The Sin Of Fate

- Chapter Twenty-Three -

Ashley Bliss is slowly becoming my undoing.

If she wanted to, she could destroy me within seconds. I had to pull back the other day, I knew the second I crossed that line we've silently drawn, I could never take it back.

I knew what I was doing when marrying Ashley Wilson— the main reason was due to fact I knew Kian wouldn't have been able to kill her, solely based on the fact her sister is Emilia Wilson, one of his closest friends. The second was to get out of that arranged marriage, and the third was because she truly captivated me. In every way possible.

"Kai, as much as I love you like a brother," Kian said, I couldn't help but pull a face and to quickly interrupt, "I am your brother." Kian scoffed before continuing, "it is two in the morning, what on earth are you doing here?" That was a good question, one with a complicated answer. The real answer, I kissed Ashley three days ago and it is still stuck on my mind— the kiss even haunts me in my dreams, hence why I am currently at my brothers house, and not in my own home.

"Couldn't sleep," I lied with a shrug but I should have known better because Kian tilted his head as if searching for the correct answer. "I may have kissed Ashley," I finally admitted, like a weight has finally been lifted off of my shoulders, I relaxed in the chair. "Kai, as kindly as possible," Kian leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, "why the fuck did that require you waking me up in the early hours?" I held back a petty laugh, "as if you were sleeping," I scoffed. Kian can't sleep— he has insomnia, I know it, and Blake knows it. He wasn't exactly secret about it, with all the alcohol and drugs to help him pass out, it was an obvious guess.

"No, you're right, I was having the best sex of my life and you interrupted that," Kian says with a straight face. One thing I am certain of was that the three of us inherited our emotionless expressions from our father. "Fine," I held my hands up in defeat, "I'll go," I stood the same time as Kian, he walked me out, and just before his front door closed I could have sworn I heard Lizzie giggling from a distance, most likely waiting on the stairs landing for him.

God, to be in love like Kian and Lizzie, and yet despite the time when her father was our enemy, Kian had always argued that she was never his.

***

"We have just under two months, you have to make a move before then," Luca said as he paced back and forth his office floor. Hunter stares down at the map while Nathan takes idle sips of his drink, whiskey, if I'm right. "Sofia will be heading back to Italy around late August— so therefore you need to make your move way before that. As it's early July, we have less than two months to complete Hunters goal.

"Any upcoming galas that we know of that Sofia will attend?" Hunter asked the group, my attention returning to Luca who prints out a list of events. I watched as he crossed the room to collect the freshly printed sheet of A4. "The earliest is in three weeks time— the event will be highly secured as it's just on the outskirts of New York City, with the event hosted by the Bravta." I stare at Nathan who silently understands, his eyebrows raise before he tipped his glass in my direction.