Page 81 of Sinful Pleasure

I stood up from the bench, the anger pulsing in my ears. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You were rude to him for no reason.”

“He was talking to you, Allyn. That’s reason enough.”

“So what? Am I not allowed to talk to anyone now?”

I snapped, throwing my hands in the air, beyond pissed off.

“I don’t want people to be afraid to talk to me.”

“It’s called respect, Allyn,” he said. “People should respect you.”

“Not like this. I don’t want people to respect me because they fear me.”

He leaned in close, like he was sharing a secret.

“People will only respect you if they fear you.”

I scoffed.

“Tomorrow night is our engagement party.”

I stared at him, blinking slowly. Is he for real right now?

“Great,” I said, though it was anything but. “And I’m just finding out about it now?”

“I found out an hour ago,” he replied casually, slipping his hands into his pockets. “My father sent an invitation to your mother, but if there’s anyone else you want to invite, feel free to do so.”

“How thoughtful of you.”I shot him a sarcastic response, but he just smiled at me, his white teeth flashing.His phone rang, cutting our conversation short. He pulled it out of his pocket and, as soon as he glanced at the screen, let out a sigh.

“I have to take this. Maddox will drive you so you can choose a dress,” he said. “I’ll find you later.”

He leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek before turning and walking away.Did he really kiss me on the cheek?

Since when do we do that?

Oh. God.

What have I gotten myself into?

CHAPTER24

ALLYN

I tried on dress after dress, and I couldn’t take it anymore. My head felt like it was about to explode.

If it were up to me, I would’ve left a long time ago with the first dress I laid eyes on, just to save myself from this torture.

But no—the staff was instructed from The King’s to help me choose the perfect dress. They made me put on a ridiculous fashion show in front of them with every single dress they picked out, all to ensure we would pick the “perfect” one.

And every time I entered the dressing room, I had to see Maddox’s amused face at the door, clearly enjoying my struggle.Or maybe he was just relishing the attention from all the girls in the store? I saw them all drooling over him.

He barely acknowledged them, not even offering them a glance, but still, I couldn’t shake this bitter feeling in my stomach, and I had no idea why.

As I stripped off another dress, I leaned against the mirror, sighing heavily. The dark circles under my eyes were so noticeable that I looked like Iwas sick.

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