Page 84 of Unforgiving Queen

I refused to play anyone’s game anymore. For all I cared, the world could burn and I’d only move a finger to save the girl with golden locks.

“I got my hands on the agreement Leone and Romero drafted, tying your families together.” If a person could die from a glare, Illias Konstantin would be a corpse. “I found a loophole, and I have a plan B that will ensure Reina never marries your brother.”

“Really?” I said, letting out a sardonic breath. “And let me guess, in the midst of it all, you’ll get me killed. If not by Marchetti, then by my cousin.”

“I’ll kill your cousin. You’ll take over as head of the Yakuza. You’re aiming for it anyhow. I’m probably speeding it up by a few months.” I kept my expression a mask. “Romero is dying. I’ll make his passing more bearable and expeditious. You’ll take his seat at the table.”

“If Marchetti hears this, you’ll be dead before you get back to Russia,” I drawled, not letting myself take the bait.

If it were that easy, I would have done it three years ago. Kill the enemy. Kill Romero. And yet, Istillwouldn’t get Reina.

“He’s never going to get wind of it because thanks to me, Reina Romero will marry you, not your brother.” He pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table. “And this is the evidence that will make Marchetti change his mind.”

I reached for the envelope and opened it, under Konstantin’s watchful eye.

My eyes skimmed over the pages. The agreement between the Leone and Romero families wasn’t signed by Angelo Leone. The signature was forged by Dante. We’d done it so many times I was able to spot it straight away.

“Are you sure this is right?” I questioned Illias.

“Of course, I’m sure.” Illias’s confidence was unmistakable and I was about five seconds away from losing my shit. Dante made this agreement with Romero. It had to be, otherwise why would his forged signature stare back at me. “Check the next document.”

I choked on my fury, but I shoved it into a deep, dark corner. For now.

I started reading the next document. Reina’s birth certificate and it was then that my heart fucking stopped. Anger burned in my throat. I read it twice, three times. The paper became impossible to read with how hard my hands had begun to shake.

Reina Romero was Angelo Leone’s daughter. The illegitimate daughter. Most importantly, she wasn’t my half sister. We weren’t related.

Red spots swam in my vision. Fire burned in my blood as I stared at the paper far longer than necessary in an attempt to gather my bearings. After a long stretch of silence, I raised my head to meet Illias’s eyes.

“Who knows about this?” I bit out, anger burning my throat.

The corner of his lips lifted. “Romero knows one of the girls isn’t his. I suspect he doesn’t know there was something between Grace and Angelo Leone, otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to Reina’s marriage to Dante, considering they’re half-siblings. I suspect Angelo knew, although I don’t understand why he agreed to make a contract arrangement with either of Romero’s kids. Unless for some reason he suspected Phoenix to be his.” His eyes hardened. “It’s hard to tell without questioning the dead man.”

Indeed. But even I had to believe Angelo Leone, for all his cruelty, wouldn’t have tied Dante to his half sister. Although if that signature was anything to go by, Angelo wasn’t the one to arrange the marriage in the first place.

Damn it, Dante! What the fuck are you up to?

I moved on to the next document. The marriage certificate between my mother and Romero, along with my own birth certificate.

It meant I was the legitimate son and Reina—

Fuck, Reina and her sister were the illegitimate daughters. Romero and my mother had gotten married and never divorced.

Was this the document my mother was after? She must have known it all this time. We always assumed it was Angelo Leone who didn’t want to marry Hana Takahashi, when in fact, it was the other way around. My mothercouldn’tget married because she already was.

No wonder she and Hiroshi hadn’t made their relationship official.

“Do we have a deal?” Illias drawled, probably smug with himself despite having no clue how valuable this information was to me, on so many levels. I didn’t give a shit though. Cinnamon girl would be mine, and this time, I would never let go.

“We have a deal.” I would take my kingdom back. “But we do it my way.”

He nodded.

There was only one thing left to do. Kidnap my queen.

31

REINA