An Illicit Obsession (Mila and Killian) novel Chapter 4

Killian's POV

When Tommen asked me about this get-together, I thought he was just following tradition—reestablishing the Anderson-Knight generational friendship that his grandfather and mine had started. It was meant to ensure the new generation understood the bonds not just of business but of familial relationships. Yet, I’ve never gotten the impression he cared about any of that.

Personally, I don’t either. Only tradition forces me to oblige the Tommen.

We meet to discuss business logistics when required, but beyond that, we can barely be called business associates. I first got to know him during one of these trips. The Hamptons house—our family’s vacation home—is far removed from the world I truly live in. It’s just another façade, like everything else in my life. This place has always served this purpose. With no real explanation for his request, I decided to humor him. After dinner, we stepped into the garden. He lit a cigarette, and I slid my hands into my pockets, standing under the yellow glow of the garden lights. I looked at him—at the bags under his eyes, barely concealed by the arrogant tilt of his head or the sparkle of his Rolex.

My jaw clenched. I despise cigarettes.

“I don’t allow smoking in my presence,” I warned.

“Come now, Killian,” he replied dismissively.

I should never have humored this man. I fixed him with a cold stare, watching as he visibly shivered. He tried to hide it, but the arrogant glint vanished from his eyes. Now he was probably remembering exactly where he was and who he was with. The cigarette fell to the ground, and he stubbed it out. I looked away, impatient. He seemed nervous now, which wasn’t unusual—I’m used to people reacting that way around me. But his cold eyes reminded me of someone else. Mila. Her wide, shocked eyes and flushed cheeks from our earlier interaction flitted through my mind. I’d much rather be seeing her. He wasn’t speaking, and I was curious about one thing.

One person. “Tell me about Mila,” I said.

At dinner, her downcast eyes and slumped shoulders had caught my attention. The woman who had looked me in the eye and all but scolded me earlier wasn’t the same woman at that table. That woman had seemed more like a shy girl who couldn’t speak to save her life.

“She’s your eldest, yet you’ve never brought her around before.”

“Don’t be bothered by her. Since her mother died, she’s been reserved. No one’s managed to draw her out of her shell, and she prefers it that way. Adeline insisted she come,” he explained.

During her time here, Mila had only spoken to people when politeness demanded it. She wasn’t close to her stepmother, but from what little I’d seen, she got along with her younger sister. Tommen’s indifference toward his eldest daughter was glaringly obvious. I clenched my fist in my pocket, noting the affection he seemed to reserve for his second wife. Mila’s lack of interaction with her family made sense, but there was something about the fearlessness in her eyes that felt... different.

“I called you out here to talk about my son,” he finally said, breaking the silence. My instincts went on high alert as I sensed movement at the corner of a wall about ten feet away. I shifted slightly to keep both Tommen and the shadow in my view.

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