King of Greed

King of Greed (2023) is an adult contemporary romance by Ana Huang and stands as the third installment in the Kings of Sin series. Alternating between two different first-person perspectives, Kings of Greed follows the ambitious “King of Wall Street,” Dominic Davenport, as he pursues a second-chance romance with his estranged wife, Alessandra. The novel explores the negative effects of choosing ambition over love and the importance of maintaining independence in relationships.

Ana Huang has penned a range of romance novels, and in addition to writing the Kings of Sin series, she has also garnered praise for her Twisted series, which consists of four novels and focuses on the darker aspects of the romance genre. King of Greed has been hailed as a bestseller by the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

This guide refers to the Kindle Unlimited eBook edition published in 2023.

Plot Summary

In the 10 years since Alessandra Davenport married Dominic Davenport, she has resigned herself to a lifelong role as the supportive wife, socialite, and hostess, abandoning her desires and dreams to support those of her husband. Although she has created her own online business, Floria Designs, her pride in this accomplishment is overshadowed by the sadness she feels upon being overlooked by Dominic, who consistently chooses his work at Davenport Capital over her. When Dominic becomes caught up in yet another work emergency and forgets about their 10-year anniversary weekend trip, Alessandra reaches a breaking point and demands a divorce. Alessandra moves out on her own and decides to pursue her dream of opening a physical store for Floria Designs. She gains a new sense of empowerment as she begins renting and renovating a shop space and plans for a grand opening near the New Year.

In the weeks after Alessandra leaves him, Dominic cannot bring himself to sign the divorce papers. He meets with his friends, Dante and Kai, convinced that he can still fix the damage he has done to his marriage. However, Dante and Kai tell him that his relationship problems can only be fixed by a major shift in his lifestyle and mindset. He constantly prioritizes his own ambition over all other aspects of his life, and he now knows that if he wishes to make his marriage work, he must put her first. Dominic’s relationship trouble coincides with the reemergence of his foster brother, Roman, who shows up in New York City after 15 years of absence. Roman and Dominic’s relationship was damaged in their teens when Roman did time in juvenile detention for arson because Dominic refused to provide a false alibi; Dominic knew that doing so would prevent him from attending Thayer University if he was caught lying. Since that time, Roman has carried the hurt of that perceived betrayal.

After some time, Alessandra manages to explain the distance that occurred in her relationship with Dominic. She asks him to sign the papers and let her go if he really does love her. He does so, and their divorce is finalized. However, Dominic remains determined to put in the work needed to change his ways and win Alessandra back. When Alessandra books an indefinite trip to Brazil, Dominic does the same, hijacking her trip with her brother. During the trip, Dominic gets to know the person that Alessandra has become, and she realizes that he might really be able to place boundaries on his work life and learn to prioritize their relationship. Though they have multiple instances of physical intimacy, Alessandra does not want to reenter a full-fledged relationship with Dominic for fear that all of their progress will be lost.

Their trip to Brazil is interrupted by the fourth wedding of Alessandra’s mom. Alessandra, Dominic, and her brother Marcelo attend the event in Rio. At the wedding, old memories of their own wedding surface, and Alessandra agrees to go on one date with Dominic. He treats her to a trip to Floripa. Although the trip is lavish, Alessandra most appreciates the deep, heartfelt conversations that they have. Dominic learns more about her flower shop and future dreams, and Alessandra learns more about his past with his foster brother Roman.

In Floripa, Alessandra receives a call from her friend, Isabella, and learns that her shop has been flooded and severely damaged. Alessandra and Dominic rush home to the States, where she assesses the damage. With the help of Dominic, her friends, and her landlord Aiden, Alessandra rushes to get the shop ready in time for the grand opening. Although Alessandra and Dominic agree to have a purely sexual “situationship,” a term referring to an unofficial and commitment-free relationship, she continues to go on dates with other men. However, her date to a fancy gala that Dominic also attends brags to his friends on the phone about creating a sex tape with her later, and Dominic defends her, forcing her date to leave. Alessandra is touched by his desire to protect her, and they have sex in a private room at the party.

In the following weeks, Dominic and Roman begin to rebuild their brotherly bond. Dominic also makes strides in becoming closer to Alessandra. Eventually, she agrees to give their relationship one more try. As the grand opening of her shop approaches, Dominic makes good on his promises not to prioritize his work. However, when a local bank, DBG, collapses, Dominic seizes the opportunity to call all hands on deck at work to secure a buyout.

By the time Alessandra’s grand opening rolls around, Dominic leaves the rest of the work up to his staff and goes to attend the event, but his exit from his office building is hindered when Roman holds him up at gunpoint. Roman’s unethical activities have led him to serve a client who does not want Dominic to buy out DBG. Roman does not want to kill Dominic, but he reveals that his employers will kill them both if Dominic buys DBG. Dominic gives up the acquisition, placing the lives of his loved ones before his own greed. Although he misses Alessandra’s grand opening completely because of this ordeal, she accepts his explanation and is confident that he is, in fact, a changed man.

Over the next few days, news leaks that the CEO of Sunfolk, a rival bank, hired a mercenary company to rid itself of its competitors. They killed Martin Wellgrew, the CEO of Orion Bank, and took down DBG as a result. Dominic suspects that Roman leaked this information about his employers and has since gone into hiding. Months later, Dominic becomes the new owner of Sunfolk Bank, and Roman continues to stay in hiding. Alessandra’s business thrives, and Dominic proposes to her again. They get remarried, move into a cozy brownstone, and finally find contentment in each other’s company.