Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 37

C HAPTER 37

MADDOX

“What a pleasant surprise.”

Mikael Romano’s disgusting smile greeted me from the other side of the table, surrounded by his bodyguards, as expected.

A man I’ve crossed paths with a few times, yet I can’t fucking stand him.

For a man barely 5’7, he’s a real pain in the ass—impudent, irritating. I’d happily put a bullet in his skull, but I know better than to entertain that thought.

His men are just waiting for any wrong move I make, looking for an excuse to take me down. And I’m on his turf. No point in risking it. My two men and I don’t stand much of a chance against his little army. But if it came down to it, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“I was expecting a visit from your family,” he said, dragging on his cigarette and leaning back in his expensive leather chair, crossing his legs. “But I didn’t expect it to be you.”

I could hear the sneer in his voice. Piece of shit.

“Cut the bullshit,” I snapped. “You know why I’m here.”

I’m not one for pleasantries. I deal in business and I have unfinished business with him.

“Actually, I don’t,” he said with a lazy wave of his hand. “Please, enlighten me.”

I leaned forward, resting my hands on the table, my eyes boring into his old, smirking face.

“I don’t like playing games, Mikael. They’re a waste of fucking time. We did what you asked us, and yet you still have the nerve to send your people after us, taking innocent lives on our estate?”

Mikael exhaled a plume of smoke and smirked wider, a grin I wanted to wipe off his face.

“Oh yes, I heard about,” he nodded, his disgusting voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Such a tragedy. A pity for all those lost lives.”

I slammed my hand down on the table. His dogs immediately reached for their pistols, but Mikael stopped them with a single finger lifted in the air.

“Maddox, Maddox, Maddox,” Mikael sighed, his voice tinged with frustration, which only made my blood boil more. “Don’t be stupid like your father.”

He tapped his finger on the armrest of his chair, studying me carefully.

“I sent people after you, yes,” he continued, lighting another cigarette. “And by the way, I got your gift. A little rotten and delayed, but it still reached me.” He laughed.

The fucker I’d killed and sent to him as a gift. He didn’t seem to care about the life taken because of him. No remorse, no hesitation.

“But please, enlighten me,’’ he smiled. ‘’What good does it do me to slaughter innocent people on your estate?”

“You tell me.”

“I’m telling you — absolutely nothing.” He shook his head, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. “I knew your location, your pathetic mansion in Scarlet Vale wasn’t worth my time—or the people who work there. I’m a killer, not a waster. And that? A waste of lives I have no interest in.”

Mikael Romano had built a reputation in society as a man of honor, which was laughable considering he was the head of an underground criminal family. But there was one thing my father always said about him, aside from being a piece of shit.

Mikael wasn’t a liar.

He wore his decisions on his face, spoke with brutal honesty, and used his words as a weapon. But right now, it’s hard to believe him.

“Why should I believe you?”

Mikael shrugged casually.

“I think you should ask your father about that,” he smirked. “I’m sure he has the answers to this very important question of yours.”

“Are you accusing my father of being behind this?” I scoffed.

The absurdity of his statement was almost too much to handle, but his gaze remained unshaken. The humor slowly bled from my laughter.

“I’m not accusing, Maddox,” he said, his voice casual as he took a sip of his drink. “I’m just offering you my thoughtful opinion.”

“As if I want your fucking opinion.”

Mikael raised his hands in mock surrender, shrugging his shoulders, but something about his words nagged at me.

What could my father know about what happened at the mansion? He was just as shocked as we were. He’s clueless—just like all of us.

“You know you’re not going to get what you want, right?” I leaned back in my chair, flashing a cold smile. “No matter how many sick games you play.”

Mikael’s sneer deepened.

“And what exactly do I want, boy?” His voice dripped with condescension as he leaned forward, locking eyes with me.

“Allyn Delgado,” I said, clenching my jaw. “For some fucked-up reason. Find another way to mess with my family, but don’t drag her into it. She has nothing to do with this.”

“She has everything to do with it,” Mikael shot back, his tone rising with sudden intensity. “You think this is just a game? That it’s about power, money, territory?”

I nodded. What else could it be? Everything in our world is built on those three pillars. Mikael Romano let out a laugh that made me want to wipe the smug grin off his ugly face.

“Your old man didn’t tell you anything, did he?” his laugh was cold, dragging on his cigarette. “Trying to turn you against me, saying what? That I’m doing all this for entertainment?”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.

We both knew the kind of man Mikael Romano was. He didn’t need a reason to start a war with the other families.

“You really think that if I wanted to harm your family, I’d aim that low? Some random girl with no value to you?” he raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with mockery. “I know your weak spots. I can do better than that.”

“Then why?”

It was time this bastard spilled the truth.

Mikael exhaled another cloud of smoke, his eyes narrowing.

“Your father wasn’t honest enough with you, so I’ll do the fucking work for him.”

He crushed the cigarette out with an almost violent gesture, leaning forward and crossing his arms on the table.

“Allyn is my daughter. And your useless father took her from me, trying to marry her off to your worthless excuse of a brother.”

The venom in his words hit me like a slap. I was left frozen in place, my mind scrambling to process what he had just said.

He must be fucking playing with me, right?

“You don’t believe me?” He raised an eyebrow, his gaze darkening. He slid a black folder across the table toward me. ‘’See for yourself.”

My throat went dry. I looked between the folder and Mikael’s deadly serious face.

I finally grabbed the folder—each page more damning than the last. The further I went, the darker it all became, each picture and document driving the point home. I paused, trying to connect the dots, but the more I thought about it, the more twisted it sounded.

Then, I saw it.

A photo of Mikael holding a baby in his arms. The little one’s eyes stared back at me from the image, and that’s when it hit—like a bolt of lightning tearing through my chest.

I’ve been played for a fool all these years.

I wasn’t even halfway through the stupid folder when I slammed it shut, taking it with me as I stormed out of the room. Rage surged through my veins like wildfire.

Mikael yelled something after me, but I didn’t hear it—my own thoughts and fury drowning everything else out.

This wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about Allyn.

They had made me look like a damn idiot, but worse—they had stolen her right to know the truth about herself.

I couldn’t shake the thought. I refused to believe that my father could be involved in this twisted mess— he can’t be.

But one way or another, I’d find out.

I barked orders at my driver once I got in the car. As the engine rumbled to life, I opened the folder again, my eyes scanning the pages, each word sinking me deeper into this nightmare.

I was so wrapped up in between the pages that I didn’t even realize we’d reached our destination. The Delgado family’s house sat before me —grey , sterile, and uninviting as ever.

The guards, who knew me well by now, let me in without hesitation. Inside, I found Alicent —sitting at the dining room table, her eyes lost in a book while she sipped tea—utterly peaceful.

I stepped in, the weight of the folder still heavy in my hand, my mind spinning with the implications of what I’d just learned.

She looked up when she realized she wasn’t alone anymore.

As her eyes locked onto mine, her brows furrowed in confusion, but that expression quickly shifted to a big smile and a warm look. She stood up from the table with an inviting gesture.

It pissed me off even more.

“Leave the room. All of you.”

I ordered, turning to the guards.

In an instant, I was alone with the liar in front of me. I took a deep breath and sat in the chair next to hers, crossing my arms on the table.

“You better answer my questions, or I swear I’ll fucking kill you.”

Her smile disappeared just like that. I’m not a woman killer, not by a long shot. But I won’t hesitate to make her my first if it’s what it takes to know the truth.

“Okay, okay, I will,” she said too quickly, stuttering. “Just tell me what you want to know, and I will.”

“Allyn and The Romano’s. Does that ring a bell for you?”

By the way her eyes widened, I knew I’d hit her right where it hurt. But she still wasn’t giving me the information I needed.

Not very smart of her.

“Alicent, you’re wasting my time,” I said, my irritation growing as I pulled out my gun.

I wasn’t planning on using it, but I knew the sight of it would force her to talk. She trembled in her seat, her gaze fixed on my gun.

“You already seem to know. What more do you want me to say?” she whispered, confirming everything I had hoped was a lie.

“I want to hear it from your mouth,” I cut through the silence. “Start from the fucking beginning.”

I leaned back in my chair. My head was pounding, and I knew it would only get worse by the time she stopped speaking. It took her at least a minute, but eventually s he took a deep breath and began.

“Few people knew my husband, and I couldn’t have children. No matter how much we tried, it just wasn’t happening.’’ Her voice barely a whisper ‘’But your father knew — he and my husband were close, like brothers.”

She stared ahead, lost in thought, as though it was painful for her to say it out loud.

“We wanted to adopt a child, but we were always rejected for some reason. We longed for nothing more than to have a child of our own. Then your father offered to help us, in exchange for everything my husband had done for him over the years.”

I wasn’t familiar with the close friendship between my father and Mr. Delgado, but then again, I’d been away most of my life.

“He said he found a baby girl on the street, abandoned close to a trash bin, wrapped in a blanket.’’ Tears streamed down her face. She trembled in her seat, looking like she was in agony. “My husband and I saw this as a sign from God and agreed, happily, to raise the child as our own.”

“Allyn,” I muttered before I could stop myself.

“Yes,” she nodded, still playing with her hands, avoiding my gaze.

Fucking Hell.

“For a while, everything was perfect. We were the happiest because we had the sweetest little girl,” she smiled through her tears. “But as Allyn grew, things started to change. Your father began insisting that Angelo and Allyn should marry when they are old enough, for the good of both families. He said that Angelo could secure her future.”

I massaged my forehead, the pain in my head pulsing with each word.

“My husband refused at first. He didn’t want to decide her life for her. He loved her more than anything in this world,” her voice cracked as she began to sob. ‘’ But then the threats started. Bad people came after us. My husband came home more than once, beaten close to death. They wanted Allyn. They would’ve done anything to take her away from us. That’s why my husband finally agreed to sign the contract. He knew your family could protect her from these people.”

That clever motherfucker. I can’t believe my father managed to manipulate everyone to get what he wanted.

“I know my husband killed himself. Your father paid a large sum to ensure the doctors hid this from Allyn.’’ She said through tears. ‘’They had a special connection and he just couldn’t forgive himself. He left a confession on a piece of paper beside his body when I found him.”

“Fuck,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

“That’s just another proof of how much my husband loved Allyn, even though she wasn’t his biological daughter.’’

My mind was spinning. All I managed to do was stare like an idiot.

“Not long after his death, I discovered who Allyn really was, and then everything finally clicked. The attacks, the beatings, the threats—everything. But it was already too late.”

“It doesn’t make fucking sense,” I muttered, shaking my head as I tried to connect the dots, but it wasn’t adding up. “Why would The Romano's be looking for Allyn and do all of this, if they just abandoned her on some fucking street?”

“I think she was taken away from them, and your father lied to us.”

“Your father took her away from me…”

Mikael’s words echoed in my mind.

Could that be true? Could my father stand behind this?

But why would he do that?

I couldn’t believe this part just yet. I needed the whole fucking story. I prayed that what I was starting to suspect wasn’t true—because if it was, I had no idea what I might do.

“Because this bitch is worth more than she deserves.”

I recalled the words he’d once told me and how confusing they had sounded back then.

But now, with everything falling into place, the truth might be more messed up than I ever imagined.