Taste of Sin

1| Auction

Chapter 1: Auction (Gianna's POV)

"Gianna! Hurry or we'll be late!" 

"Coming, dad!" I threw my hair over my shoulders, looking at myself one last time in the mirror, grabbing my matching blood red clutch, and then left. I made it downstairs and walked over to my dad. "Sorry, I'm ready now." 

"You look lovely," he smiled, fixing a stray hair. 

"Thank you," I grinned. I followed him outside and climbed into the car, Mr. Pete opened the door for me. 

He's been our chauffeur since I was a little kid. He was even here before Chase was born. 

And stayed after he died. 

I made sure my dress wouldn't get caught on the door and then leaned back, staring through the window as we left our estate and headed over to the auction. I used to like living in Chicago as a kid. But then again, as a kid, I had no idea what really happens behind closed doors. At least within our family business. It's like every goddamn movie. 

Corrupt. 

My dad's business of exports is just a front. Just how every other associate of his has a cover business, so do we. And thankfully, I have nothing to do with what goes on behind the curtains, but everything to do with the exports. We started with textiles and I turned it into fashion. It's the only way I was staying in Phoenix International. It would have remained an export business if Chase was alive to run it. 

I knew from a younger age that I was just meant to sit there and look pretty. But everything changed when Chase died. I was needed. I became another pawn, a bigger one than I already was. I was the pretty young daughter who didn't go to college but attended parties. Behind closed doors, I was learning business. My brother was the charming, older son who was joining the family business. Then he was killed. 

"Gianna." 

I snapped out of my thoughts, turning to my dad. "Yes?" 

"I've been thinking." 

"Mm-hmm." 

"You've just turned twenty-two." 

I nodded slowly. 

He hesitated, resting his elbow on the controller in between. "Why don't we..." 

I raised my brows at him. 

"Why don't we start talking about your marriage, huh?" 

"My marriage?" I asked, trying not to let the panic set in. It's happening, I thought I'd avoided it when I joined the business but I should have known. CEO or not, I'm still the pretty little, good for nothing daughter. 

"Yes. There are plenty of options for you. I'm on good terms with everybody at the moment, you can choose your own groom. You can meet some of them tonight." 

"Dad," I cleared. "Most of your friends have sons that are older than me. A lot older than me." 

"Not those, honey. I'm talking about the ones that are around your age. Like um... Jaden?" 

Isn't he engaged? 

"Or Noah?" 

Player. 

"Nathan?" 

Reserved for Aria. 

"Or Ace?" 

I felt my blood run cold just at the mention of his name. "Ace Allister?" I asked, somehow not stuttering like I always do when I saw his name. 

He nodded. "They have a good business at the front, they do good business behind closed doors. He's involved with all of it and the few times I've worked with him and his father, I've got great amounts of profit. What do you think of him?"