Page 126 of Sinful Pleasure

As her eyes locked onto mine, her brows furrowed in confusion, but that expression quickly shifted to a big smile and a warm look. She stood up from the table with an inviting gesture.

It pissed me off even more.

“Leave the room. All of you.”

I ordered, turning to the guards.

In an instant, I was alone with the liar in front of me.I took a deep breath and sat in the chair next to hers, crossing my arms on the table.

“You better answer my questions, or I swear I’ll fucking kill you.”

Her smile disappeared just like that.I’m not a woman killer, not by a long shot. But I won’t hesitate to make her my first if it’s what it takes to know the truth.

“Okay, okay, I will,” she said too quickly, stuttering. “Just tell me what you want to know, and I will.”

“Allyn and The Romano’s. Does that ring a bell for you?”

By the way her eyes widened, I knew I’d hit her right where it hurt. But she still wasn’t giving me the information I needed.

Not very smart of her.

“Alicent, you’re wasting my time,” I said, my irritation growing as I pulled out my gun.

I wasn’t planning on using it, but I knew the sight of it wouldforce her to talk. She trembled in her seat, her gaze fixed on my gun.

“You already seem to know. What more do you want me to say?” she whispered, confirming everything I had hoped was a lie.

“I want to hear it from your mouth,” I cut through the silence. “Start from the fucking beginning.”

I leaned back in my chair. My head was pounding, and I knew it would only get worse by the time she stopped speaking.It took her at least a minute, but eventuallyshe took a deep breath and began.

“Few people knew my husband, and I couldn’t have children. No matter how much we tried, it just wasn’t happening.’’ Her voice barely a whisper ‘’But your father knew—he and my husband were close, like brothers.”

She stared ahead, lost in thought, as though it was painful for her to say it out loud.

“We wanted to adopt a child, but we were always rejected for some reason. We longed for nothing more than to have a child of our own. Then your father offered to help us, in exchange for everything my husband had done for him over the years.”

I wasn’t familiar with the close friendship between my father and Mr. Delgado, but then again, I’d been away most of my life.

“He said he found a baby girl on the street, abandoned close to a trash bin, wrapped in a blanket.’’Tears streamed down her face. She trembled in her seat, looking like she was in agony. “My husband and I saw this as a sign from God and agreed, happily, to raise the child as our own.”

“Allyn,” I muttered before I could stop myself.

“Yes,” she nodded, still playing with her hands, avoiding my gaze.

Fucking Hell.

“For a while,everything was perfect. We were the happiest because we had the sweetest little girl,” she smiled through her tears. “But as Allyngrew, things started to change. Your father began insisting that Angelo and Allyn should marry when they are old enough, for the good of both families. He said that Angelo could secure her future.”

I massaged my forehead, the pain in my head pulsing with each word.

“My husband refused at first. He didn’t want to decide her life for her. He loved her more than anything in this world,” her voice cracked as she began to sob.‘’But then the threats started. Bad people came after us. My husband came home more than once, beaten close to death. They wanted Allyn. They would’ve done anything to take her away from us. That’s why my husband finally agreed to sign the contract. He knew your family could protect her from these people.”

That clever motherfucker.I can’t believe my father managed to manipulate everyone to get what he wanted.

“I know my husband killed himself. Your father paid a large sum to ensure the doctors hid this from Allyn.’’ She said through tears. ‘’They had a special connection and he just couldn’t forgive himself. He left a confession on a piece of paper beside his body when I found him.”

“Fuck,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

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