Page 83 of King of Greed

You.I never thought one word could hurt so much.

The war between believing him and retreating to safety raged through me. Another small sob shook my shoulders as Dominic pressed his forehead to me.

“Give us another chance,” he begged. “One last chance. I swear I won’t fuck it up. I know my word doesn’t mean much to you anymore, but tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.” His tears dripped into my own. “Anything. Please.”

There was nothing he could do on his own that he hadn’t already done. I could wait for a sign from the universe, some incontrovertible proof that Dominic had changed and wouldn’t regress back to the uncaring workaholic I’d lived with for far too long, but signs were open to interpretation. They existed at the whim of an unseen force, and I was tired of letting others dictate my life.

At the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me and go with my gut, and my gut told me that no matter how many people I dated or how far I tried to run, I couldn’t outrun my heart.

“One last chance.” Dominic’s body sagged with relief at my response. “Please don’t break my heart,” I whispered. That was the only request I had.

“I won’t.” His ragged breaths matched my own. He kissed me again, his embrace so sweet and desperate and searching it seeped into every molecule of my body. “I lost you once, and I never want to lose you again.”

I had nothing except faith tethering me to his promises, but wasn’t that the foundation of any relationship? Trust, communication, and faith that the other person loved us and that we could weather any storm together.

Dominic and I didn’t work the first time, but sometimes, the strongest things were those that had been broken and healed.

CHAPTER 37

Dominic

ALESSANDRA AND I SPENT THE ENTIRE WEEKEND AT HERapartment. Eating, talking, having sex. We came up for air once, when her crotchety neighbor banged on the door and yelled at us for being “too loud and vulgar,” but other than that, the days passed in a blissful haze.

We were back together. We weren’t married again, but we’d slept in the same bed and she’d invited me to her grand opening. It was a giant leap compared to our previous baby steps, and the high lasted well into Monday, when I arrived at the office an hour later than I usually did because I’d made us breakfast.

I whistled my way down the hall, ignoring my team’s wide-eyed stares. Caroline intercepted me by the elevators and followed me to my office, where she crossed her arms and eyed me the way one would an escaped tiger. “Are you sick? Do you need me to call a doctor?”

“I’m fine.” I turned on my computer and pulled up the latest numbers. “Why? Do I look sick?”

“No. You’re just…smiling so much.” She tapped her fingers against her arm. “Maybe I should call Dr. Stanley just in case. You have several important client meetings— ”

“Caroline.” I interrupted her. “I said I’mfine.Now, do you have work updates for me, or would you rather switch to a medical career?”

She instantly snapped back to chief of staff mode. “There are rumors something big is coming out this week re: a bank,” she said. “I can’t confirm anything yet, but people are nervous. Whatever it is…it’s supposed to be seismic.”

I’d heard the same rumors. Wall Street was rife with leaks and whispers. Half the time, they amounted to nothing, but I kept my ears to the ground anyway. “Keep digging,” I said. “I don’t want any surprises.”

“Understood.”

The rest of the workday passed uneventfully. I left the office precisely at five, which garnered me a fresh wave of jaw drops and bug eyes. No one in finance ever left work on time, but there was a first time for everything.

“Don’t stay too late,” I told one of the junior associates on my way out. “Meet your girlfriend for dinner. Enjoy your night.”

I assumed he had a girlfriend. Otherwise, the desk photo of him with his arm around a smiling blonde was fucking weird.

He gaped at me with an odd mix of shock, terror, and reverence. “Y-yes, sir.”

I stopped by my usual floral shop on the way to Floria Designs and picked up a golden rose. They didn’t sell them normally, but I made it worth their while to fly in fresh blooms daily.

“Hey. How’s everything going?” I greeted Alessandra with a kiss.

“Good.” She looked a little frazzled, but she smiled when I handed her the rose and note.#21 out of a thousand.“I’m running around like a headless chicken, but other than that, I’m okay.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Floria Designs’ grand opening was this weekend. The shop looked great, but Alessandra wouldn’trelax until it was over. She was a perfectionist when it came to events.

“Can you clone me or add more hours to the day?” She blew a strand of hair out of her eye.

“I can have my people look into it, but I can’t guarantee you an answer you’ll like before Saturday.” I placed a hand on the small of her back and steered her toward the exit. “In the meantime, let’s eat.”

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