Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 41

C HAPTER 41

ALLYN

It’s ironic how life finds new ways to shove you to the ground— just to see if you can take it and still find the strength to get back up.

Everything you thought you knew and everything you thought you were— well, surprise, bitch!

Turns out it was all one big, fat lie.

When I was confronted with the truth, I denied it.

Like any normal person would in my messed up situation, I didn’t want to believe it. I refused to. Even when the evidence in that folder was impossible to ignore, too heavy to swallow.

It’s been two weeks since my conversation with Mikael.

Two weeks since my life turned upside down.

When Mikael showed me the documents and pictures, he even had the audacity to throw in a whole damn DNA paternity test to back up his point.

For days, I locked myself in the room, refusing to let anyone in.

I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t.

The more I thought about it, the more insane it felt.

My mind mocked his ridiculous claims, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

But the truth doesn’t care about how you feel. It hits you like a freight train, with no brakes, no mercy. The people I thought were my parents my entire existence weren’t my parents.

And the worst part? They knew.

They knew the whole time and decided I didn’t deserve to know.

Even after “my father” died, no one thought I had the right to the truth.

And yet, as much anger I feel towards the people who raised me, the anger I feel towards The King family is bigger. The aggression and thirst for revenge I felt toward this family grew stronger with every passing day.

Martin King. The mastermind behind it all.

The man who stole my whole life, the reason I lived in a lie for many years. The reason I suffered. It’s all his fault.

When Mikael told me the Kings were behind this, I cried harder than I ever thought possible—just like the day I lost my so-called “father.”

I smashed glass after glass against the wall, watching them shatter into pieces, just like my life. But even that couldn’t compare to the pain in my chest when I realized it wasn’t just Martin, Angelo, or Lydia who had betrayed me.

It was Maddox too.

I didn’t want to believe it.

It was the final knife stabbing me in the heart.

Maddox King once again proved who he really was.

And I? I was the fool who chose to ignore the stories and the signs. He is a heartless monster, thriving on destruction and fear. He is everything I should have stayed away from.

And yet, Maddox King was also the man who pulled me out of the caves of my scared, folded life. He brought me back to life.

He was the darkness I needed to escape my harsh reality.

He kissed me like he wanted me. He touched me like he’d die if he didn’t. And it was all just a game to him.

To fuck his brother’s fiancée.

To take yet another thing from Angelo, just for his sick amusement.

But it’s my fault, isn’t it? I pay the price for letting him in. I bet he’s been laughing behind my back this entire time.

I should have known better.

He’s Martin King’s son. The same piece of shit as his father.

And so, the seconds locked in this room turned into minutes.

Minutes into hours. Hours into days. Days into weeks.

All this time, the pain had been slowly transforming into something far deeper.

By Monday morning, it consumed me completely. I burst into Mikael’s office without knocking, catching him mid- conversation on the phone.

When he saw me, his expression didn’t change. He said something to the person on the other end and hung up, giving me his full attention with a welcoming smile.

For two weeks, Mikael hadn’t pushed me. He hadn’t violated my space or tried to sway me.

Instead, he gave me time—time to process, grieve, and to piece together the shattered fragments of my existence.

The people in the house treated me like royalty— as if I were some long-lost princess. And I hated it.

The freedom I finally had—the freedom I’d dreamed of for years—felt like a cruel joke. I didn’t want it.

“Teach me,” I said firmly, breaking the silence.

“Teach you what, exactly?” Mikael raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Teach me everything.”

His lips curled into a faint grin as he leaned back in his chair, studying me like a puzzle he was close to solving.

“What’s behind this sudden change of heart?” he asked.

“I want revenge,” I replied simply, my voice steady but laced with anger that had festered for weeks. “I want The King’s to suffer for everything they’ve done to me.”

For a moment, silence filled the room as Mikael’s grin widened. The look on his face could only be described as pride. Leaning forward, he crossed his arms over his chest, nodding slowly.

“Now you’re talking like a real Romano, my daughter.