Vow of Deception (Deception Trilogy #1) - Rina Kent Page 0,55

tendencies only meant to wreak havoc on everything that stands in his path.

While I hate bowing down to him this easily, I have a purpose, and antagonizing him is the surest way to prevent me from reaching my goal.

What I show on the outside doesn’t matter anyway. On the inside, I completely abhor him, and that’s enough for my self-worth.

“I am getting used to the punishments. It’s only fair that rewards are included, too.”

“I don’t care about being fair.”

“Adrian, please.” I’m begging but saying it in an exasperated tone. “I promise not to ask for anything extravagant.”

“Still no.”

“Okay, let’s do it this way.”

“That’s one for the day.”

“What? Why?”

“What did I say about the word okay?”

Ugh. “Ok—I mean, fine. Fine. How about if I only ask for one reward a day?”

He shakes his head.

“Once every other day?”

“No.”

“Twice a week?”

“Once a week and I’ll judge whether or not it’s reasonable.”

I squeal. “Yes!”

In my delight that I won one against the devil himself, I catch myself on the verge of hugging him before I remember who he is.

No matter what he grants me, I will not be grateful. I will not humanize him.

Adrian stares down at me with what resembles approval, and I try not to get caught up in it.

Keyword being try.

Adrian’s attention is like a powerful magnet I can’t escape from. A black hole that swallows everything in its surroundings.

But the truth remains—he’s only seeing Lia in me.

And I’m far from being her or her ghost. I’m a shell who needs to go back to her numb state before I become a danger to his and his son’s life.

18

Adrian

My fingers tap against the wood of my desk as I stare at the feed on my screen.

Kolya sits across from me, telling me about the latest reports from V Corp, but my concentration is scattered, and I’m hardly paying his words any attention.

Lia is hugging Jeremy, their legs wrapped around each other as they sleep on his bed. Her dress rides up her pale thigh, barely hiding the crack of her ass. Even through the monitor, I can see the red welts on the backs of her thighs from last night’s punishment. I didn’t hold back, and she writhed and squirmed more than the other times.

She almost screamed. Almost.

She’s developed the habit of napping with Jeremy over the past couple of days. Something that makes my son ecstatic.

It’s been a week since she became a part of his life, and he has no doubt in his mind that she’s his mother.

During this short period of time, Lia has been doing weird things, like dressing him to match her and dancing with him in the hallways—things that Ogla does not like. His nanny has scarcely done any work, because Lia makes sure she’s Jeremy’s only caregiver, teacher, and playmate. In no time, they’ve become inseparable, their bond growing naturally, without the need for my interference.

However, her influence isn’t exactly very positive. While I’m glad Jeremy is coming out of his shell, she’s teaching him unnecessary things, like how to whistle or to run inside the house as they play hide-and-seek. I often bump into them, and she uses Jeremy’s presence as a shield to escape my questioning.

At night, though, when Jeremy’s fast asleep, she can’t avoid me. At first, she tried to convince me that she’s better off sleeping with him because he needs her more, but after that ended with her being punished, she started coming to the bedroom of her own volition.

Her movements remain hesitant with a slight twinge of fear in her light blue eyes. But the moment I touch her, she free-falls with no wings to hold her upright.

It’s not due to her lack of resistance, because she does resist, fighting tooth and nail.

Lia still bites her lip or the pillow to muffle any sound she might make. She still stares at me with defiance after she orgasms. She still turns away from me when she sleeps and inches to the edge of the bed to keep as much distance from me as possible. She still stiffens like a board whenever I wrap an arm around her waist and flatten my chest against the delicate skin of her back.

I’m waiting for her to come around with time, but I’m not a patient man. Correction. I’m not a patient man when it comes to her.

In other parts of my life, I’m the epitome of steady decisions. I don’t allow myself to get agitated or to lose my head; that will