My Dark Romeo: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance(101)
I winced, bracing for the worst.
“Things unraveled when I started my Masters while employed full-time at Costa Industries. I spent little time with Morgan, which she resented. She began hanging out with Madison’s crew. The rich Georgians who flooded Potomac seemingly overnight. She liked them. They found the place boring and made frequent trips to New York. She joined them often. I didn’t mind, since I couldn’t give her the time she required. Back then, Madison and I were friendly.”
Did Morgan cheat on him with Senior and Madison?
Romeo stole my whisky, bringing it to his mouth. “By the time I finished my Masters, Morgan and I were little more than roommates who occasionally had sex. My love for her turned into obligation. I could tell she begrudged me for being obsessively laser-focused on my career. But I had a goal.”
“To take down Costa Industries?”
If Morgan’s affair hadn’t triggered his revenge quest, what did?
“Yes.” He didn’t elaborate. “I can’t deny being an inattentive fiancé, but I was also reliable, faithful, and gave her every penny I had. So, when we drifted apart, I doubted whether the marriage could work. Still, Morgan always lured me back into her web. I felt guilty enough for ripping her from her previous existence to see it through.
“The day of my first promotion, Senior called me into his office and informed me he’d selected prospective brides for me. That if I didn’t break things off with Morgan, he’d do it for me. We had a nasty argument, but I thought nothing of it. Days passed, then weeks. One day, Cara, who routinely bought groceries for us, called. I was on my way to Zach’s. I’d been hanging out with him and Oliver more often, since home felt like anything but. Cara urged me to head to my penthouse. Said there was something there I should see. And there was.”
The storm brewing in his gray eyes swept me into emotional turmoil.
“I found my father eating out my fiancée, who wore nothing but a pair of heels for him. He didn’t even stop when I walked in. Just stared me right in the eye and told me that was what happened when you chose a working-class girl instead of a classy, workable girl. She’d always choose money over you.” He paused while I fought the urge to throw up. “And he was right. All it took for her to spread her legs for him, to do this to me—to my mother, who fed her every Sunday at her house—was a black card and an empty promise he’d divorce for her.”
“Oh, Romeo.” I cupped my mouth.
I understood his mocking approach to marriage now. He’d hardly seen a good example. His parents were miserable together, and his one and only girlfriend cheated on him in the most despicable way.
He returned my drink. “Spare your tears for someone who deserves them. Power is a great substitute for love. And I have plenty of it. Life is much easier once you accept the fact that everyone will hurt you.”
I held the whisky to my chest, my heart hammering against the glass. He was right, but he’d also missed the most important part.
Everyone will hurt you. The key to happiness is finding someone worth enduring the pain.
“After I threw Morgan out to roam the streets naked, I watched Senior tuck himself in and realized he was right all along. The working-class fiancée. The ability to get away with absolutely anything if you possessed enough influence. I could’ve beaten him to a pulp. I have experience in that field, after all.”
He leaned against the bed base. “But revenge is a dish served cold. And I’d already enacted plans to ruin the thing he loved most—his business. That would be my moment of reckoning. This, and killing the Costa dynasty with my last breath. After all, Senior always planned on having more children to ensure a line of succession. Didn’t work out so great.”
A bitter smile found its way to Romeo’s lips. “So, I’ve played the long game. Garnered control and clout to use against him. I agreed Morgan was a mistake. Sat down with him for a drink. And vowed to give him what he wanted in due time—a filthy rich bride of high ranking.”
Siring an heir for Romeo meant giving in to his father’s wishes.
I hugged the glass so tight, its edge left a mark on my skin. “You had a drink with your father immediately after you discovered him sleeping with your fiancée?”
“Indeed, I did.”
“This is sick.”
Romeo shrugged. “Love doesn’t exist. Marriage is a means to an end. My only regret is dragging someone else down this grim path of mine. Before I met you, it was easy to write you off as an upper-class version of Morgan. A ditzy woman who didn’t mind whom she married, so long as her quality of life remained unsullied. I didn’t think you’d care if I stole you from Madison. In that aspect, I’m no better than your father.”
I regarded him with fresh misery.
He turned away, not wanting to see what was smeared on my face.
“Why do you hate Madison so much? What was his role in this?”
Romeo worked his jaw again. I noticed he wasn’t chewing gum and realized he felt uncomfortable without it.
“After she realized my father had tricked her, Morgan tried crawling back into my good graces. Didn’t happen, obviously. She’d leave me hourly voice messages. Long ones. Begging me to take her back. She knew my tidiness didn’t allow me to overlook the red alert on my phone. In one of her ramblings, she mentioned something about how she ‘didn’t even tell Madison anything that could come back to hurt me.’ The moron essentially outed herself. I found out Madison paid her the last six months of our relationship to collect intel against Costa Industries through me. And that was why I finally exiled her somewhere she couldn’t hurt me.”