Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“So why don’t you do it?” he questions. “Or you can have a little more faith in your fiancé, and we can meet this head-on together.”
“You’re not real. This isn’t real!” I scream desperately as the emotions flood over me, and my hand begins to shake. He’s playing with me, isn’t he? In the same way, he likes to torment his prey. His mind fuckery game is strong.
“If it isn’t real, then tell me why I’m here, Jewel, begging like a desperate man for you to come back with me. Do you think I’ve ever begged anyone for anything in my life?!” he says hysterically.
“You just want to marry me for convenience so you can have your stupid empire!” I scream.
He takes a step back as if something just clicked into place. “You and I both know that what’s between us is real. Truce be damned. You are mine, Jewel Diamond, and unless you put that bullet in my brain, I will not stop pursuing you.”
My hands are shaking, and I feel like I can’t breathe. What if he leaves me? What if it’s a lie? What if I’m just convenient and can be thrown to the wayside? I’ve never loved anyone other than my father. Don’t know how to. I tighten my grip on the gun, wanting so badly to pull the trigger, knowing it’ll take all of this pain away with it. Because if I kill Eli Monti, it’ll take all of me with him.
“I want you to say yes to me,” I speak truthfully. “But I know your ambition will always put me second.”
“What are you talking about? It’s always been yes! You have been the only woman I’ve ever gotten on my knees for. I don’t know what else I have to do.”
I can barely see through my tears, and it happens so quickly that I’m stunned. He swipes the gun out of my hand, but instead of aiming it at me, he puts it to his own temple.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I step forward, but he takes a step back with determination in his gaze.
“Is this really the only way to prove to you?” he asks earnestly.
“This is stupid and manipulative, and I can’t do this!” I yell, closing my eyes. It hurts. It hurts all over.
“Of course it hurts, Jewels! Neither of us has ever fallen in love! We don’t know what the fuck we’re doing!” he says, and my eyelids burst open. He looks sad as he throws the gun to the side. “That’s right, Jewel Diamond! I fucking love you more than I thought I was ever capable of loving someone! I know I have my faults. But if you asked me right now to give it all up for you, I would.”
I shake my head because imagining Eli without power has never crossed my mind. It’s not even an option. “You wouldn’t, Eli. Power, blood, and money are all the things you are. Being at the head of your family is your rightful place.”
“As is being by your side.” He takes a step forward, and I take another step backward, my back meeting the door.
“You wouldn’t,” I repeat, my bottom lip trembling and tears streaming down my face. How does this man so easily slip under my skin?
He reaches out to me slowly. “Why wouldn’t I give it all up when you’ve already done the same thing for me?”
It hits me with a force I’m not ready for. I choke on the tears that seem to suffocate me. His callused hand lifts to my cheek. “That’s why you ran, isn’t it? You got the final order for the hit?”
I fall into a million pieces, barely able to hold myself up as I lean into the man I tried to run away from. He cups the back of my neck and rests his chin on my head as I cry hysterically. “I tried,” I sob out. If only he had left me alone. If only he didn’t follow me here.
“I know. But don’t ever do that again. You are a part of my family, Kitten. From the moment you threw that dagger into my leg, I knew you were mine.”
I choke on a laugh because it’s so absurd with how hysterically I’m crying. I haven’t really cried since my father’s funeral. The irony is not lost on me; I’m crying over the man I chose to save by leaving him, but he still won’t let me walk this path alone.
“Let’s meet your client and finish this. We’ll kill them and then get married,” he says as if it’s the most obvious and easiest answer.
“We don’t even know who it is, Eli. What if you get killed in the process?” I ask, looking up at him, and he laughs as he wipes away my tears.