Page 35 of Brutal Reign

My laugh catches in my throat. “Yeah. Just like you.”

I’ve thought about contacting Lukas a few times over the years, but what would I say?“Surprise, you have a son. A beautiful, brilliant boy that you can’t meet. At least, not anytime soon.”

How would I even explain my dumpster fire of a life? That I’m a figurehead in a criminal empire that I want nothing to do with? That I’m engaged to a man I fear?

None of this is an option. So instead, I love Kin fiercely and do my best.

“You look sad,” Kin says, licking the back of the spoon clean.

I shake my head, realizing I’ve been staring into space. “I’m not sad,” I promise, brushing his hair back gently. “I was stuckin my own head. Sorry.” I give him a reassuring smile. “Now you, sir, need to get to bed. It’s way past your bedtime.”

He makes a face. “Sleep is boring.”

“Are you kidding? Sleep is where all the best adventures happen. You could fight dragons, or fly to the moon, or live on a pirate ship.”

That gets a giggle, and he slides down from his stool to take my hand. We walk back to his room in comfortable quiet, his stuffed dinosaur hugged tight to his small frame.

I tuck him in, pulling his blanket up and smoothing it carefully around him, then brush a kiss across his forehead. “Sleep tight, my love.”

He’s already drifting off, his breathing growing deep and even. I stay for a moment, watching this perfect little person who means the world to me.

Everything I’ve done for the past four years has been for this little boy. Every humiliation I’ve swallowed, every night I’ve lain awake, every fake smile I’ve worn at Simon’s side, all of it has been to protect Kin. To give him a chance at a real childhood. The one I never had.

I close Kin’s door softly and pad down the hallway to my own room, exhaustion weighing on my shoulders. It’s only nine, but I’m ready to call it a night. Simon’s been gone since this afternoon, attending meetings with potential investors, he claimed, though it’s more likely he’s with one of the many women he keeps.

He’s never touched me, never tried to, but once the wedding vows are spoken, he’s made it clear that will change. I’ll be expected to share his bed, bear the next heir to the BlackCompany, and play the dutiful wife both in public and behind closed doors.

I’d rather eat nails than touch him. And luckily, I won’t have to.

I’m brushing my teeth when my phone buzzes on the nightstand. I pause and check it, and what I see makes my stomach drop.

The notification shows a message in the encrypted system Chen set up for us to communicate. I open it with trembling fingers.

Please don’t worry, but I need to talk to you tonight. Call me when you can? There’s been a development.

A development? A phone call means whatever he needs to tell me is too important or too complicated for text.

I retrieve the burner from its hiding spot behind my jewelry box, my pulse racing as I dial. Uncle Chen picks up on the first ring.

“Hope?” His familiar voice is aged but still warm.

I slip into the bathroom and shut the door behind me, needing the extra barrier.

“Is everything alright?” I ask without preamble.

He sighs. “I need you to take a deep breath for me.”

That immediately makes everything worse. “Please, Uncle Chen. Just tell me.”

“The bank is requiring additional documentation that is going to take me some time to pull together. International compliance has become much more stringent since your father originally set up the trust fund.”

I press my back against the bathroom door, needing something solid to anchor me. “What does that mean for me?”

He’s quiet for a moment, and I can practically hear him choosing his words carefully. “It means we’re cutting it very close to your wedding. I’m sorry, Hope. I’m pulling every string I have at the bank, but you know how these institutions operate. There’s not much room to bend the rules.”

“But once we’re married, he’ll have legal access to everything. And Kin...” The words stick in my throat.

“Listen to me carefully.” His voice takes on that patient, paternal tone I remember from childhood. “If you have to go through with the ceremony, it changes nothing. A piece of paper doesn’t make you his property. As soon as you have access to the money, you and Kin will have complete freedom. Two hundred million is enough to disappear anywhere in the world and live safely for the rest of your lives. But it might take a little longer than we hoped.”