Jasmine’s mindset in beginning of book PT 2 (Patreon)

That’s why Lyle tried to talk her out of it—he knew she was setting herself up for an epic fall.

She loved him.

If any other man had taken control of her father’s company, marrying him wouldn’t be an option. It was because it was Roth. Despite their past, despite all the questionable things he’d said and done since their reunion in Colorado, she hadn’t been able to resist being with him again, even temporarily.

Roth never concealed the fact that he had other agendas—revenge, alliances, financial and social aspirations... Still, she clung to the vain hope that one day he’d love her back. That all those quiet, intimate moments meant something to him too. That maybe, just maybe, they might actually have a happily ever after.

Warren mutilated her hopes and dreams beyond repair and forced her to see her life as it was, not what it could be. Warren’s suspicion that Roth used her and her mother’s scandalous reputations to tarnish her image even further before casting her aside cut to the core. The fact that she couldn’t dismiss the possibility because Roth was totally capable of doing something so underhanded and ruthless made her realize she was in love with a man that even after all these years, she couldn’t trust.

Her insecurities were easy to see, a mirror image of her mother. Warren knew Roth wouldn’t keep her. Knew that soon, she would be adrift again. Warren suspected she’d be as desperate for attention as her mother had been, willing to accept favors from anyone, even her father’s peers who’d known her since she was a baby and since she’d been willing to sell her body to Roth…

Her stomach rocked with self-loathing. What the fuck was wrong with her? She really was a whore—selling herself to a man who had always seen her as just a means to an end. This morning, he made it crystal clear that he viewed her as nothing more than paid staff.

We made a deal. You agreed to fulfill all roles as my wife for the year that I own you. That means when I want you to fuck me, you fuck me. When I want you to travel with me, you pack your fucking bag. And when I tell you to attend an event with me, you do so, no questions asked.

The multi-million dollar diamond on her left hand was just part of her uniform, nothing special. His parting, I expect to get my money’s worth, Jasmine. Don’t let me down, was a reminder that she had to perform to his satisfaction or their deal was off.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

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