Page 110 of Sweet Dominion

But the more I slyly checked her out, the more I realized that there was a calm, self-assured air about her, the kind that might have come from never knowing a moment of struggle.

Yeah. She’s a rich girl.

For some reason, I found myself liking her for it, though I couldn’t quite explain why.

A month ago, I probably would have hated her for being rich, due to the fact that I had been stuck in the very pit of struggle.

Now I found myself wanting to know her better, to maybe even. . .learn from her on how to be classy like her.

Dimitri’s gaze shifted from me to Lei.

The small cat purred at his feet and Dimitri curled his lips into a smile. “I checked to make sure no one had any allergies.”

Lei blinked. “What?”

“My cat. Approximately 10% of the population is allergic to cats.”

Lei crossed his arms over his chest. “You are well aware of the rules of the East.”

“The allergy is triggered by proteins found in a cat’s skin, saliva, and urine—specifically, a protein called Fel d 1.”

Clearing her throat, Dimitri’s beautiful guest nudged his side with her elbow as if to say focus.

“Oh.” Dimitri blinked. “Lei. . .you don’t care about cat allergies?”

“I don’t give a damn about them right now.”

“Then, you should beware.”

Lei quirked his brow, but not in way to say he was asking a question or wondering, but more in the way of ‘are you fucking challenging me to a battle to the death.’

Lei sneered. “What do I have to beware of, Dima?”

“Mild sneezing and itchy eyes to more severe reactions, like asthma attacks or anaphylaxis.”

Confused, Lei parted his lips.

Chen whispered next to him, “He’s still on the topic of the cat allergies.”

Lei let out a long breath. “You are crashing a family event in the East—”

"Crashing? I am not family?” And just like that all of that gorgeousness left Dimitri’s face, replaced with the pure promise of death.

I wanted to step back and hide.

Dimitri's icy blue eyes turned even colder, the smile on his face wiped clean. Gone was the image of a carefree companion with a fondness for cats.

In its place was the ruthless leader of the Diamond Syndicate.

Lei seemed to have anticipated this change in demeanor, his own expression hardening into one of quiet defiance. “You know you’re family, but that is not the point of—”

“Have I not ate many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in Lotus Blossom?”

“You have, but—”

“Yet, no invitation to this cookout.”

“It happened fast and out of nowhere—”

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