Page 145 of Pregnant By A Rich Demon 2

“Can’t I?” Amai looked down at me, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes that genuinely terrified me.

Not rage. Not hatred.

Certainty.

“I can’t afford for you to hurt her again, Kaisen.” His voice was soft, almost sad. “I can’t allow it. You violated her. You used her body without her consent. You made decisions about her life, her child, her future—and you did it all behind her back.”

“So did you,” I shot back. “So did Winston. We all?—”

“What?” Amai cut me off.

“You know I don’t have the pull to get Dr. Beaumont to do no shit like include my sperm in the insemination. It was Dad! He didn’t think you had what it takes to make a baby, so he included mine. He probably figured since I’m the reason you had a surrogate in the first place that my punishment was supposed to be you raising my kid.”

“Fuck! I know we’re all guilty. But the difference is, I’m trying to make it right. I’m trying to give her agency, choice, control over her own life.”

“By burying me alive? You don’t get to say agency with dirt on your hands and a woman locked behind your security system.”

“By removing the threat.” He crouched down again, his face level with mine. “You’re dangerous, Kaisen. Not because you’re violent or cruel. But because you’re desperate. And desperate men do desperate things. But don’t worry. I’m on your daddy ass too now. You’ll get some company real soon.”

My watch buzzed.

Sent.

Relief flooded through me, so intense I almost gasped.

The message had gone through.

Winston knew where I was.

Winston was coming.

I just had to keep Amai talking. Keep him here. Keep the lid open long enough for help to arrive.

“You’re right,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I am desperate. Desperate to have what you’ve always had. Desperate to be seen as something other than the fuckup who got our brothers killed. Desperate to prove that I’m worthy of having a family, a legacy, a life that matters.”

Amai’s expression softened slightly. “Kaisen?—”

“And yeah, I went about it the wrong way,” I continued, the words coming faster now. “I should’ve been honest with Truth from the start. I should’ve told her what Winston did. I should’ve given her the choice instead of manipulating the situation to my advantage.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I’m a Landry.” I met his eyes. “Because we were raised to take what we want, to manipulate and control and dominate. Because Winston taught us that honesty is weakness and vulnerability is death.”

Amai was quiet for a long moment.

“He taught us wrong,” he said finally.

“Maybe.” I shifted again, trying to ease the pressure on my stitches. “But it’s the only way we know.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Doesn’t it?” I laughed bitterly. “Look at us, Amai. Look at what we’ve become. You’ve got me buried in a concrete hole. We’re both monsters. We’re both exactly what Winston made us.”

“No.” Amai’s voice was firm. “We’re more than that. We can be more than that.”

“Can we?” I held his gaze. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like we’re just repeating the same patterns. The same violence. The same manipulation. The same?—”

My watch buzzed.