Page 81 of King of Greed

I didn’t hate them so much as I avoided them due to sheer trauma. I got food poisoning from a fish taco in college and hadn’t touched one since.

“He didn’t.” Why did the backs of my eyes ache so much? I must be hormonal if I was tearing up over freaking tacos.

Silence took us hostage. The air turned humid, thick with nostalgia, and the seconds stretched with enough tension to warp my thoughts and emotions into a jumbled mess.

Dominic’s gaze consumed mine. “Are you happy, Alessandra?”

A spark of clarity burned through his intoxication and into my soul.

I wish I had a concrete answer. In many ways, Iwashappy. I had a thriving business, wonderful friends, and a burgeoning social life. I’d discovered new hobbies and was living independently,for myself, for the first time in my life.

But there would always be an emptiness where we used to be. An absent piece only he could provide.

I didn’t need him, but I missed him so desperately it felt like I did.

“Get some rest,” I said, sidestepping his question. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

Dominic didn’t argue. By the time I retrieved a blanket fromthe linen closet and returned to the living room, he’d already passed out.

A swath of silver illuminated his furrowed brow and mouth. Most people found peace in slumber, but not Dominic. Whatever plagued him during the day followed him into his dreams.

Later that night, I stared at the ceiling, my mind restless. Midnight had bled into the early hours of morning, and the air was redolent with the scent of flowers. A vase of golden roses sat next to the bed along with the note I’d found tucked in my bag that afternoon.

#18 out of a thousand.

Love, Dom

I closed my eyes against a familiar burn.

Dominic wasn’t the only one who couldn’t find peace tonight.

CHAPTER 36

Dominic

I WOKE UP WITH A HANGOVER FROM HELL.Jackhammers smashed against the inside of my skull with bone-rattling force, and cotton filled my mouth. A slice of sunlight shone through the gap between the curtains and nearly fucking killed me.

I planted my forearm across my eyes with a groan.No more alcohol for me.

I liked a good Macallan, but at that moment, the thought of imbibing another drop of whiskey made my stomach lurch.

What the hell happened last night? I was usually good at controlling myself when it came to drinking. People did all sorts of dumb shit when they were intoxicated, and I made it a point to do as little dumb shit as possible.

It was hard to think through the raucous construction site splitting my head, but bits and pieces of the previous evening slowly filtered through the chaos.

Alessandra. Date. Drinks. Roman. More drinks.

My stomach lurched again, both at the reminder of Alessandra’s date and the shitty dive bar I’d drank my weight in. No wonder Ifelt like ass. Nothing humbled a man more than cheap liquor and bad decisions.

“Here.” A laughing voice roused me from my misery. “This will make you feel better.”

I lifted my head, another jackhammer striking at the movement.

Alessandra stood at the end of the couch, fresh-faced and beautiful in a yellow sundress. Damp chestnut waves brushed her shoulders, and the heady scents of her perfume and shampoo filled my nostrils.

I looked like utter shit while she looked like she’d stepped out of a fairy tale.

Fan- fucking- tastic.This wasn’t what I’d had in mind when I made the stupid, drunken decision to wait outside her apartment like a desperate creep last night. Screw Roman for not stopping me; he’d gotten a call from work (which he’d refused to elaborate on) and left me to my worst impulses.

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