fact they're no longer trying to kill my sister, and now that she's with Kaleb, I don't think they'd bother trying anymore with or without this stupid agreement. We should be asking for more than this, Dad!"
He rounds his desk, prowling towards me with a finger jutted out in front of him that he stabs into my chest as he gets closer to me.
"I have been in charge of the organisation longer than you have been alive. I know what the fuck I'm doing. How dare you question me!"
"I think you're forgetting that I'm in charge now! You may still help out in the background, but I'm appointed as the head of the King organisation."
The door behind us creaks, and I hear the tell-tale sound of my mother's heels clicking against the hardwood floor beneath our feet.
