Page 179 of Sinful Lies

The damp stench of mildew and iron. Ropes biting into my wrists, each movement ripping the raw skin underneath. Blood streaking my arms and pooling on the cold, filthy concrete.

And his voice echoing in the darkness.

How the hell did I not recognize it sooner?

My brain must’ve blocked it out, wiping it away, trying to erase those fucking memories.

Greg tilted his head, studying me. “Those fourteen days in that basement… I suppose you think of them as your worst nightmare, don’t you?” He gestured to the glittering room, the chandeliers above catching the fractured light. “But without them, would you be here now? The grand Angelo Lazzio? Nah. You’d be just another rich little shit. Soft. Entitled.Worthless.”

A glass shattered across the room, a woman’s laughter following, cheeks red with embarrassment as butlers rushed to clean up.

“I was supposed to kill you,” he said casually, as if recounting the weather. “I thought,what’s the best way to dismantle the great Lazzio dynasty?Take out their heir, of course! Their only miracle child after years of trying. Angelo. Heaven’s little angel.” He sneered. “If I took you from them, they’dneverrecover. The mighty Lazzios, ruined forever.”

I took another step forward, my fists loose at my sides.

Calm. Controlled. Deadly.

The air in my lungs turned jagged as my nine-year-old self flashed behind my eyes.

“Careful, Angelo. You wouldn’t want to cause a scene.”

A low growl rumbled in my chest. “You fucking–”

He leaned in slightly. “But you didn’t die. That’s what pissed me off the most. You fought to stay alive, even at nine years old. Through the blood, the blows, the insults—you clung to life. Stubborn little thing. I knew you wouldn’t know a damn thing about your father’s business back then. Too young, too green. But I wanted to watch you sweat. To watch you break. So I kept going, days and nights, cracking that little mind of yours, until even I got fucking bored.”

I ran my thumb over my lips, fighting to stay in control.

Killing him here, with all these people watching, would ruin Jade’s night—and she deserved better than that.

“And so I let you live. I thought,let’s see what this boy becomes after the scars heal.” He drained his glass. “Turns out, you became something worth killing after all. And when I come for you again, Angelo, there’ll be no pity left in me. Oh, and say hi to Jade for me. Hope tonight doesn’t end in another explosion of your wrath like it always does.”

A flicker of unease crossed his features as he finally noticed the corner of my mouth curl into a smile—cold, merciless, and fucked up enough to tear him apart.

“I’m counting the seconds, Greg.”

With that, I turned and walked off, the fire in me only burning hotter.

I needed to find Jade, make sure she was safe, before I came back to end Greg once and for all.

I searched every fucking room, but she wasn’t there—just faces I had no interest in. I called her phone, but no answer. I didn’t even think, just took the elevator up to my office, desperate for a glimpse of her.

The hallway was quiet, lifeless without Grace’s smile and the comforting smell of coffee. The place felt cold, empty. But then, a faint light from under the door caught my eye. Someone was in there. It must be her.

I pushed the door open, and closed it behind me.

She stood in front of the window, her back to me, arms tight around her waist like she was holding herself together. I leaned against the door, my eyes roaming over her body, taking in everycurve. Her hair—so long, so dark—was the first thing that hit me the moment she’d burst into my office six years ago.

All I had been able to think about was running my hands through it, twisting it around my wrist, pulling her closer, feeling it slip through my fingers.

It was so fucking long, sometimes when she’d pissed me off, I’d pictured myself grabbing it like a leash, yanking her around until she fucking listened to me.

I took a slow step forward, my eyes tracing every movement of her body, watching the way she tensed, her breath faltering.

And then, she turned.

She crossed her arms, her gaze heavy with a sadness that twisted inside me.

She’d been different yesterday too—avoiding my eyes, pressing against me in bed like she couldn’t stand the thought of being apart, but at the same time, it was like my presence burned her.

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