Page 22 of Gluttony (Seven Deadly Sins #4)

“Apologies, Sir , but I think we passed appropriate when you walked in on me in your kitchen with your twin’s cum all over my ass.

Or, let’s rewind further back to the time you watched my ass bob up and down when I sucked Orion off in the back of a limo.

That was fun.” She chuckles quietly as if reliving the memory, followed by another wince, and I decide to take pity on her because she’s still doped up on morphine.

“Do you have any siblings, Miss Jones?” I sip the last of my coffee and place the mug on the small table beside me.

She hesitates, but eventually shakes her head. “No. There were some other kids in the foster home, but no siblings.”

Now that surprises me. I discovered her background in the foster system about a week ago, but I didn’t imagine she’d be so open about it when asked outright.

“What about you?” Her question makes me chuckle. She really isn’t on our planet right now, even though she’s coherent, but she’s kinda cute with it.

“Yes, Miss Jones. I have a twin brother.”

“No noo, no. Don’t call me Miss Jones. You should call me…I don’t know. Something nice, like Hadley does.”

“Miss Jones is your name.”

“Yes, but ugh, it’s so dull. Call me something pretty. Sweet. Just not Miss Jones.” Pouting, she looks through her lashes at me, and even through the swelling on one side, it has the effect she’s aiming for because I’m ready to concede.

“Okay… Diamond .” While it’s a crazy-as-fuck name, it’s still hers and it suits her. Like the whole diamond in the rough analogy, though I’ll never admit it out loud.

She gasps and grins. “Ooh, sneaky. I like it. It’s pretty and cute and my name! Ha.”

She’s so giddy and light, completely carefree right now, it’s just a shame it won’t last.

“Have you ever been in love?” Her next question comes seconds after deciding she was happy with her new nickname.

I don’t need time to think about my answer because… “No.”

“Well that’s a damn shame. I imagine it’d be something special to be loved by you. Through all that tough exterior I bet there’s a teddy bear underneath. You know, you three are kinda the perfect trio. There’s nothing you can’t do between you. Am I right?”

“I thought you wanted me to tell you a story? Not the other way around.”

“Ooh yes, please. Do that. Tell me things. Your voice is soothing when you’re not being all gruff and angry at me.” She grins, a half smile that takes over the non-swollen side of her face.

Shaking my head, I can’t help the way my own lips tip upward slightly. She’s so vulnerable in this moment I can almost believe she’s trustworthy.

“Once upon a time, there were two boys,” I begin, with literally zero idea where I’m going with this.

“Is this a real story or a made up one?” She closes her eyes and snuggles back down into the plush duvet.

“If you keep interrupting me, Diamond, there will be no story at all.”

She giggles. “Understood, Sir.”

I’m never going to get used to her calling me that. I’m also never going to tell her to stop.

“The two boys attended a private boarding school, and that’s where they met their third.

The final piece to their fucked up puzzle.

They witnessed things they shouldn’t have, they did things they really shouldn’t have, and they promised to always have each other’s backs.

Through thick and thin. One day, a princess appeared and threatened to derail everything with her lies, so the boys buried her, deep, and promised to never let another take advantage in the same way. ”

By the time I’ve finished talking, she’s asleep again. Shame, I had hoped she’d learn a little something about how we work, no matter how obtuse I’m being.

Is that…? I notice the small black device in her hand, realizing it’s her cell phone that we sent our driver to get while we were in the hospital. Why is she clinging on to it so hard?

Standing, I approach the bed quietly, watching for any small movements before leaning over her to take the phone. She stirs a little, just as I grab it, and her bright green eyes appear through thin slits.

I can’t help it, I lean down further and gently kiss her forehead. “Shh, sleep, Diamond. Sleep.”

She listens, her eyes closing fully again as she moans.

Once she’s stopped stirring, I use her thumbprint to unlock the phone and sit back down in the armchair, ready to scroll.

There are hundreds of missed calls from Hadley from before, and almost as many messages.

The last one is him telling her the wolf wants to chase rabbits or some shit.

I just shake my head because even though I knew it before, it’s in black and white right here.

I can only hope this princess isn’t a deceitful little wench like the last one…

Then I see it.

A text message thread between her and someone called ‘Big Bro’.

I guess my brief hope about this particular princess was useless, and I should have stuck with my original belief because there is a lie here.

She told me she has no siblings.

Not only that, but when I look at the thread…I see plans being made to make up for Valentine’s day. A whole day of fun…on the day we saw her with Miller.

I’m not fucking stupid, I’m putting two and two together and easily coming up with four.

But why would she have him in her phone as Big Bro?

I immediately send the messages and the number to my own phone, and forward them on to the PI that Orion hired last week. He got fed up with me spending all my time trying to dig dirt on our executive assistant so this was our compromise.

Another secret…one that she will try and pry her way out of if I give her half a chance.

Well. No more chances.

My family is too precious to me to allow this harpy to fuck it all up with her lies.

Let’s see what she comes up with this time.