ログインYesterday, I had officially started my training with Lanzo; Grey had insisted on it. I hadn't wanted to be anywhere near his second, but then I'd figured that maybe I would find a way to punch him. Of course, that hadn't happened. Instead, he had knocked me down and handed my ass to me more times than I could have counted.Even now, more than twenty-four hours later, as I lay in the bathtub, I was still sore and had more than a few bruises. Still, I had to admit that it felt good. Learning how to kick someone's ass felt good. Not to mention that Lanzo unexpectedly complimented my abilities. He'd said that I had solid basics and that with little practice, I would kick ass.I grinned, recalling that moment, but then my mind instantly drifted to my task, to the role I would have to play at the gala. Grey had told me not to worry about anything… which, of course, made me worry even more. A part of me bitterly reminded that I would endanger myself so that he could find his Princess. The re
Grey hadn't returned to the mansion before midnight, and around one o'clock, I'd given up on waiting and went to bed. I wished I could have said I'd fallen asleep as soon as I placed my head on the pillow, but my frantically pounding heart had a different idea about how to spend this night.Lanzo's words replayed in my mind over and over again, each time sending another wave of anxiety. I tried to tell myself that he was wrong and that what Grey and I had wasn't just an illusion of a relationship. But the truth was that it was obvious that this Princess would always have the first place in Grey's life. And after everything Lanzo had told me, I was more certain about it than ever.My ribcage tightened, turning every breath into a shallow gasp. I tried to rub off the sudden ache in the central part of my chest, but nothing I did seemed to soothe it. Finally, I rose from the bed and poured myself a glass of water. “You need to stop yourself from falling,” I whispered to myself. “Grey kno
POPPYI'd spent most of the day creating my new ID, my past, and my life. None of it was real, but this creation would soon become a part of the new me, Penelope Solari. I smiled each time I said it aloud.Grey had offered me a new start, literally. Abigail had even brought a photographer to take the pictures I'd needed for my ID and passport. A few hours later, Penelope Solari had her own birth certificate and a Social Security number. Grey must have been planning it all for a while now, and I couldn't wait to thank him for it.I had hoped he'd shown up for dinner, but then Lanzo had called, telling us that Grey needed to go to an important meeting and that it might take a while before he returned.I couldn't help but feel disappointed, but I understood. He had more than just a huge company to manage. Not to mention that all the recent events kept him additionally occupied.“I'll eat with you… if you'd like me to join you, of course,” Lanzo offered.A nervous smile painted my lips. “
The scenes from our morning replayed in my mind throughout the day, forming the most inappropriate distraction from my work. I had to shift my thoughts to the darkest, most cruel memories to prevent myself from going through the series of meetings sporting a hard-on.Abigail had prepared all the documents Poppy needed to fill out to make her yet another fake last name, a more or less legal one. The sooner the formalities were handled, the better. The last thing I needed was for someone to start asking questions about my delightful roommate.Of course, I wished that matters concerning Poppy were the most important issue I had to deal with. That wasn't the case. The manager hired to replace Mathews couldn't even get a single project done without a few expensive corrections. I wasn't sure if I was more pissed at the fucker or at the HR director who had decided that hiring him had been a good idea. The ever-present incompetence was giving me a serious headache.The dickhead's mistakes had
GREYI woke up with Poppy's naked body half-splayed, half-curled up on my side, and a wide smile stretched across my face. Her cheek rested on my chest, her hand on my stomach. Her bare breasts moved with deep, steady breaths. Her still-swollen lips were slightly parted. She made a little noise in her sleep that sounded like a soft moan, and blood traveled down to my cock.I didn't think I would ever get enough of her. And now, when she'd trusted me enough to tell me about her past, I wanted to make sure she never left my side. Surely, Lanzo would have called that a problem. He would have said that Poppy was becoming my weakness, and maybe he would have been right.The moment I'd heard Ardian Cavalieri's name, I could barely stop my rage from erupting. I could admit that I had killed a lot of people, and judging from what I'd heard, Cavalieri might have killed just as many people as I had. But there was a difference between us. I had slit throats and crushed skulls without remorse, bu
I didn't know how to stop my voice from trembling as I told Grey about the broken sixteen-year-old I'd once been. How I had lived on the street for two months until I found my first illegal job and a small room to sleep in. How I had found a friend who had made fake documents for me so I could survive and then work legally.“I was nineteen when I met Ardian,” I said, swallowing down a knot in my throat. “I was working at a small diner, which, for some reason, was often used by the Outfit for all kinds of meetings. The owner warned me that I should avoid those men, that it was dangerous to interact with them. And honestly? I was following that advice for a while. But I didn't know that Ardian already had his eyes on me. One day, after I closed the diner, I was attacked on the street, and he appeared to help me. Only two years later did I find out that the attack had been staged…” A bitter laugh escaped me.Grey remained silent. He had barely moved a muscle since I'd begun talking, but







