EGAN 

“You will not leave the house from now on.” Egan said, putting his coat around her in the car.

“What?” She said, looking up at him with those clear emerald eyes. He felt his heart squeeze. 

He frowned and moved far away from her in the seat.

“It is an order. I don’t debate my orders.”

She gave him a wounded look, and he suspected she was cursing him in his heart. 

He looked away, trying not to think about how shaken he had felt when he heard she had been kidnapped.

And when he had learned it was Riccardo who took her, his senses had stopped working well till he killed the bastard.

He glanced back at the slim woman who was pouting beside him, and was tempted to ask what Riccardo had told her.

He looked away again. There was no need to.

The man had been desperate to save his children. He understood that. But what he had done was an abomination.

Their mafia family never harmed women and children. The consequence of that was death. 

Riccardo’s crime was double. The man had been about to execute his wife when they never hurt one another's family.

“Why did you not call the police before we left? You cannot just leave his body there on the rooftop. And we also have to leave a statement at the station about..”

She froze as he turned to her. 

He suspected the woman feared him. Well, good. 

That will make her stay away. 

He could not match her bustling energy. He did not want to. She tired him out.

She pouted and began to grumble. “I only think that it is not right for..”

She pressed her lips shut again when he turned to her. His eyes fell on his jacket around her shoulder that was beginning to slip off.

His whole body tensed when he saw her exposed collarbone, and the way her chest was rising and falling as she breathed softly. 

He could not stop his straying eyes as they followed the line of her pale skin to those round..

“Cover up.” He said strongly, too strongly.

She gave him a weird look but pulled the jacket tighter around herself. 

He looked away. Of course, he deserved that look.

He had palmed her butt, and felt the heat from her body just last night, now he was acting like a teenager just at the sight of her cleavage.

He shifted in his seat. 

Maybe he was just sex served. That was it. He would go find Joan as soon as he dropped his wife back home.

He inhaled and balled his fist. F*ck! He was married. 

No more Joan or the others. 

He either shared his bed with this woman, or rely on other DIYs. But no more escorts.

F*ck it.

What had he been thinking? He could have just blasted Riccardo’s head off that day, and they would all know to respect him without a wife.

Now he has married her. Grandma would throw a fit if he even mentioned a divorce.

He looked at the woman again. Most importantly, he was not such a jerk to treat her that way after what her ex did.

She squirmed under his gaze as his eyes trailed her body. 

Her discomfort amused him and encouraged him to continue looking.

She was not bad. Who was he kidding? This was a literal princess. Lean, with sufficient softness where it mattered. And that nose, straight as a pen. The things he could..

“Is something wrong?” She said, surprising him.

He just stared at her, unsure what to say. 

“Are you cold?” He said, and he could have laughed at himself. 

Eli would have a field day if he could see this.

A woman had turned him into a m*ron. Are you cold? Eli can never know about this.

“Not really.” She said quietly. She appeared calm for the first time since he met her. “I just hope Grandma was not so frightened by all that happened.” 

He found himself staring at her lips as she spoke, plum, slightly jutting, and purplish pink.

“You call her Grandma now?”

“She said I can call her that.” She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, and he felt his thighs begin to sweat.

He turned to the window.

“Can I ask you something?”

He was about to respond when she continued anyway.

“How did your father die?

He froze.

Then he felt something roar from deep within him, and he turned to her. She flinched, and shrunk back. 

The urge to break her between his fingers was so strong.

But he paused.

She was so terrified she resembled another person. 

He sighed. It was not her fault that he had Daddy-trauma.

He looked away.

“Primrose.”

She said nothing.

“Never mention my father again.”

“I won’t.” She said in a small voice.

They were silent for a few seconds when he thought of something. 

“Most importantly, never ask grandma,” he added. 

She said nothing. 

Her silence made him turn to her, and one look at her face showed that she indeed had planned to ask his grandmother.

He could not help the frown that was squeezing his brows again.

“Did you hear me?” He tried not to bark.

“Yes.” She said, just as their car began to drive up towards the Alexakis mansion. 

As they drew closer, he could see Eli pacing near the lawn.

He frowned. He did not have the energy to listen to his brother say I told you so.

“Sovereign.” The guard sitting in front called, looking at him through the rear-view mirror. From the corner of his eyes he saw Primrose frown at them.

“Go in. I’ll join you.” He said, without looking at her. 

The woman practically ran out. Eager to be free. He shook his head. Then he turned to his guard and frowned.

“Never call me that in her presence again.”

The guard hesitated. “Yes,” He paused. “Boss.”

“So, what is it?” He asked as he saw Eli climb into the back of the car to sit with him.

The guard glanced at them through the mirror. Then he turned around and looked at Egan.

“We just got news from the hospital. Her mother is dead.”