Page 44 of Defiled Innocence

Until I know her way of thinking, I can’t form a response.

“Promise me the foundation will be protected first.”

“We already discussed that before. I’ve already given you my word. Are you questioning it now?”

“I don’t know you, Dmitri. Not really. You got what you wanted out of this. We’re married and the shares will roll to you now. If you chose to leave me, you could easily take what Lucas left me. At least half of it, anyway. Which means the foundation would be in trouble. I need your word that won’t happen. You won’t take the foundation from me.” Her features tighten. “Ever. For any reason.”

“Amelia.” I run the back of my knuckles across her jawline until the tension eases. “I told you; this marriage is forever. There is no leaving. No divorce. No splitting estates. You’re mine now.”

“The foundation,” she insists.

“Continues to be funded by Moreau Investments and if not from there, Velvet Tower will make annual contributions.” I lay my finger over her lips when she looks ready to speak again. “Now. Tell me what you think you know about your brother.”

“I found his ledgers,” she says against my finger.

“His ledgers?” I shift my weight and move my hand from her mouth.

“Yes. I know he’s been hiding money for you. It’s why he left the firm to you, why you having controlling shares was so important. So you could keep washing your dirty money.

“The company has been washing money for you for years, and in order for that to continue you’d need to have the controlling shares. If I had been married already, Lucas would have brought my husband into his company so that he’d be able to continue it if Lucas died.”

“And you got all that from some numbers in a ledger?”

“Are you denying it?” She hardens her voice, as though my answer will determine how the next leg of our relationship is going to go.

I demand honesty from her, and I will always give her the same.

“No, I don’t deny it. The business I had with your brother has been good for me, and for him. I believe he changed the bylaws of his company in order to always keep someone in your family in charge, so our business would never be affected. You’re probably right. In order to keep our arrangement, he made the stipulation in his will.”

It would have been nice had he warned me about it, but I don’t tell her that.

“He sold me to protect your scheme with him.”

“Sold you to me?” I can’t help the pull of my lips as a grin takes over.

“Yes. Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing at you. But if you had taken over the company, I would have had the same arrangement with you as I did with him.”

“How do you know I would keep up the agreement? Working with the mafia isn’t really my thing.” She frowns. “But I didn’t think it would be something Lucas would do either.”

She thinks it over a moment.

“Why did Lucas go into business with you? Did you force him?” Her brow wrinkles.

“No one forced him to do anything. Your brother was his own man. He had his own reasons for making his decisions.”

“It did make our father mad as hell that he wouldn’t go into politics. Lucas wanted to do things his way,” she muses. “But that doesn’t explain why you would agree to this. You have so much already; did you really need his firm?”

“No.”

“No? Just no?” She nudges my shoulder. “Tell me. Why would you want to marry a stranger who brings nothing to the marriage?”

I grin. She’s gorgeous when she gets riled up. Her eyes flash and the tip of her nose reddens. It’s different than when she’s embarrassed. Her entire face burns bright when that happens.

“Dmitri.”

“It’s simple, Amelia.” I brush a piece of hair from her cheek. “I wanted to.”

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