Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
I was wrong. And now I’ll pay for that mistake.
The man he is today isn’t the devoted husband I abandoned—he’s a cold-eyed mafia billionaire with vengeance in his heart who demands I earn his forgiveness through complete surrender.
But just when his touch begins to feel like love again, I discover his darkest this reunion was never about second chances.
It was about revenge.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Cadence
PRESENT TIME
I see him even before he sees me, and my heart jerks to a stop at the sight of him.
Tall and lethal like a swordsman.
Raven black hair and smoke-gray eyes.
Skin like golden ivory, and a presence so sexually potent it makes a girl's heart skip a beat just by being near him.
And mine still isn't any different, unfortunately.
You'd think after all this time, my heart would know better than to react to him.
AKA...
The love of my life.
The one who got away.
The man who once promised—-
Oh my gosh, Cades, get a grip!
It's just him.
Just Keiran de Laigny.
And it's been three years, two months, and nineteen days since he walked out of my life.
Not that I've been counting.
I'm just, um, good with numbers.
And regrets.
Laughter spills from the dining room as I stare through the kitchen's two-way glass. He's seated with all the town's power players, and he looks so utterly at ease with them. No, scratch that. Keiran doesn't just look like he belongs. If anything, he looks as if he's their master, and everyone around him is simply there to either do his bidding or worship at his feet.
Stop it, Cades.
Stop looking at him.
Stop being pathetic.
My brain is near tears as it pleads with me, but I just can't seem to look away. Is it just me or have the chiseled angles of his face become more prominent over the years? Is it just me or does he look more cruel now, more intimidating, and somehow, more beautiful as well?
The girls at the next table giggle behind their wine glasses, but Keiran doesn't even glance their way. Then again, that's how he's always been.
And now that I'm no longer the naïve wide-eyed girl he once married, I know that's how he will always be.
A one-man woman, even if his ruthless ways suggest otherwise.
Gemma bursts into the kitchen, eyebrows hiking in puzzlement. "Cades?"
This is usually the time I make my rounds and welcome old and new diners alike to my restaurant. It doesn't matter if they're rich or poor. If they're just ordering coffee or the most expensive items on our menu.
It's all about making everyone feel at home, the way I never got to feel welcomed and accepted in mine.
And that's why Gemma's now looking at me in confusion, and all I can do is muster a smile.
"I need a minute."
Or two.
Or a thousand.
Gemma disappears back into the main dining hall, and a memory ambushes me as soon as I'm alone.
Keiran
THREE YEARS AGO
Fascinated.
That was the only word for how the women looked at Keiran de Laigny the moment he walked into Harbour Locke Country Club. One tried to play it cool with a sip from her drink, only to snort it up her nose, and end up being that month's meme with her coughing fit.
The men Keiran walked past also ended up staring, albeit with more bitterness than admiration. Keiran's tall, lethally powerful build was pure testosterone. Next to him, they were nothing but cholesterol in golf shirts.
Their reactions, however, meant nothing at all to Keiran.
He was here to do one thing, and the sooner he was done with it, the better.
Check on the girl. Get all bases covered. Leave.
That was the plan.
But when he slipped inside the library, and he saw Viktor Biancardi's half-sister about to fall off a step ladder—-
What the hell?
His instincts kicked in even as his jaw clenched in disapproval. Having everything planned out - and never deviating from it was how he had always lived his life and defeated his enemies. So catching Viktor's little sister in his arms like this when they weren't even supposed to interact?
Not good.
And when he gazed down and saw the way she was stared up at him?
Even worse.
Keiran gritted his teeth as he set her on her feet. "Be careful next time," he bit out before swiftly turning his back, not wanting to give her the chance to speak.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
There was a reason this girl was the adopted daughter of Marvin and Gail Quinn. And it was the same reason Viktor hadn't let her know she was a Biancardi. Viktor's world only meant death and darkness. And since that world was also where Keiran belonged, to be seen with him was a curse innocent girls like her didn't even deserve to know existed.
Do better, de Laigny!
Keiran had introduced himself to the club manager as the owner of a small carpentry business. It was a cover-up, of course, and he had offered the lowest bid for his services because he needed the quickest and safest access to the club.
His blood debt to Viktor Biancardi was like how all deals were made in their world.
A life for a life.
It was that simple.
And in their case, Viktor held the key to unmasking the people behind Onesimus' abduction.
In return, it would be Keiran's lifelong duty to take care of Cadence Quinn, and this included having secret cameras installed in her home, her school, and every place she frequented, including this posh little club where all the rich folks in their town enjoyed flaunting their newest clothes and toys.