Chapter Twelve #2
When I got behind the wheel, I didn’t even think about where I was going. My hands drove for me, and I only realized where I was when the Korven estate illuminated under the headlights.
“Fuck,” I muttered, driving past without stopping.
I couldn’t go see her like this. I didn’t know what I’d say. How the hell was I supposed to explain showing up tonight? The bread trick wasn’t gonna work again, and if I was honest, it probably hadn’t worked the first time either.
So I kept driving, ending up at my mother’s grave, because everything was slipping out of control and I needed something to hold onto. I needed to talk to her, even if I knew she’d never answer.
“She said you were like a mother to her. That she loved you. Did you ever notice the way I looked at her? Knowing I had no right to get close?” I sat there on the cold stone, waiting for some kind of sign, anything.
“What did the two of you talk about? Would you have been happy to see us married? Would it really be so terrible to love a Veylor?” I whispered, finally realizing how much shit had changed inside me.
My gaze drifted out to the horizon, the sky was dark and empty, the wind biting against my skin.
Not once since my mother died had I ever let myself wonder if I could just love Serenity.
If I could let my heart speak, drop the grudge, let go of all the hate.
I let the silence hang, the cold wind brushing over my skin, feeling something shift deep inside, something I never would’ve believed possible eleven months ago.
When I got home, I headed straight for the shower.
With water pounding down my back, one hand braced against the wall and the other wrapped tight around my dick, my mind spun off to Serenity.
I saw her in my head—mask on, naked, laid out perfectly for me, her pussy pink and shining, slick with her juices and my cum.
Every time I remembered the feel of her skin under my hands and the way my tongue slid over her, I got harder.
The taste of her, her moans in my ear, the way she screamed when she came, I carried all of it with me, burned into memory like a brand.
I wanted her to call me, wanted to fuck her again so bad it ate me alive.
I never felt this kind of agony before, not for anyone.
That’s how I knew it wasn’t just about missing her body.
My soul was craving that connection, the kind I never thought we could find, hidden behind secrets and masks.
After a few minutes, I finished up and got out. Towel wrapped around my waist, I headed to my bedroom and stopped cold in my tracks.
The sight that hit me when I saw my bed made my blood boil.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Eleana?” I growled, eyes locked on her—spread out naked on my sheets, legs wide, pussy on display, thinking she was a gift.
“You don’t like it? It’s been a while, Konflict. You haven’t picked up my calls since the other night. I’m here to make it up to you.” She slid her fingers inside her pussy, slow, putting on a show she thought would break me.
I stared her down, my face blank and anger creeping up my spine.
Every part of me regretted ever giving her my door code a few months back, when I was still playing games, flirting, stirring up shit to piss off the Big Six.
Even then, I knew I’d never touch her, but I let her think she had a chance because it suited me.
Biggest mistake I made was letting her believe she had enough freedom to walk into my house without a word and stretch out naked in my bed.
But what hit me hardest was how little she did for me. Nothing. Her fingers moving in and out, her little act, none of it got a single reaction out of me. Not like Serenity—just thinking about her had me hard as steel. Eleana might as well have been invisible.
“Get the fuck out of here before I drag your naked ass out myself.”
She didn’t even blink at my tone.
“Baby, I can tell you want to fuck a real woman. Your wife lives on the other side of the city. Everybody knows you’re not close, that you’re heading for divorce.
You don’t have to wait for her to get some relief.
I can take care of anything you need.” She prowled closer, trying to press herself up against me, lips reaching for mine.
“I know what a man like you needs. I’m ready to do anything for you, Konflict.
” Her hands slid over my chest, soft, practiced, trying to seduce me.
“You really telling me I don’t turn you on?
I’m here, naked, offering myself to you.
You can’t let me leave like this. Fuck me, Konflict.
I want you so bad.” She pulled the towel off my waist, eyes hungry.
The second her hand reached for my dick, I caught her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back and yanking it high until she cried out.
“Fuck! You’re hurting me, Konflict!”
“What kind of man did you think I was? Some soft ass fucker that lets a bitch like you crawl all over him? Get the fuck out of my house and don’t come back.”
I let her go and fixed the towel back around my waist while she glared at me, eyes wet.
“You’re nothing but a piece of shit Konflict Korven. A fucking idiot. You’ve got a real woman right here, and you’re throwing it away?”
I didn’t bother to answer before walking to my closet, pulling on some boxers and a pair of joggers, hoping by the time I came back she’d be gone.
“I’m not done with you, Konflict. You’ll be hearing from me again.”
“Yeah? Go tell your sob story somewhere else. Try your luck on OnlyFans, maybe someone else will pay for your act,” I shot back, yanking my sweats up. When I came back into the bedroom, she was in her dress, ready to go.
“You’re fucking your wife, aren’t you? That’s why you keep pushing me away? That bitch doesn’t deserve you. What would your family say if they knew you were fucking a Veylor? Aren’t you ashamed of betraying them like that?” she spat, eyes glassy with tears.
Her question managed to hit somewhere deep, even if I didn’t show it.
My father, my uncles, the whole goddamn family, they would’ve lost their minds if they knew what I felt for a Veylor.
A few months back, I would’ve lost it too.
But right now, I couldn’t care less what Eleana or anyone else thought about me and my wife.
She was mine, and I was already pissed at myself enough for just starting to act like her husband.
“What happens in my marriage is none of your business,” I said, voice flat and cold.
I walked to my drawer, pulled out my gun, and held it in my hand, just to make my point.
“I don’t want to have to lay hands on you to get you out, so here’s how it’s gonna go—if you’re not out of my sight in five seconds, the Korven’s are officially going to war with the Sawyer’s, because I’ll put a bullet in the head of the family’s bitch in heat.
And believe me, that idea almost makes me smile, considering I still regret letting your brother walk away after he dared to breathe the same air as my wife.
Get out, Eleana. Don’t push your luck. I’m not that nice. ”
This time, my tone did the job. She scrambled out fast, shooting me a look full of hate before storming out the door. I listened to her heels clacking down the stairs, across the living room, until finally the front door slammed behind her.
I called my men right after, telling them Eleana Sawyer was banned—no matter what. Then I changed the security code on the door. Only after all that shit did I finally get in bed.
The next day, I finished off the work that had piled up before heading out to an emergency Big Six meeting. On the way, I stopped in front of a flower shop. Yeah, Krash finally got in my head.
“Mr. Korven, what kind of flowers would you like? What’s the occasion? Are they for your wife? Would you like to add a little love note?” The florist hit me with back-to-back questions before I even got a word out.
I scowled. Everyone in this city knew the Big Six heads, and times like this made me wish they didn’t. His goofy, upbeat energy made my skin crawl. This shit wasn’t me.
“Don’t ask me questions. Just take those flowers and send as many bouquets as you can to the Korven estate. No words. Don’t say who sent them.”
I pointed at a cluster of white flowers—tall stems, wide petals that opened up like clean blades, bright and heavy at the same time.
I didn’t know the name, didn’t care to ask.
All I knew was they looked beautiful and felt right.
Yeah. That would do. It was a way of saying I’m sorry without opening my mouth, and that was exactly what I needed. It was perfect.
“You’re sure?” the florist asked, watching me with doubt in his eyes.
His hesitation got under my skin, making me pause. And maybe he had a point. She had to know they came from me so she’d understand what I meant. “Alright, maybe you can add a card with my name on it. Nothing else.”
He kept looking at me, worried, but finally wrote it up. I paid, got out, and finally headed to my meeting.
When I stepped into the Big Six conference room, all the families were already in place—Marquette, Draven, Hollister, Crowhurst. My eyes landed on Sawyer, father and son, and my face shut down.
Judge Marquette came forward and laid out the reason for this meeting.
“You’re all aware that since the Veylor seat has been empty, our business has been out of balance.
The Veylor casinos used to clean all our money and what’s left can’t handle the load.
That’s why we need the Sawyer’s. With their private galleries and their massive art collection, it’s the perfect new circuit for laundering.
This meeting was called to vote on the Sawyer’s joining the Big Six.
They’ll take the Veylor seat and work hand in hand with every founding family in Emberwick. ”
I looked at Seylan Sawyer, and he met my gaze.
I hated the confidence in his eyes. Giving him a seat at this table would only give him more wings.
I could already see another war coming, because I could read in his eyes he planned to piss me off, circling around my wife.
His hand still carried the memory of what I did to him at the gala, and by the way he stared me down, I wouldn’t be surprised if his little sister gave him a play-by-play of our meeting last night.
But that wasn’t the whole story. I never liked the Sawyer’s, never trusted them.
They were calculating and willing to do anything to get a seat at our table.
The old man was the worst, always scheming.
I’d taken the time to study him, dig up everything I could about him and his business when I pretended to care about Eleana.
Yeah, I wanted to send a message to the Big Six by seeing her, but the real mission was always to find out what these snakes were planning.
That was how I knew we didn’t share the same values.
He’d fake team player right up until he wanted more, and then he’d turn on us.
He wasn’t getting in as long as I was here.
“Who’s in favor of letting the Sawyer’s join the Big Six?” Judge Marquette asked.
Hollister and Marquette raised their hands. That was it. They looked surprised when Draven, Crowhurst, and I didn’t join them.
“Who’s against?” he asked, jaw tight.
All three of us raised our hands. Draven was always going to stand with me.
We’d been close since we were kids, and when he’d taken over for his father, he was the one who suggested an alliance with the Korven’s—the same kind Hollister and Marquette had.
We looked out for each other, always. So blocking the Sawyer’s had always been the plan.
What I hadn’t counted on was Crowhurst siding with us too.
He was a lone wolf, only moved when it mattered, always too mysterious to predict.
No one ever knew where he stood until the last minute. Today, he stood with us.
“Very well,” Judge Marquette said, disappointed. “Three votes to two. The application of the Sawyer’s is declined.”
“This is ridiculous,” Sawyer Senior snapped. “You’re not seriously sticking with this decision. We’re a real asset to Emberwick. Our operations—”
I wasn’t listening anymore because my phone started buzzing. When I checked, my heart hammered up into my throat—the message was from Vixen.
VIXEN
She wants you. Now.
Fuck, I didn’t expect that. The sun hadn’t even set yet, but I didn’t care. I’d promised her if she called, I’d come running.
So I got to my feet, already moving for the door.
“We’re not finished here, Korven,” Judge Marquette called out.
“I don’t give a fuck,” I said, locking eyes with him. “I’m leaving. Right fucking now.”
I walked out, heart racing, not caring about anything except getting to my wife.