Page 86 of Sinful Pleasure

My mother laughed it off. “Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

I can bet.

After a brief conversation, we all headed into the grand ballroom in the east wing of the mansion. We took our seats at the main table—Angelo on my right and Tamara on my left.

The entire King family joined us, but my gaze fixed on Maddox, who carried himself like a dark storm. He took the seat opposite me, adjusting his tie, then falling into conversation with his father beside him.He seemed to avoid me at all costs, not even acknowledging my presence—as if he hadn’t fucked me senseless yesterday in the changing room while I was wearing the very same dress.

I hate to admit it, but my choice of dress was purely to get a reaction out of him. I didn’t succeed, though. He seemed unfazed.

Tamara was saying something to me, but I couldn’t focus on anything except the way his tattooed hand scratched his chin while talking to his father. The same hand that had been wrapped around my throat not even twenty-four hours ago.

I tore my eyes away from him, forcing myself to stay present in the conversation with Tamara. Soon after, the food was served.

A few moments later, Martin King took the stage with a glass in hand, drawing the attention of all the guests.

“Good evening, everyone.”

Martin started his speech with a wide smile on his face.

The press didn’t miss the opportunity to capture the moment.

“Tonight, we’ve gathered to celebrate the love between my son, Angelo King, and his beautiful fiancée, Allyn Delgado.”

A round of polite applause filled the room, and the cameras turned to us. Angelo smiled and took my hand, entwining our fingers.I flashed a faint smile as I looked down, Angelo’s ring adorning my finger—as a reminder of how real this mess is.

“We couldn’t be happier with the choice Angelo made. It’s our true honor and joy to welcome the beautiful Allyn to the King family.”

Martin raised his glass higher.

“Let’s raise a toast to the union of our two families and the excitement this new chapter brings to all of us.”

Another round of applause filled the room as everyone drank.

I followed suit, nearly choking on the bitter champagne in my glass.

Angelo drained his glass in one swift gulp, then stood up, drawing everyone’s attention.A microphone was handed to him. With a smile, he began speaking.

“I also want to thank all of you for joining us and celebrating this remarkable day with us.” His hand rested gently on my shoulder. “I’m solucky to have the opportunity to call this beautiful woman by my side my future wife.”He looked down at me, curling the corner of his lips into a smile.

Hewas giving a whole speech, but I was too busy looking the other way to hear a word of what he said.

“Cheers to us and our new beginning.”

Without hesitation, he leaned down, capturing my lips with his, prompting a burst of wild applause from the crowd.I was caught off guard, his hand resting on my cheek, caressing it gently with his rough fingers as he deepened the kiss.

I had no choice but to kiss him back.

Flashes from the cameras nearly blinded me. Angelo pulled away, placing another kiss on my forehead before returning to his seat.

My eyes instinctively sought out Maddox.

This time, he acknowledged my presence, but it was the way he did it that sent shivers down my spine.

It felt as though his gaze was piercing through me, even though his face remained unreadable.My cheeks flushed, and I was the one to break the eye contact, turning to Tamara.

She hugged me, and Lydia raised yet another toast.

This time, I drank the whole glass of bitter champagne.

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