Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
After pulling off her towel, she put on the dress, needing to confront Roman about this.
Was that why he was willing to adopt those kids? They were part of his family?
Did her father know?
Had this been a plot from the start, and how could anyone give up their kid, especially if they knew who it was?
With her dress on, Alex left her cardigan and grabbed the file, determined to get an explanation for all of this. Her heart pounded as she made her way down toward the main office, and then she froze as she heard raised voices coming from the study.
The door was partially open.
Had someone left it that way?
How could this be possible?
“We don’t have time for games, son. Alex needs to fall in love with you and give you children. I allowed you to have that fucking adoption process. Now you give me what I want,” Lucas said.
“Alex is falling in love with me, but it is going to take time. As for … the other, I’m working on it.”
“Working on it. The key to getting a woman pregnant, Roman, is to fuck her. Not to give her fifteen reasons to be exhausted, or are Antonio, Marlo, and Cash supposed to be the ones providing me with an heir?” Lucas asked.
Alex covered her mouth, feeling sick.
She had been taken for a fool. A big, stupid fool.
Of course, Roman would never fall for her. There was no way any of this was real.
How could it be?
Pain shot through her chest and tears filled her eyes.
They’d had sex. She had given herself to a liar.
“I know all about your little plot to show Alex for the slut you think her to be. Getting Antonio, Marlo, and Cash to bed her. To take her in turns!”
Alex covered her mouth and took a step back, then another. How did she confront him after this?
With the files in her hand, she felt even sicker. This was all a lie. Roman had told a lie. He’d only taken her to bed at the orders of her father.
She had to get away.
The file fell from her hands, and luck wasn’t on her side as it landed on the floor on the edge of its bind. The noise seemed to echo, sounding more like a hammer than a simple file.
The birth certificates spilled out, and she stared down at them.
The door opened, and then she was looking at Roman. “Alex.”
He took a step toward her, and she moved back.
There was no way he was touching her again.
“Shit, you heard that.”
Words failed her. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, and she knew it was all true. The lies had been with her. He hadn’t believed her or her diary. He was going to hurt her by getting his friends to manipulate their way into her bed.
Only, she had never lied.
“Alex, please, let me explain.”
“Don’t … come near me.”
“Alex, baby, you don’t understand.”
She tilted her head back and looked at him, then laughed. “I don’t understand. Tell me, Roman, what is so complicated about what I just heard. You were ordered to make me fall in love with you. To help you, you used fifteen children. Did you know they were all your capos’ … unwanted children?” No matter how much pain she was in, she wasn’t going to call them anything cruel or mean.
“What?”
“Of course, you’d probably lie.”
“I had no idea,” Roman said, turning toward Lucas.
“They’re bastards, Roman.”
“Don’t call them that!” Alex screamed and stepped away. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe…” She was going to be sick, but she wasn’t going to fall in front of him. She was not going to vomit.
Turning on her heel, she had no idea where her father was, but she ran, going for the front door. She managed to pry it open and took several steps out into the cold air.
“Alex, don’t do it,” he said, grabbing her arm and trying to stop her.
“Let go of me.” She jerked out of his hold. “You don’t get to touch me. Not ever. Not fucking ever.” She hated to curse, but she had to make him stop. To leave her alone.
Roman held his hands up.
“You were going to make me fall in love with you? And then what? What was going to happen?”
“I wasn’t going to do it.”
“What about your friends? What about that? I always knew something was going on, but I figured I was just weirded out by your friends.”
Roman ran a hand down his face and released a sigh. “We need you to come inside. You can’t go out there. It’s dangerous.”
“Don’t come near me and just tell me the truth!”
Silence filled the air.
She was aware of Antonio, Marlo, and Cash. They’d followed them outside.
Tears fell down her face, and she swiped at them, hating how weak they made her feel. Roman didn’t deserve her tears.