Page 146 of Sinful Pleasure

Allyn narrowed her eyes at him.

“It’s time you start treating women as your equals,” she hissed. “Let’s put the cards on the table, gentlemen. All of you are nothing but useless men with the power handed to you by your families. Without it, you’re nothing.”

“Little fucking bitch, how dare you talk to us like that?” a man to my right shouted, rising from his seat and stepping toward Allyn.

Her bodyguards immediately reached for their weapons but they wouldn’t need them.

I didn’t even let him take two steps before I stood, grabbing him by the neck and yanking him back into his seat, slamming his head into the table. The satisfying crunch of bone reverberated in the room, but the hunger for more quickly stirred inside me.

His agonized cry echoed in the room as blood began to trickle down his face, splattering onto the table.

He fumbled, desperately trying to stop it, but there was no escape.His groans filled the air, but no one moved—no one dared to interfere. They knew better than to challenge me.

“Son of a bitch!” he screamed in pain, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance before slamming his head into the table again, painting the scene with even more blood and amplifying his screams. I tried to stay composed, but this idiot’s mouth was too big for my liking.

“Talk all you want to me, but that’s not how you talk to a woman,” I growled, tightening my grip on the back of his neck, feeling the blood soak into my hand.“It’s in your best interest to shut the fuck up and listen to what Miss Romano has to say. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you don’t talk at all.”

The room fell into a deadly silence, every man too afraid to make a sound. The pathetic cries of this grown man only grated on my nerves, fueling my irritation.

“Did I make myself clear?” I asked, my voice as cold as ice, tightening my grip around his neck.

He whimpered, nodding quickly.

“Good.”I released him, watching him slump back in his seat, groaning in pain. I adjusted my shirt, settling back into my chair, my eyes locking onto Allyn.

She was already staring at me.

For the first time tonight, she was giving me her full attention.

The corners of my lips curled into a smug grin as I noticed the small red marks on her cheek—proof that I could still get a reaction from her. Just like old times.

She sighed, finally looking away.

Her gaze shifted back to the men in the room.

“As I was saying,” she continued, her voice commanding, “It’s time to make some changes.”

And this time, no one dared to interrupt her.

CHAPTER44

ALLYN

The meeting was a success.

My family got the changes to the law code we wanted, and what boosted my ego was that I was the one who made it happen.

I volunteered to represent our family in this meeting, just to prove to myself and Mikael—that I had it in me, that I’d learned something in the past few months.

I dismissed my bodyguards just as the other men started leaving the room. It had been a long, grueling evening.

But nothing, nothing, could have prepared me for the shock of seeing Maddox King representing his family.

I knew the day would come when we’d meet again. I’d planned for it and thought I had every detail figured out, but somehow, this man always found a way to tear my carefully laid plans to pieces.

It took everything in me to pretend I didn’t notice him when every part of me screamed to look at him. I thought I’d feel nothing but pure hatred when I saw him again.

After the betrayal, I was consumed by the desire to see them suffer. But when his deadly black eyes met mine, it was as if the ground beneath me cracked open.

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