22. Chapter 22
King Damini
The air in the grand study had been suffocating long before my father sat down on the heavy leather couch.
Good thing the servants had cleaned and prepped the space before he got here.
King Eze stood up, surveying my home with his hands tucked casually into his pants pockets, looking like a man who still owned everything he set his eyes on.
"So, tell me," Eze began. "How is it to be the ruler of all of this island?"
I leaned back against the edge of the desk, crossing my arms over my chest. "It's cool," I replied flatly.
I didn't offer anything else. Just because he was my father didn't mean I was about to blab all the inner workings of our operation during a damn family visit.
I took my position seriously. I took caring for this island, and caring for my wife, more seriously than anything else on this earth. Eze didn't need to know our moves.
Eze let out a short, nasal hum, turning his head toward the floor-to-ceiling glass. "And how is the Queen? Still acting out of her place, trying to be a man?"
My eyebrows drew down instantly, a heavy frown cutting deep into my face. "No," I said, my voice dropping an octave. "She’s being herself. And she’s handling her business, just like I’m handling mine."
Eze turned around, a slow, arrogant smirk spreading across his face. "Did you fuck her like I taught you to?"
My jaw clicked shut. "Excuse me?"
Eze shot both of his hands up into the air, letting out a loud laugh. "It’s a joke, son! Relax."
"Well, don't make my wife a joke," I growled, stepping away from the desk, my posture turning rigid. "I'm honoring our lineage like you demanded, so what do you need?"
Eze’s laugh faded, his expression shifting. "I need you to find a way for the Queen to stand down."
I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at him. "Come again?"
"Look, she took the crown, and now you’re King," Eze said smoothly, waving a dismissive hand.
"You don't need her to rule, Damini. She won't last as long as you.
She is just as loony as her mother, and your time to strike.
Once she's disowned and done away with, you take over the entire kingdom like you were always meant to. "
I looked at my father like he’d completely lost his mind. I was seeing King Eze in a completely different light—not as a wise leader, but as a snake willing to tear down my household for more power.
"You do know this island is named after her, right?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "It's the Okoye syndicate."
"Doesn't matter," Eze spat, his true colors finally bleeding through. "We can take over."
I stared at him, then looked out the glass toward the driveway where his car was parked.
"Yeah, Dad, you got me fucked up," I said. "I'm not going anywhere. And neither is my wife."
Eze actually chuckled. "It's okay, son. It's just me and you here. You don't have to keep up the front."
"I will complete my duty as a leader of this community," I gritted out, stepping directly into his personal space, my tall frame casting a heavy shadow over him. "And nobody will get in the way of that, or the relationship I have with my wife."
Eze sneered. "How could you honestly have a relationship with a computer of a woman, Damini? She's emotionally incapable of—"
"I think it's best that you get the fuck out of my place," I spat.
Eze froze, shock flashing across his face. "Damini—"
"You disrespected my wife," I cut him off, my voice booming through the quiet house. "I know you don't give a fuck about your wives, but I don't play about mine. So I'm gonna need you to get the fuck out of here. Now."
For a second, my father looked completely appalled. "We can talk more about this tomorrow when you've cooled down—"
"This is the last time we're having this type of conversation," I warned, stepping so close I could hear his shallow breath. "If I find out that you try to threaten my wife or her family in any way... I'll have your ass killed."
The heat radiating out of Eze's eyes was so intense it felt like it could scorch the air between us. He glared at me, his fists clenching at his sides, utterly stunned that his own blood was threatening his life. But I didn't back down an inch. Not a single flinch.
After a long silence, he turned on his heel and stormed out the front door, slamming it shut behind him.
That conversation rattled around in my skull for hours. Between Eze’s subtle threats and Adanna’s complete vanishing act, my head was a fucking war zone.
***
I stayed up through the dead of night, pacing the floorboards, checking my phone every five minutes.
By the wee hours of the morning, when the sky was just starting to bruise into a pale grey, I stood in the kitchen, furiously brewing a hot cup of black tea and coffee for her, trying to keep my hands from shaking with pure rage and anxiety.
Then, the front door clicked open.
My Queen strolled into the kitchen so casual. She literally walked into the kitchen without a shirt on, bare-chested, her dark skin glowing softly under the recessed lights. She must’ve stripped whens he hit the door, trying to distract me from getting on her ass for disappearing.
It bothered the hell out of me. She knew she was driving me crazy, and she knew her subtle provocation was working.
I turned my back to her, deliberately ignoring her presence as I poured the hot liquid into her mug.
Adanna stopped right beside me, picking up on the thick wall I’d thrown up. She looked up at my profile.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
I didn't answer. I kept my eyes locked on the counter, taking a slow sip of my own cup.
She tilted her head. "Would it help if I came fully naked?"
I rolled my eyes hard, setting my mug down on the counter with a loud clatter. "You don't just do shit like that where you run off and not tell nobody where you're going, Adanna!"
"You're right," she said softly.
I paused, my throat locking up. I had been fully prepared to go off on a ten-minute tirade about security protocols and communication, but her response threw me off balance.
I blinked, taking a deep breath, but I went off anyway—I couldn't just let it slide.
"I am responsible for you," I growled, stepping into her space. My hands reached out to grip her bare waist, pulling her close. "And you are responsible for me. Do I make myself clear?"
Adanna looked straight up into my eyes and nodded. "Yes."
I swallowed hard, my anger wavering under her strange, calm compliance. "Where were you?"
"My ex-boyfriend's house," she stated honestly.
Every muscle in my body went rigid. The blood in my veins turned to liquid fire. I opened my mouth to blow a fucking fuse—
"I was telling him goodbye," she added smoothly before I could explode. Her gaze softened. "Things between you and I are different now... and I wanted to be able to give you all of me."
The breath hitched in my chest. The rage that had been boiling inside me since my father left evaporated instantly, replaced by a stunned silence.
My brain couldn't process the words coming out of her mouth.
She left... just to cut off her last tie to her past so she could give herself to me completely?
I stood there like a statue, staring at her bare shoulders, my grip still tight on her waist.
"Well..." I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to sound stern. "You better not ever see that man again... or I'll have him killed."
Adanna nodded calmly. "Okay."
I narrowed my eyes down at her, trying to regain my footing. "Do you think I'm playing?"
"I know you're not," she murmured.
She took a small step closer as her hands slid up my arms. "How about I take you out? I'd love to give you some quality time when we get done with this family day."
I rolled my eyes as I looked down at her. "Are you trying to make it up to me?"
A subtle, beautiful smirk twisted her lips. "Maybe I am."
"...Okay," I muttered.
Adanna reached up on her tiptoes, pressing a soft, warm kiss to my lips. She pulled back reached around my hip, and picked up the hot mug off the counter.
"Thank you for my cup," she said softly, taking a slow sip as she turned around and strolled down the hallway toward our bedroom, completely unbothered and bare-chested.
I stood alone in the kitchen, staring at her retreating back.
"...Huh?" I whispered to the empty room, completely at the mercy of my Queen.