Page 26 of Sinful Embers

This sounds like something out of a bad movie, but my gut pinches, knowing she's probably right.My head tilts as I study the names of the organizations Leigh has tied together—especially now that she's married to me.

"It's not as far-fetched as you think." Nikolas exhales, rubbing his temples. “When Carlos was ten he was diagnosed as a sociopath. To be exact, four experts said he was a sociopathic megalomaniac with obsessive tendencies."

"Oh great!" Sabrina harrumphs. "So we're dealing with a megalomaniac sociopath and a psychopath." She turns and looks at me smugly. “So then,world dominationas their endgame isn’t that far-fetched!"

This just gets better and better.

"I feel like we're in a movie and have just discovered a meteor heading for the earth and no one else knows but us," Sabrina states.

"That's a good metaphor," Nikolas tells her. He’s quiet for a few seconds before saying, “Because if those two get what they want... Jesus.” His eyes flash with worry before he turns to me. "There's something else you should know, Radomir."

"Is this where you tell me that you’re actually from another planet and have superpowers?" I narrow my eyes.

"Fuck." He exhales. "Okay, there are two things you should know." Nikolas gives me a long look before speaking. “The Archontis side of my family aren't just Greek prime minister, olive and pharmaceutical tycoons."

"Is this the dark secret you mentioned earlier?" Sabrina asks before I can.

"Yes." He leans back, his expression unreadable. “My mother’s family the Archontis’s, they were originally a Greek Crime family."

Well blow me down with a fucking feather.I wasn't expecting that.

Sabrina makes a noise in the back of her throat. “So not only is Leigh one of the richest heiresses in the world with two global empires at her feet, she's like Greek mafia royalty?”

“No. She is not.” Nikolas denies. He clearly does not like that side of his family. Shit and he works for the UK Government. How the fuck did that happen.

"How can you work for the UK Military and this secret government agency with that hanging over your head?"

"My grandfather wanted to be prime minster of Greece from an early age," Nikolas explains. "So my great-grandfather went legit. He turned the crime side of the family into an elite special forces unit. It wasn’t hard considering all the government officials he had in his pocket he was able to clean up the Archontis name."

"He used brute mob force to pave the way for his son," Sabrina translates in disgust.

"Maybe. My great-grandfather was a force to be reckoned with and well-respected by his men. They were given two options—reform or imprisoned for life." Nikolas shrugs. "My grandfather became prime minister of Greece, and my grandmother turned Archontis Olives and Pharmaceuticals into an unrivaled powerhouse in their sector."

"Then your mother married Dante Vasilikis, the heir to one of the biggest corporations in the world." Sabrina continued for him, skepticism lacing her voice. "I'm betting that your grandmother went pretty much unrivalled because of who her husband’s secret organization."

"No, actually," Nikolas’s voice is sharp as he sticks up for her grandmother. "My grandmother wasn’t a criminal and by then there was no more Archontis crime family. He’d lost his eldest son to the brutality of the criminal underworld, andhe’d lost his taste for that life." He glances between us. “The thing is, Carlos was always fascinated with my mother’s family’s background and coveted her special forces team.”

“Jesus.” I hiss. “He really is a megalomaniac.”

The room falls silent as we all digest this new layer of insanity. Leigh has been at the center of this power struggle her entire life, and she doesn’t even fucking know it.Maybe it’s a good thing she lost her memories. Hell, maybe that’s why she doesn’t want them back.

"You said there were two things you had to tell me," I remind Nikolas.

He nods, his expression serious. "As you know, Leigh shares a rare genetic trait with me and my mother."

I exhale sharply. "Yeah, those unnatural green eyes of yours."

"That too. But I’m talking about something far more important." He turns his wrist, revealing a small but distinct medical alert tattoo: RH-Null. There is a number is inked beneath it.

A prickle of unease runs down my spine. "What the hell is that?"

Nikolas meets my eyes, his tone unwavering. "RH-Null. The rarest blood type in the world. Less than fifty people have it globally. And Leigh is one of them."

"Yes, that's right." Sabrina rummages in her bag and pulls out a wallet. Flipping it open she grabs a card and hands it to me. "This is Leigh's medic alert card."

"Why the hell do you have it?" Nikolas looks at Sabrina in alarm.

"Because I got this for her." She pulls a small box from the magic purse and opens it to reveal a gold necklace with the medica alert tag on it. "The chain broke, and I got it fixed for her."

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