Chapter 20

I had taken her with the intention of making her pay her father’s debt. I had realized her links to the Seven make her a key asset. I should go through with my original plan of killing her… Instead, here I am, contemplating marrying her. Except, I can never allow for that to be real. If, for one second, I allow myself to think of how it would be to really be married to her. My groin hardens and my heart begins to race. I’d never be able to let go of her. I’d, forever, have handed over my power to her… And that, I cannot allow.

I am my own man. I built up the authority I wield with great effort and I cannot let anything or anyone get in the way of the empire I have envisioned for myself. It’s all I have —the promise I made to myself that I will be the most powerful of all the Five Families—and I can’t stop until I have achieved that.

I rise to my feet and stalk over to her. I loom behind her, and she glances up at me, "Hey, Alesso," her face lights up, "this is incredible. The warp, t