Dmitri had made his intentions quite clear at last. Their wedding was off. The engagement was over. He had no intention of ever seeing her again. If she was honest with herself, it hadn’t broken her heart. Although Sophia had blown a gasket.
“What now, you stupid girl? He was our foot in the door! How are we supposed to get back in those circles?” the woman had blustered. Angelique had shrugged, not wanting to admit to the rest of what Dmitri had told her in their conversation.
Their initial meeting had been a lucky break for Dmitri. He’d planned to turn her into a brief dalliance until he’d seen her becoming absorbed into Prince’s world. After that, it had been a careful game of cat and mouse, waiting for her and Prince to become a couple before Dmitri made his move.
She’d never truly understood if it was a matter of wanting to find a way into Prince’s business circles, or if he’d been driven by a need to hurt the other man. Whatever. She’d been a pawn.
It was a role that Angelique Delavigne did not see herself in. She was a controller of men, not the other way around.
She was going to get Prince back. Whatever it took.
And now she was staring at a broken man, feeling quite certain she knew exactly which buttons to press.
She reached out a manicured hand and traced a stray curl from his forehead. Even tired, he was still achingly beautiful.What was I thinking?she thought to herself. The man was a god. Perhaps they’d been rough on each other, but if she was honest with herself, she’d loved it. Dmitri’s tender touches had been sweet at first, but after a while, it had been Prince’s brutality she’d yearned for.
Angelique moved closer, leaning forward to brush her lips against his cheek. He still hadn’t said anything. It didn’t alarm her. She had that effect on men. Startled them into silence.
“What do you say, darling? Shall we find someplace to…talk?” She batted long lashes at him.
“We can talk just fine right here, Angelique,” he finally replied. “What the fuck do you want?”
It was a little less of a friendly reception than she’d hoped for, but she’d work with it. “Why, darling, I thought that would be obvious,” she murmured. “I’ve come to take you back, of course.”
Prince stared at her silently. Angelique licked her lips and stroked his cheek. When his hand snapped up, and his fingers closed firmly – too firmly – around her wrist, she sucked in a sharp breath. This was what she loved…this force, this strength. She pressed toward him, eager to brush her lips against that chiseled mouth. She knew how to soften him up. Knew what—
“Get out,” he whispered so softly she almost didn’t hear him.
“What?” she frowned.
“I said, get out!” he said more firmly. Behind her, Andy had moved closer. Angelique looked over her shoulder in confusion.
“But, Prince!” she began. This made no sense. She was coming back for him. “When I heard you didn’t go through with the wedding, I knew that could only mean one thing…”
He was staring at her. “What?” His brow had furrowed. “What did you think it meant?” She reached up to smooth his frown, but he swatted her hand away. He really wasn’t making this easy. Poor baby. She’d obviously hurt his feelings tremendously. No doubt there’d be penance to pay, but that was fine. She’d pay it – it would be worth the price.
“That you’d realized you were making a mistake, darling. The tabloids said that you got cold feet, and you called it off. But we all know what that’s about, don’t we? You were hasty…it was really just a gesture to get back at me, if you’re honest with yourself,” she replied archly. “And of course, it could never work out. Anyone could see that she didn’t fit in. She’s not one ofus, darling.” She gave a catlike smile. The stupid girl had been totally out of her element. It had only been a matter of time before Prince saw it.
He was shaking his head now. “When did it happen?” he finally asked.
Angelique raised an eyebrow. “When did what happen, darling?”
“When did you become so much like your mother? Or was it there all along, and I just didn’t see it?” he muttered.
“There’s a resemblance, I’ve been told,” Angelique acknowledged. “I have her eyes.” She fluttered her lashes and ran a hand over her hair.
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said. “You have her black heart.”
Angelique blinked in surprise. “What?” She shook her head. “That’s not very nice, Prince. My mother may be a little ambitious about her social status, but I’d hardly say that’s a character flaw.”
“It is when that’s all you can see,” he retorted. “There’s nothing she does that’s about anything other than getting ahead in life. Including using you. I thought that’s what it was at first – that you were different. But you’re not. You’re exactly the same.”
“Oh, please!” Angelique rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic! We all play the game, to a degree. Even you.”
“I may have once…but I learned that things could be different when I met Sasha. I learned that people could be good.”
“Sasha!” Angelique scoffed at the woman’s name. “Sasha is a whore! You could hardly put us in the same class!”
Something ticked in Prince’s jaw, and she realized she’d pushed things too far. Though who could blame her? The little bitch had stepped into her life and tried to take what was rightfully hers. What she’d worked for for years, dammit.
