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“They disliked each other because of my mom. Grandpa blamed my dad for taking his daughter away from him—away from The Triad—which caused a rift between some of the members. Dad blamed Grandpa for putting his wife in danger by leading a crime organization. Despite that, they remained cordial because of me.”

More conversations flowed between the two of us for another hour. He had so many questions. With each answer I gave, I felt lighter and eventually drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTERFORTY-TWO

ARROW

I carriedher to my bed and tucked her in. She looked peaceful, and I knew part of that was the release of her horrendous story to me.

A hurricane of emotion stirred in me as I tried to figure out if Ghost was who I thought he was. I remembered seeing a clown tattoo on a man’s middle finger once. How did Vivian know he was truly dead? What did Calvin know about Ghost? I needed to talk to Calvin.

My attitude toward Calvin had changed since the story. He’d been there on that awful day and had saved her for me. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t cautious of his intentions with my woman. He’d been a boy then, but now he was a man. And any man who looked at her would want her.

Externally, Vivian didn’t appear weak or vulnerable. She could fight like a warrior. But tonight, I saw a part of her that still needed tobe nurtured and protected.

She was still hurting about her mom’s death and blaming herself for it.

After washing up, I slid into bed beside her, took her hand in mine, and fell asleep.

CHAPTERFORTY-THREE

VIVIAN

I woketo a delicious aroma filling the room, making me hungry. Sprawled across his massive bed, I ran my hands over the smooth sheets. The sheets on his side looked crumpled. I smiled at the thought of him sleeping beside me.

I took a moment to let yesterday’s events sink in. I’d come to his house, dueled with him, fucked him, shared my past with him, cried like a fool to him, and slept in his bed. That was a lot of major changes in one day.

Feeling refreshed and energized, I walked into the bathroom, washed up with the new electronic toothbrush he’d left out for me, and took a quick hot shower. The hot steam relaxed me even more. After that, I used the unopened facial cleanser he had on the counter to remove my makeup as best I could. I got dressed in the same pants he’d given me, but no underwear.

I walked into the kitchen to find him standing at the stove wearing an apron that looked brand new.

“Good morning.” I stood beside him as he used the tongs to transfer pieces of burned bacon onto the white plate.

“Morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?”

“Great, thanks. You?”

“Best sleep I’ve ever had.” He smiled.

“What are you doing?” I gestured to his apron, the tongs, and the skillet.

“Making you breakfast.” He looked so serious, it was cute.

I crossed my arms, staring at him. “I thought you didn’t cook.”

“I don’t. But I’m making an exception for you.” He bent down and stole a kiss. “Watchthis carefully.”

I studied how he used the tongs to take a breakfast sausage from the pack and place it on the skillet. He continued the process until all the sausages were in the pan. They sizzled, and he turned to me with a goofy grin.

“Okay.” I laughed, not understanding his silly request. “You wanted me to watch how you put sausages in a skillet?”

“Yes. Pay attention to thesoundthe sausage makes when it touches the skillet. I want you to remember this wonderful sizzling sound. Listen to it.”

He turned the sausage carefully, as though they were precious, and looked at me to ensure I was watching him. His expression was unforgettable. This was a billionaire who ran a successful wine empire, and here he was, all serious about the sizzling sound of a breakfast sausage. I couldn’t help it anymore and burst out laughing.

“What are you trying to do?” I placed a hand on his back.

He sighed. “I want you to replace the awful sizzling sound embedded in your mind with this new association—memaking breakfast foryou. I’ve never done this for anyone, so consider it a miracle.”