Empire of Lust (Empire, #4)

by Rina Kent

When I slept with a faceless jock as a teen, I didn’t think I would become pregnant.

Oh, and he hates me as much as I hate him. We’re out to destroy one another with all methods available.

“You stand out, and not in a good way, Aspen,” the blonde angel to my right says. Clearly fake, unless wearing a costume with wings makes you one.

Why search for a man to give you a glass slipper when you could get it yourself?

If anyone asks, you’re a witch.”

“…It’s Devil’s Night. They won’t suspect we burned it.”

“You think I’m scared of you or your fragile masculinity that you need to show by assaulting me? Show me your worst, asshole. See if I fucking care!”

“Is he…dead?” I don’t know how I speak so calmly when I’m pretty sure I should be panicking. “Just unconscious,” Anonymous says with dismissive neutrality that only psychopaths have.

“He might be a weakling, but he’s right. Calling 911 here is extremely unwise and borders on reckless foolishness.”

“What are you supposed to be tonight? A witch?” “Femme fatale.”

So give me my phone and we can be out of each other’s hair.”

“I like your hair, so I don’t mind staying in it.”

It’s a mixture of cedarwood, smoke, and prem...

European cigarettes that my father used to get specif...

There’s no pattern to his madness and that’s the most dangerous thing about this stranger.

“Logically, that wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere. How many women do you think begged and cried in situations like that and still got assaulted? Countless is the answer. I refuse to show that scum or any other jerk weakness.”

I’m no knight, sweetheart. I only interfered to learn why you provoked him when you could’ve used a different approach.

“Then who are you a fan of?” “Myself.”

“Wow. Narcissus called and he wants his arrogance status back.”

“Congratulations for your narcissistic status. You might need a reality check about how your achievements and talents hold little to no value, and using others doesn’t make you grandiose.”

“A victim chooses to be a victim, whether by desperation or other circumstances. A lamb walking into the forest is well-prepared to be eaten.”

“No lamb wants to be eaten. They walked into the forest for the food they need in order to survive.”

“And the wolf eats the lamb, also...

“Your predator mentality is ...

“And your blush is cute.” He motions at my neck with a smirk in his voice. “It’s visi...

“I told you, sweetheart. You’re spending time with me tonight.”

I’ve never liked weddings. But this one is different. This one is my daughter’s.

I’m sitting with a stiff posture in a seat in the back corner so that I don’t make her uncomfortable on her big day.

It’s a poolside wedding at the house I wish to never e...

so the chance of him putting on the devil’s horns and actually throwing me out is close to one hundred percent.

Due to the numerous legal battles regarding its ownership, its value has been calculated to be over sixty million. A price tag that’s made it a meaty subject for the press and real estate moguls.

Only a few of the people present are her friends; the rest are here to kiss her father’s or her husband’s ass, either for their wealth, their names, or their positions in the legal circuit.

Nathaniel Weaver—or Nate—stands at the end of the aisle in a dashing black tuxedo with his hands crossed in front of him.

He’s the co-owner of Weaver & Shaw’s law firm and technically my boss, since I’m a senior partner, my only friend, and the ma...

Said senator and his wife are in the front row, pretending to show their support for their son, when they’re practically estranged.

My heart aches as I stare at them acting like doting parents and smiling.

I wish I could sit there, even for a moment, and be recognized as my baby girl’s mother, but if I attempt that, I’ll p...

But it’s okay. Watching from afar is better than not...

The orchestra switches to an instrumental of “House of Gold” by Twenty One Pilots—my ...

All eyes turn back to where she walks down the aisle, her arm interlin...

Gwyneth Shaw. That’s my baby’s name. The baby I couldn’t name when I thought I lo...

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought she’d grow into such a beautiful, impossibly compassionate, and i...

His name is Kingsley Shaw. The co-owner of Weaver & Shaw. With Nate married, he’s now the most eligible bachelor in the States.

The heir of the notorious Benjamin Shaw’s countless billion-dollar Wall Street portfolios. And most importantly, a devil who’s campaigning for Lucifer’s position in hell.

He stops in front of Nate, who’s been spellbound the entire time Gwen has been walking toward him. Kingsley kisses her forehead, then leans forward and whispers something in his friend’s ear—most likely a threat, because he was against this whole thing not too long ago.

Then both he and Nate share a fake smile before he steps to his side to play the role of best man.

Since I’m in the back corner, I don’t expect Gwen to see me, but she does.

My daughter pauses for a second, and her unique heterochromia eyes, which are a mixture of my hazel irises and her father’s blue-gray ones, fill with tears.

My lips tremble and it takes everything in me to smile instead of running to her an...

Once. Jus...