Empire of Sin: An Enemies to Lovers Romance

by Rina Kent

  “What do you mean?”

  “This case is personal to him.”

  “How could it be personal? He doesn’t know either Sandra or Matt.”

  “No, but he’s well-acquainted with Sandra’s circumstances since he went through something similar himself. My people went to a lot of trouble to get me this information since his foster father practically buried it, but he couldn’t have hidden it from me.”

  “What are you talking about, Papa?” I realize I’m shaking, my fingers clasped together and sweat gathering between my brows. “What information are you talking about?”

  “His mother was a prostitute and a drug addict.”

  “He already told me that.”

  “Did he also tell you that when her body no longer had any value, she prostituted her two children to pedophiles?”

  I gasp, my hands going to cover my mouth. The information Papa just revealed ever so casually crashes against my ribcage and splits it open.

  Despite my attempts to reject it, to tell him it’s not true, many pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Like how Knox doesn’t like to have sex from the front, Teal’s overprotectiveness, and especially his stiffness ever since he met Sandra.

  I thought it was him being an asshole, but it must’ve been because she triggered him somehow. Because her story brought back awful memories from his own past.

  Oh, God. I was clueless.

  So damn clueless.

  “He’s not for you, Anastasia.”

  My mouth falls open as I stare my father square in the eye. “And the man who kills a village for dinner is? What type of logic is that, Papa?”

  “Damien will protect you.”

  “He won’t care about me enough to protect me. Down the line, he might become no different than my stepdad. The man whose file you have in front of you, however, does. Even when I lied to him and hid my identity, all he did was take care of me.”

  “An outsider is out of the question.”

  “Rai married Kyle and he’s British.”

  “Kyle might have been raised in England, but he’s not an outsider. His father is one of our leaders.”

  “But…”

  “My decision is final. Don’t make me get rid of him.”

  “Papa!”

  “Do as you’re told, Anastasia. Marry Damien and cut any relations with this lawyer and I’ll spare him. I’ll even stop backing Matt.”

  A tear slides down my cheek because the decision I’ll have to make will burn me alive.

  36

  KNOX

  A round of applause greets me as soon as I’m inside the office. Even Lauren and Chris step aside and join the others in the celebratory greeting.

  Every senior and junior partner is present, in addition to all the assistant lawyers and even the interns.

  Nate and Aspen are at the front of them all, wearing what seems to be proud expressions. The managing partner of W&S strides toward me and grabs me by the shoulder with a little squeeze. “Great job.”

  “You’re saying that as if I had a chance to lose.”

  “You did.” It’s Aspen who speaks with a slight lift in her brows. “In fact, you might have gotten lucky at the end.”

  “Turning the defense’s witness against him isn’t lucky, Aspen. It’s hard work.” Though luck might have played a little part in it.

  Our evidence wasn’t rejected as we thought it would be. Not only that, but Karen, Sandra’s stepmother, visited me late at night to tell me she wanted to make up for her mistake.

  The look on Matt’s face was priceless when she took the stand as a witness in Sandra’s favor for all the shit she’d witnessed over the years.

  Pearce wasn’t even trying to save face at the end and kind of let Matt fall on his own. I demanded his entire fortune for compensation but only got sixty percent, and Sandra just announced to the press that she’d donate most of it to the women’s and children’s organizations in hopes of helping people like her.

  Now, the prosecutor is pushing harder for the criminal case. He gave Matt a plea deal to take twenty-five years in prison or he won’t only charge him with a Class B felony, but will also file each case of physical assault separately.

  I demanded that of the prosecutor after I met with him or I would’ve dragged him in front of the media. They’re fans of me, Sandra, and Lauren, and started a movement called #SaveSandra, so if I called for a press conference and accused him of slacking, he would’ve received huge backlash.

  So he decided to do the right thing. For once in his bloody rotten existence.

  I still think twenty-five years in prison is too little for all that Sandra suffered, but it’s better than the alternative.

  Even though she still has a long road ahead of her, this is a good start.

  Despite my relief about the outcome, the sense of joy I thought I would feel is nonexistent. It’s muddied by a gloomy shadow that keeps hovering over my head.

  A shadow so large and thick that I can’t see through it.

  I don’t let anything show on my face, though. I smile and take the others’ congratulations with my usual arrogance while all I want is to vanish into thin air.

  When I finally get to my office, I throw my weight on the sofa and close my eyes. My hand fists then flexes on my thigh in sync with my loud heartbeats.

  I might have won today, but something is off. Or more like, a few things.

  First, Pearce’s apathy. Second, the general atmosphere in the courtroom. And last but not least, the way everything fell into place without any interference.

  It’s almost as if Matt was dropped by the mob, which explains his pale face even before he lost. It’s like he had a premonition about what would happen and only waited for the other shoe to drop.

  There’s a knock on my office door and I open my eyes as Daniel walks in.

  It’s been a week since the day I nearly beat him to death, but instead of giving us the space we both need, he’s been there like a thorn in my side, one I’m tempted to punch every time I see him.

  “I see congratulations are in order.” He smiles, flopping on the chair across from me.

  “You fuck off.”

  “You sure? I thought you’d want to hear what Anastasia told me that day.”

  I sit up straighter, every bone in my body coming to attention at the mention of her name. It’s only her name, but it’s gained a presence, a sharp one at that, and it’s slashing through my chest and fucking up my organs.

  For a whole week, I haven’t been able to live properly. Each inhale is filled with the suffocating lack of her presence. And each exhale is choked with the emptiness she left behind.

  Whenever I look, there’s no sign of her soft smile and peaceful presence. It’s as if she was never there in the first place.

  But she was.

  Every inch of me remembers her sweet scent, her delicate skin, and how right she felt in my arms. Every inch of me remembers her, whether as Anastasia or Jane doesn’t matter. She was only ever one person to me.

  And I got used to her more than I’d like to admit. I got so used to her that my life has felt dysfunctional since she’s been gone.

  It’s become so bad that I smelled the orange-scented shampoo she left behind in a fruitless attempt to recreate her presence.

  Needless to say, it was useless, and after that, I damn near lost my mind trying to find her.

  I searched for her everywhere. I stalked her flat and even hired a PI to look for her.

  Not only that, but I was on Chris’s and Gwen’s case since they were close to her, but even they had no idea where she went. However, she left them notes, ones where she apologized and wished them well.

  I got no such note.

  And I might have been extra hard on Chris for no apparent reason that day.

  So after her complete desertion, this is the first time I might have a lead, even if it’s coming from the little bastard, Daniel.

  “Spill it,” I say.

  �
��Repeat that again and add a please.”

  “Fuck you, Dan. Now, talk.”

  “You’re a bloody idiot and a sorry cunt. I just want to put that out there.”

  “Any day now.”

  He raises a brow. “You also realize that there was something wrong with your win, don’t you?”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Anyone who watched the case closely would know that Matt is no longer the Bratva’s favorite boy and if you think that happened by coincidence, you’re way off the mark. In fact, the last person you’d expect helped you.”

  “Who do you mean?”

  “Anastasia.”

  “What does she have to do with it?”

  “She asked me not to tell you since you were in danger, but I don’t see why I should keep it from you now.”

  “Keep what? And stop the suspense bollocks.”

  “She’s a mafia princess. The daughter of the Russian mafia’s leader in New York, to be more specific.”

  The information should reel me off my axis, but it doesn’t. If anything, the pieces of the puzzle slowly come together.

  Whether it’s the way she ran away from her past and avoided it or how she didn’t want to talk about her family. There’s also the makeover and the way she seemed innocent yet dangerous that first day.

  All of it.

  She was a woman with baggage from the beginning and I knew it. I think I actually fell for it at some point.

  So finding out that she has ties to the mafia makes complete sense. The guard who followed her makes sense, too. The fact that Daniel couldn’t find anything on her when he did a background check is plausible, too. He must’ve done a paperwork, superficial one, but even if he dug deeper, she had the skills to hide her skeletons.

  That woman had a double life, after all.

  “What do you mean, I was in danger?” I ask Daniel.

  “You were snooping around in Bratva business and hurting their associate, so the higher-ups threatened her with your life. They even told her to betray you, but she chose the third option.”

  “To go back to them.” I don’t phrase it as a question, because I know that’s what she did.

  She hurt me on purpose with the whole Daniel thing so I would forget her and not search for her.

  Well, the fucking joke’s on her because I’m never letting her go. Not even if I have to barge headfirst into her world.

  Daniel lifts his shoulder. “She didn’t tell me that, but I assume so.”

  “What else did she tell you? Don’t leave anything out.”

  “That I should keep an eye on you, that I shouldn’t get mad when you become an arsehole, and that you mean well.” He snorts. “She believed in you more than you believe in yourself, and didn’t seem to care about her own wellbeing as long as you were alright. I have to say, you’re a lucky son of a bitch to have found someone like her.”

  I am.

  I fucking am.

  And now, I have to get her back to where she belongs.

  By my fucking side.

  37

  ANASTASIA

  Papa is telling me to prepare for my engagement, saying that it will happen soon.

  He’s even taking me with him to parties organized by the Bratva and its allies.

  Like today. He threw a party out of nowhere to celebrate the rekindling of our relationship with the Italians. Something that Adrian, the cunning wolf, made happen.

  Needless to say, our house is overflowing with guests from all different factions and even businessmen that the Bratva considers friends. Most of them are Russian, but there are all types of nationalities here. The brotherhood believes in making global allies since that gets them what they want faster.

  The overflowing of people makes my head hurt, especially since they only see me as stock. A bride to be married to the best man.

  A prize.

  I was with Rai a while ago, but she has shareholders to greet and rounds to make, and I’ll just be a hindrance. Even though her stomach is growing noticeably, she doesn’t let that stop her from being a kickass businesswoman. Kyle is by her side every step of the way, though.

  As I stand in the corner, clutching a drink, I can’t help watching how he gently yet firmly places a hand at the small of her back. How he strokes her over her clothes and gives her water to drink.

  A shiver goes through me at the scene, and a pit of loneliness stabs me in the stomach. My heart aches and splinters at the memory of Knox holding me to him and stroking my skin as if he got pleasure from it.

  And the thought that I might never get that again clogs my throat until I can no longer breathe.

  Papa meant what he said that day a week ago in his office and he kept his part of the deal.

  He left Knox alone and now, I have to do the same or Papa’s answer will be written in blood.

  I know what he’s doing with these parties and by making sure to introduce me alongside Damien. He’s getting everyone to see me with my “future husband,” as he calls him.

  Something that Abe, the father of Damien’s supposed bride-to-be, took extreme offense to. And there might be a fight behind the scenes between him and Papa as we speak. I could tell when Vlad, Kirill, and Adrian followed Papa, Abe, and the higher-ups of the Yakuza upstairs.

  “Shouldn’t you be up there, too?” I ask Aleksander, who’s standing not far from me, beside the balcony window.

  He has one hand over the other, and despite his generally calm demeanor, his forefinger is twitching, which might be the only sign of distress he’s ever shown.

  “Boss told me to stay here,” he says without looking at me.

  “I’m not going to run away with so many guards in here. If you’re so worried about him, just go up there.”

  He presses his lips in a line. “I won’t defy his order.”

  “Good luck with the guilt when he gets hurt then.”

  Aleksander flashes me a deadly stare, as if I murdered his children and ate them for breakfast. “He’s not going to get hurt. He can take care of himself.”

  “You don’t sound so convincing. You’re thinking it, aren’t you? That something will go south and there will be no one to protect your precious boss.”

  “Miss…” There’s a warning in his tone.

  “What?”

  “Are you enjoying this?”

  I take a sip of my drink and revel in the burn of the vodka. “Maybe. I’m bored because you guys decided it was a good idea to track me, so forgive me if I choose to enjoy your misery a little.”

  “Your father is up there, too.”

  “He’ll be fine. If anything happens, everyone will take the bullet for him, starting with Kirill.”

  I can hear the grinding of Aleksander’s teeth, but before he can say anything, Damien waltzes in, carrying a glass of vodka and making a show of drinking it with leisurely calm.

  “If it isn’t my future wife.” he speaks in an unusually cheerful tone. “And the pretty boy Sasha. And here I thought you were Kirill’s shadow.”

  “He decided not to watch when he actually gets shot.” I mean it as a joke, but Aleksander goes rigid, then storms in the direction of the stairs without a word.

  “What’s up with that crazy motherfucker?” Damien watches him for a while before he dismisses him and focuses on me. “Were you a naughty girl or a good girl with him?”

  “I don’t see why that should concern you.”

  A manic smirk lifts his lips. “Hmm…and here I thought you were a docile lamb, my Nastyusha. See, I prefer the fight, the running and clawing, it makes the chasing and breaking process thrilling.”

  I swallow, my heart jackhammering in my throat, but I refuse to show it. I refuse to show that he scares the shit out of me, that whenever I see his face, it’s not his handsome looks that greet me, it’s a devil in disguise.

  So I inhale for a few more seconds. “Shouldn’t you be with them? This whole fight is about you.”

  “Nah. It’s not a real fi
ght, so I’m not interested. Sergei started this mess and he can sort it out himself.”

  “I thought you wanted to marry the Japanese girl,” I try in a softer tone.

  “Nope, Rai and that fucker Kirill arranged it for some diplomatic Yakuza-Bratva shit. I couldn’t care less.”

  “Won’t she be sad that you’re breaking off the engagement?”

  “Why the fuck would she? We haven’t even met.”

  Damn it.

  I foolishly hoped there would be some form of attachment between them, that I could get in touch with her and come up with a plan to break off this engagement, but if they’re strangers, I have no hope there.

  What was I thinking, anyway? This brute is not the type to get attached to anyone or anything.

  “Besides, I’m allergic to anyone who doesn’t drink vodka.” He grins, clinking his glass against mine. “At least you do.”

  “I don’t love you, Damien,” I murmur slowly. “I don’t want to marry you.”

  “Love?” He appears genuinely perplexed. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “What Rai and Kyle have.” I motion at them, then at Adrian’s wife, who’s talking with her husband’s guard, but her attention is firmly on where he disappeared to with Papa and the others. “What Adrian and Lia have.”

  “You mean marriage.”

  “No. Love and marriage are different. Love is when you can’t breathe when the other isn’t there. It’s when living becomes a chore, and waking up every day is an accomplishment. It’s when you can’t stop thinking about them and need them close so you can finally exist.”

  “Sounds like a fucking hindrance.”

  “It’s not. Damien…please…I want to be with the man I love.”

  “Fine.”

  I pause, my lips parting. “R-really?”

  “I told you, Nastyusha, you have time to ruin this marriage before it happens.”

  “But if you tell Papa you don’t want to marry me…”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m not going to get on the Pakhan’s bad side for this. It’s your mess. Clean it up yourself.”

  “Do you want to marry me?”