Page 55 of King of Greed

“I’m talented at many things, but freestyling isn’t one of them, I’m afraid.”

Our DJ had wrestled control back fairly quickly, and we’d never figured out who was responsible for the unexpected musical diversion. However, it made for a good story, and I would never forget how willing Alessandra had been to roll with it. If I hadn’t already loved her more than I could fathom, I would’ve fallen head over heels right then and there.

“If I could rewind time and go back ten years, I’d do a lot of things differently,” I said. “Including beefing up the DJ’s security.”And loving you the way you deserve.

The DJ statement was a joke, but everything else wasn’t. Despite the billions in my bank accounts, I couldn’t buy the only thing I wanted.

A second chance with her.

“If only.” Alessandra gave me a sad smile. “But there’s no use living in the past.”

“No. There isn’t.” My throat constricted. The drum of my heartbeat intensified behind my ribcage. “Go on a date with me.”

She sighed. “Dom…”

“We’ve never had a real date in Brazil. Every time we’ve visited, we’ve spent it with your family.”

“That’s not a good enough reason.”

“I don’t need a reason to be with you,amor.But I’ll give you ten thousand if it means you’ll say yes.”

A visible swallow slid down her throat. “You always know what to say.”

“Not always.” I wish I did. I wish I’d said a thousand things and asked a thousand questions instead of glossing over them. “I don’t expect you to jump into a relationship with me again, or even go on a second date,” I said. “I just want to spend time with you for as long as you’ll let me.”

Alessandra remained quiet.

“It won’t make up for the nights we lost or the dates I missed, but I…” A mix of frustration and misery scraped my words raw. “I’m so fucking sorry. For everything.”

Eloquence had abandoned me, but if I stripped away the frills, they were the only words left. Every ounce of regret, shame, and guilt distilled into two words.

I’m sorry.

The current song ended. We’d stopped dancing long ago, but we stayed rooted to our spots while my heart thumped to a painful beat.

“One date,” Alessandra finally said. My shock of relief cut off a second later when she added, “But that’s all it is. It doesn’t mean we’re dating, and I’m free to see other people. If I do, youcan’t follow me, threaten the men, or do anything else that’ll ruin the dates.”

Every muscle coiled at the thought of her dating someone else, but I fought back my visceral reaction. I was smart enough to recognize a test and a punishment when I saw them, and I was desperate enough to take them as they were given.

I dipped my head in agreement before she could walk back her concession.One date.I could work with that.

“Deal.”

CHAPTER 24

Alessandra

“YOUWHAT?” SLOANE’S FACE FILLED MY SCREEN WITHdisapproval. “Why would you agree to go on a date with your ex-husband? Are you high? Do I need to fly down for an intervention?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. I told himonedate and that it doesn’t mean we’re dating, which means we can see other people.”

“Are you actually seeing other people?”

“Not yet,” I admitted. “But I will once I’m back in New York.”

It’d been two days since my mother’s wedding, and I was catching my friends up on everything that’d happened over the past week. My mother had left for her honeymoon yesterday and Marcelo had returned to São Paulo that morning because he couldn’t miss any more work—he’d only been granted an extra day off because of the wedding—which meant I was alone in my family’s Rio apartment.

I hadn’t decided when I’d return to the city yet. It was already mid-December, so I might as well stay here through the New Year. According to Isabella, everything was progressing smoothly with the physical store, and my online shop was still on hiatus. I didn’tneedto be in New York.

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