Darling Villain (Forbidden Fruit #1)

Chapter 27

Adrien

“ You’re late,” Sylvia says as soon as I enter the reception hall.

My cousin Sienna’s wedding is a huge affair of five hundred guests and Sylvia’s been working non-stop to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

“Are they already married?” I ask, looking around.

The place looks gorgeous. White ribbons and flowers adorn every corner, and rows and rows of white chairs line the aisle. Champagne flows, laughter and conversation fill the air.

Sylvia pulls me further into the crowd. “They’ll be in half an hour.”

“Then I’m just on time.”o

I was busy with a lot of more pleasurable things this morning than shaking hands and having empty small talk.

“Where is your boyfriend?” I ask, very satisfied that I don’t have to stare at his stupid face tonight.

Sylvia has the worst taste in man, I swear. Her boyfriends are either after our money or they’re complete idiots. I have no idea why my sister settles for the bare minimum.

“We’re not together anymore. You’d know that if you answered my calls.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

I’m not sorry at all. In fact, I’m overjoyed. Tom was a sleaze. I’ve seen him flirting with every moving thing in the fifteen-mile radius and it was getting old. I was even thinking about paying him off so that Sylvia would be free of him for good. Now I won’t have to worry about it. Another win for me.

“You’re not, but it’s fine.” Sylvia waves her hand. “He was a total waste of my time. I’ve been thinking about going on vacation after all of this. It would be good to get away from all the drama with the family and Tom.”

“Tell me where you want to go and Diane will take care of everything for you.”

“I want to plan everything myself,” Sylvia insists, shooting me a warning look. “I need a break from having everything done for me.”

“You know I cannot let you go without protection or a plan in place.” I may be a lot of things—overprotective, occasionally overbearing—but I can’t let my little sister run off to the other side of the world without a safety net.

“Fine.” She sighs, rolling her eyes. “But I’ll do the planning myself. Now tell me, how did you like Elisa? She was gushing over you all night yesterday.”

Elisa was... fine. Polite and sweet, aware enough to know how the matches are made in our social circle. She would do perfectly as a trophy wife, I suppose. Just not mine.

“I didn’t get to know her that well.”

The only woman I want by my side is the woman who’s sleeping in my bed right now.

There’s something about Tiffany that draws me in, something that I can’t resist. The way she carries herself, the way she looks at me and sees through me all the bad and the ugly, but she doesn’t turn away or flinch.

Tiffany is the only woman I’ve ever met who makes me want to cuddle her and tell her about my day at the same time as I strip her naked and have my way with her.

I must choose between keeping Tiffany and destroying her uncle’s underground operations, and fast. Time is running out, and I cannot keep Tiffany locked up in my fortress forever. No matter, there’s nothing I want more.

“Elisa is a gorgeous woman.” Sylvia brings me back to the present. “You look great together.”

“I’m sure she’s great. I’m just not searching for anything serious right now,” I reply. If my sister thinks I am interested in Elisa, she’ll try her hardest to set us up. I can’t have that.

She raises an eyebrow, sensing the tension in my voice. “If you say so.”

“The ceremony is about to begin. You probably have more important things on your plate than grilling me about my love life.”

“I do need to check on Sienna,” Sylvia says. “Go, find your seat. Be good. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I nod and make my way through the crowded room, greeting and shaking hands with the guests as I go.

It’s going to be a long night.

The ceremony is short and sweet, filled with heartfelt speeches and the minister droning on about marriage being a sacred bond between two people.

My brain checks out before the vows are even finished. Weddings are draining; they always feel like a race to the finish line. The only consolation is that Sienna is the last of my cousins to get married, and hopefully, I won’t have to take part in another one for a long time.

The second the first dance is over, I’m kissing Sylvia’s cheek goodnight and I’m out the door, driving towards the Villa Mariana.

I spent the entire night running through possibilities in my head, searching for a way to make things right.

Tiffany has to choose me with her own free will, not because I force her, but because she feels as strongly about me as I do about her, for me to even consider leaving her uncle’s criminal empire and my years of work behind us, letting Dean off the hook for all his sins.

But I’d be asking Tiffany to put me before her family, friends, and the life she’s built for herself. It’s a steep price to pay for a relationship built on fragile foundations of unspoken expectations and mind-blowing sex.

But when we pull up to the Villa Mariana, my concerns multiply. The sight that greets me is alarming.

The house is buzzing with activity—all the lights are on and the front steps of the mansion are teeming with people.

Something is not right.

Daniel is waiting for me on the steps, his face blank as he walks out to meet me. The moment I see his face, I know that something bad has happened.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Tiffany,” Daniel says. “She’s gone.”

My heartbeats jump and dive in my chest, the words from Daniels’s mouth refusing to penetrate my brain.

I race up the steps, Daniel following closely behind me.

My bedroom door is open and I’m greeted by the sight of the unmade bed, sheets rumpled from the aftermath of the sleepy sex we had in the morning.

The anxiety turns into an all-encompassing panic.

She’s gone.

She’s really gone.

I breathe in, trying to stay calm and think everything through.

Someone must have taken her.

And I must find her.

“When did this happen? Why wasn’t I informed?”

Daniel’s voice is strained. “A few hours ago. The surveillance cameras were malfunctioning, and we only discovered she was missing when the guards did a routine check. I tried calling you, but your phone was off.”

I run my hand through my hair. “Do we have any leads? Any idea who could have taken her?”

“There’s no evidence that anyone broke in. It appears Miss Carter left voluntarily.”

“That’s impossible. She wouldn’t leave.”

But even as I say the words, doubt creeps in. Had I been fooling myself this whole time? Had Tiffany just been biding her time, waiting for an opportunity to escape?

I think back to our last moments together this morning. The tenderness in her eyes, the passion in her kisses. It had felt so real. But maybe that was just what I wanted to see.

“Search the entire property. Check with all the staff. Someone must have seen or heard something. I don’t care what it takes. We need to find her.”

The sour expression on Daniel’s face makes me stop. I study his face, noting the tension in his jaw and the way he won’t meet my eyes. An icy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.

“Daniel,” I say slowly. “How did Tiffany leave the villa’s premises?”

His eyes meet mine with a disturbing certainty. “Sir, a guard reported seeing a black van stop at the main gate, and Tiffany getting into it. I’d guess she escaped knowing that a car would be waiting for her.”

It was impossible for Tiffany to escape undetected by the guards, leave the highly secured premises unnoticed, and board a car right outside the gate, even if the surveillance system was malfunctioning.

Unless she had some help.

There are only a few people who could have known about my intentions for Tiffany and had the resources to get her out of the mansion undetected.

“Do I look stupid, Daniel? What made you think I’ll believe this ridiculous fairytale?” I take a step closer to him. “A woman with no ability to defend herself took out my entire security system and ran away unnoticed from the most heavily guarded estate in the county? Did you take me for a fool?”

He grimaces and lowers his eyes, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

“Tell me the truth, Daniel,” I demand. “What happened?”

“Adrien, I… I promise you, I’m not involved in this. I’ve told you everything I know.”

Despite his insistence, I know better. I can see the guilt and fear in his eyes.

“How is that even possible? My security detail is experienced and highly trained. Tiffany couldn’t have just walked out undetected unless someone helped her. Someone with intimate knowledge of our security systems and protocols.”

Daniel’s eyes dart away from mine. “She must have had some outside help. It’s possible that Dean found out where you hid her, or perhaps she seduced a guard. It must’ve been easy for her. She’d gotten you wrapped around her little finger so fast.”

I grab him by the collar and slam him against the wall.

“Don’t you dare to talk about her that way,” I grit through my teeth. “I granted you numerous liberties because you’re part of my family, but that ends now. Tell me what you did.”

“Why would I help her? I’ve known you since we were ten years old and the girl—she’s nothing to me.”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” My grip on his collar tightens. “Why the hell would you go behind my back and violate my trust after years of loyalty? When you knew what I would do to you if I found out?”

“I...” Daniel’s face twists in anger. “I did it for your own good. You were acting like a child, throwing tantrums and refusing to listen to reason. We don’t have the luxury to love. Men like us fuck and leave. You cannot live in a fantasy world and expect happily ever after with your prisoner. We can’t afford to be weak, not in the world we live in. Wake up and thank me for saving your sorry ass.”

I let go of his neck and step back, my chest heaving.

Daniel actually went behind my back and helped her escape.

The betrayal and hurt turn into something much darker and colder.

“Take your stuff and leave. You have ten minutes. If I ever see you ever again, you’ll be sorry when you are born,” my voice is ice-cold and lethal.

Daniel takes a step back, his face pale. “Twenty years of friendship, and this is how I’m repaid?”

“You’re lucky I don’t make you bleed for your betrayal, Daniel,” I snap, my eyes boring into his. “This is my gift to you for all the years of friendship. Now get the hell out of my sight.”

I leave him on my bedroom floor and go straight to my office, my hands shaking with anger.

My barely controlled anger breaks out as soon as the office door closes. I punch the wall, my fist connecting with the plaster and sending shards of drywall flying.

I push my forehead against the cool surface and take a deep breath to steady my nerves. An aching emptiness spreads inside me, a hollow space in my chest where my heart used to be.

Daniel’s betrayal stings, but it also snaps me out of my delusions. I was acting like a child, trying to live in a fairytale and keep a woman I’d chosen to imprison as my lover. The truth is that I am a monster, and I’d lost sight of the real world.

Tiffany was my captive. Of course, she ran away the second she could.

We were never going to work anyway.

She was never mine to keep.

I will keep the promise I made to her. I will ensure her happiness, wherever she may be, and I will leave her alone.

Tiffany will find her Prince Charming and have the life she deserves—a life far removed from the darkness I dragged her into. She’ll find someone who loves and cherishes her because she deserves all the good things: sunny days, warm smiles, and starry nights.

As for me, I still have unfinished business with the Carter family. With Tiffany out of the picture, I can now focus on exacting my plan.

My anger slowly dissipates, a cold resolve taking its place.

There will be no rest for me, no forgetting either.

Dean Carter must pay for his sins, and I will make sure that my face haunts him even in the afterlife.

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