Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 68

MADDOX

“Good to see you again, brother.” Angelo’s grin stretched across his face as he sat behind his desk. “Although I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to contact me so soon.”

“You wanted to talk, so I’m here to talk,” I said, sitting down on the couch opposite him. “Or I can just leave.”

“So fucking grumpy all the time. I’ll talk with Allyn to work harder to change that.”

I glanced around the empty office, just the two of us in it this time. I was here because I gave my word. And I always keep it.

He saved Allyn from Mikael’s men. For that, I owed him my life. That’s the only reason why Angelo was still standing in front of me, smiling like an idiot.

Still, I wanted to be anywhere but here. Home with my woman.

She was probably curled up on the couch, watching a movie with a ridiculous ice cream mix in hand, just waiting for me.

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her. Damn, I was down bad for this woman.

It had been over a week since the mess with Mikael. The old man’s recovery was slow but steady—when I last saw him, he was barely alive, covered in his blood. Now, he was doing better, slowly regaining strength in the hospital.

Allyn was happy, and that meant I was fucking happy. I bought an apartment in a luxury building in Scarlet Vale under her name, just a street away from the hospital where Mikael is recovering.

I knew she’d want to be closer to him. Of course, she objected, but it wasn’t up for discussion.

She always said I spoiled her too much.

Well, so fucking be it. She deserves it.

A damn apartment is the least I could spend my money on for her.

Allyn fell in love with the place almost immediately. She threw herself into decorating it, turning the empty space into a home.

Our home.

A fresh start for the three of us.

“Talk, Angelo,” I sighed, shifting my focus back to my brother. “I don’t have all day.”

“Straight to business, I guess,” he muttered, nodding slightly. I stretched my arms out across the couch, waiting for him to continue.

“You know that after our father’s death, The King clan is left without a leader.”

“I’m familiar with that.”

“And as his older son, I’m his heir.”

I nodded, already knowing where this was headed. Angelo certainly didn’t have the necessary qualities to lead, but even so, he’d do a better job than Martin.

“And you invited me here to ask for my blessing?” I grinned, my lips curling in amusement.

I found the situation absurd.

If Angelo thought I’d stand in the way of his right as the heir, then he didn’t know me at all. I didn’t give a single fuck about the title.

The only thing I cared about was my family waiting for me at home.

“No,” he quickly interrupted. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. “I invited you here to get your consent to take my place as heir.”

I blinked, processing his words.

Did I hear him correctly?

I waited for him to crack a smile or make a joke, but his face remained as serious as stone.

Fuck. He wasn’t joking.

“Say something,” Angelo finally spoke, breaking the silence as we both just stared at each other like idiots.

“Why?” I asked, my voice sharp. “Why do you want to deny the place that’s rightfully yours?” It made no fucking sense.

“Because we both know I’m not a worthy leader,” he muttered with a laugh. “But you are.”

I pursed my lips, considering his words.

Never in my fucking life had I thought about this. Being the head of The King family was something that had always been out of my reach.

I’d known from the moment I entered this world that the role would one day go to Angelo. Our father had trained him for it all his life.

I was just a weapon, a tool Martin had designed to do his dirty work.

But he’d never wanted me to be a leader.

“With your permission, I’d like to take the position as your right hand,” Angelo continued, his tone steady. ‘’ I want to restore The King family to the heights it belongs to and clear our name of all the things our father did behind our backs.”

This had to be some stupid fucking joke. Everything sounded too damn good to be true. I wasn’t used to things going well in my life.

Angelo’s face stayed serious, his eyes filled with a glimmer of hope, and everything he said was drawing me in more than I liked.

I had never thought about being a leader before, but now that he brought it up—why the fuck not?

I could do this. I could be a good leader.

I’d restore our name, bring us back to the top. I had The Romano family as an ally, which made us nearly unstoppable. And one day, my child would inherit the King family, where the position rightfully belonged.

“Giving up your birthright so easily?” I narrowed my eyes, still skeptical, but Angelo just nodded, his expression serious as hell, proving how committed he was.

“Do you want me to draw up a contract and have me sign it if it’ll give you more faith in my words?” Angelo raised his eyebrows, sarcasm lacing his voice. “Seriously, Maddox, stop being such a dick and just say yes.”

Angelo tapped his fingers on the desk, leaning slightly toward me, a sly grin playing on his face.

“A brand new beginning,” he said. “Let’s show the world who the fuck we are.”

I might grow to love seeing that fire in Angelo’s eyes—the desire, the flames. Something I hadn’t noticed in him before, but now, seeing him so determined, I realized he might just be the loyal right-hand man I needed. Despite everything that had happened between us, he was still family.

That’s why I said, “Fine. Let’s fucking do this.”

Angelo’s grin stretched wide—as if he’d just won the lottery.

“That’s what I’m talking about, brother,” he said, standing up and offering his hand.

We shook on it, sealing the deal. The details could wait—I had more pressing matters.

As we reached the door, something crossed my mind—something that had been eating at me for a while now. If I didn’t get it off my chest, it would drive me mad.

I stopped, turning to face Angelo.

“You weren’t pretending the whole time, were you?” The question left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I had to ask. “You felt something for her, right?”

He curled his lips into a small, irritating smile.

“In a certain period of time, yeah,” he said, his tone light, but I could see the edge of truth in his eyes. “But I knew it was a lost cause. I sensed someone else was occupying her mind.”

I swallowed, nodding. I’m not proud of my actions.

Sleeping with my brother’s future wife behind his back was a new low, even for me. But she’s my woman. She’s made for me.

I loved her, and if our worlds colliding means I had to do it all over again, better believe I would fucking do it—no matter who I hurt in the process.

“I just didn’t know you were the one in her mind,” Angelo laughed.

“Then I would’ve known from the start I had no chance of winning her at all.