Page 36 of Wicked King

“Two weeks?” I nearly spit the coffee all over my sheer white top.

Marco’s eyes widen, and for the first time since the engagement announcement, I catch a glimpse of fear in his gaze. Perhaps he is wary about this arrangement too. For some reason, it makes me feel better. “I don’t know that we need to move that quickly…”

Yéye’s eyes narrow. “Can it be done or not, Mr. Rossi?”

He clears his throat, and those darting eyes flicker to me. “If the lovely Jia agrees to the wedding ceremony at the church, I’m certain I can find a suitable venue for the reception.”

“In two weeks?” His silver brows twist as he asks again.

“Yes, in two weeks.” Marco’s Adam’s apple bobs in time with my own hard swallow. “I’ll have my assistant get on it immediately.”

“Wonderful.” Yéye shuffles to the bathroom. “I’ll leave you two to discuss the details.”

“Two weeks?” I hiss the moment the bathroom door closes.

“Why delay the inevitable?” He shrugs and sips at what I swear is his third cup of coffee this morning.

Because if I have more time maybe I can find a way out of this arrangement.

A long moment of silence lingers between us. My thoughts are on retaliation, and I have no idea where Marco’s feelings lie, but judging by the deep creases along his forehead, something is on his mind. Flower arrangements, maybe?

I nearly laugh out loud at my own mental joke before I remember I have to play nice with my fiancé, at least for the time being if I want his help. “Can I borrow your gun?” I reach for it, but he slips out of the way.

“Excuse me?” He drops the mug, and it clatters to the table.

“You said I needed to show the Four Seas who was in charge, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

“With one gun? By yourself?”

“What would you suggest?” I snap.

“A combined show of force, Jia. Find the men that are still loyal to you, to your grandfather, and then challenge Lei Wang.”

“How am I supposed to do that without triggering his suspicions?”

“Quietly and cautiously.”

“I need to move quickly.” I try to grab his gun again, but he swings his hips, deflecting.

He wags a long finger. “And if you need a gun, I’ll get you your own. Do you know how to use one?”

“Of course I do.” I may have played the role of the demure, obedient daughter, but Bà had insisted I learned to protect myself long before Nanay was killed.

“Fine, we’ll go see my guy this afternoon, right after we move you into my hotel room.”

My brows scrunch as I regard the mercurial male. “Hotel room?”

“I’m currently in between apartments. I have a week until I can move into my penthouse, so I have a suite at the Waldorf.” He eyes my studio and shudders. “It’s not much larger than this, but it has a pullout couch and at least I can request a rollaway bed.”

“I’m not leaving my apartment because of one isolated incident.” And who knows how many women he’s brought to that suite? I refuse to be anywhere some simpering debutante could have been…

“Jia, with the security at the Waldorf, we’ll all sleep much easier.”

“I slept just fi—” I cut myself off mid-sentence before I admit to having the best night of sleep in my overprotective fiancé’s arms.

“What about your grandfather? Don’t you want what’s best for him?” He leans against the counter and shoots me a smirk that I’m sure has all the women dropping their panties.

“Of course I do,” I spit.

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