by Rina Kent
He thought he could own what’s fucking mine.
Aiden goes first, but he doesn’t bother with the ski mask. He punches Adam straight in the face.
Adam wails like a schoolgirl, clutching his nose.
“Payback time, fucker.” Aiden raises his fist again.
Adam’s eyes widen when Xander and I join in. The moment he realises the clusterfuck he’s got himself into, his face contorts like a whore faking an orgasm.
He has no idea what’s coming for him. I’ll have fun dissecting him to bloody pieces, but I won’t need violence like Xander and Aiden.
Mental pain is more destructive than the physical one.
After Aiden punches him for the second time, Adam shrieks, blubbering nonsense.
“Hey…hey…” He puts both hands up, his eyes red and bloodshot. “L-let’s talk it out. Our parents are friends. We can find a solution.”
“Yes, let’s talk.” I place a hand on Aiden’s arm, bringing it down. My voice is surprisingly composed, considering the chaos stabbing inside me. But I’ve always been the type who gets eerily quiet and calm in a time of crisis.
At first, I thought it was because of the calm night of the kidnapping, but maybe it’s more because of the blood pool William drowned in. It was so fucking calm after he floated.
So silent.
So dead.
Like this lowlife will be once I’m done with him.
“Right, Cole.” Adam smiles as he straightens. “I knew you’d be more reasonable.”
“I am. See, I don’t think violence fixes anything. You eventually heal from the cuts and bruises. They don’t live inside you and remind you of what you did every day, do they? Unless we can get you in a state of stage four cancer for at least ten years — without medication — I don’t see how we can make you pay physically.”
Aiden and Xander smirk as all hope vanishes from Adam’s eyes. It always feels euphoric when they realise I’m the worst choice they could’ve ever gotten. People are afraid of Aiden and think they can take refuge in my apparent kindness and welcoming smiles, but they don’t know me.
None of them do.
Except for my Butterfly.
And it’s for her that Adam will regret the day he got into her immediate vicinity. He’ll regret every time she read those texts with a frown or looked over her shoulder in fear.
“Here’s how it will go, Adam,” I continue. “We already know you use performance-enhancing drugs. But that won’t do you much damage, even with the school, so we planted a few stashes of cocaine in your locker this afternoon. The cleaning staff should have found them by now and reported back to the principal. He should be on a phone call with your father, but that’s not the only phone call he’ll receive, is it, Xan?”
“Nope.” Xander feigns sympathy as he speaks, “My dad, you know, Lewis Knight? Anyway, he’s kind of a big shot in your father’s party and he’ll tell him that if he doesn’t send you away, his position might be in jeopardy. If he does, however, it might end up being beneficial for him. He can move up in rank, you know.” Xander winks. “Politics.”
“My mother also has your mother’s chain of restaurants.” I take a step forward. “Considering Dad’s company is one of their biggest shareholders, I’d say I can crush your mother’s business with a simple BOD meeting, don’t you think?”
I had to tell Mum about Adam. It was either that or get Sebastian involved. And as much as I’m fucking pissed off at Silver, I know she did everything she did to keep this out of her parents’ political lives.
So I respected her wishes and didn’t tell them. Mum loves Silver, so she agreed immediately and said she’ll do anything to keep our family protected.
Our family.
I hate those fucking words.
“And that, my friend —” Aiden clutches Adam by the shoulder, and the bastard is too stunned to even flinch “— is only the beginning. We still haven’t gotten Jonathan King and Sebastian Queens involved. Do you want a preview?”
“W-what do you want me to do?” Adam stares between the three of us as if we’re his Grim Reapers.
I stalk towards him and smooth his shirt. “You’ll accept your fate and leave for the military academy without a fucking protest. If you don’t, I’ll crush you.”
And I will. Adam won’t get away with only being transferred. As soon as I grow up enough to take hold of my father’s businesses, I’ll hunt him down and destroy him all over again.
I’ll make his life a hell so deep, he will never find a way out.
He’ll pay back in instalments.
He’ll look over his shoulder in fear, just like she did.
That’s my best form of revenge.
Once Adam thinks I’ll release him, he sighs. I lift my fist and punch him in the face until my knuckles sting.
True, violence never solves anything, but it’s liberating in a way.
It’s ironic that I’ve only ever punched two people due to anger — Aiden and Adam.
Both times were because of Silver.
Everything in my life has turned around and revolves around her.
One way or another.
I go home late.
Partly because of Adam. Partly because I considered going to Cynthia’s building and barging inside.
The only reason I stopped is because of Cynthia. She doesn’t like me — because of my mother, I suppose — and would start a riot before allowing me to see Silver this late.
By the time I arrive home, it’s around one in the morning. It’s dark and quiet, so Sebastian and his team must be pulling an all-nighter in the party’s building. They seem to be doing that a lot lately.
Perhaps he knows how much Mum needs her quiet when she writes. Besides, it’s more convenient than moving back and forth between the house and his workplace.
As I open the door to my room, my mind fills with ways to drag Silver back here tomorrow.
I need to catch her at school before she runs to Cynthia’s. While I hate missing practice, because of the control I feel during games, I probably have to so I can —
I stop on the threshold of my room, my thoughts coming to a halt, too.
Silver sits on the chair by my desk — or, rather, sleeps. Her head lies on a book she must’ve been reading, her blonde strands half-camouflaging her face.
Her oversized T-shirt for the day is pink and barely reaches the middle of her naked thighs.
For a moment, I stand there and watch her.
For a moment, I soak in the image.
She came back.
Not only did she not stay at her mother’s, but she also came to my room.
She was waiting for me.
Fuck. I shouldn’t be feeling like a giddy teenager with a crush on the school’s queen B, but it’s there. The…joy.
Silver has never come to me before, not willingly. Not even as a pretence. She has walls so high, I thought I would never be able to climb over them no matter how much I tried.
And I did try.
I tried every fucking trick under the sun.
A part of me is still pissed off about the whole Adam thing, but now that I know he’ll disappear for good, some of that anger vanishes.
Besides, I can’t actually be mad at her when she’s sleeping. She looks so pure and peaceful.
I gently pull her hand away to catch the title of the book she’s been reading.
Nausea.
A small smile grazes my lips as I carefully wrap one hand around her back and the other under her legs and carry her in my arms. Her head falls against my chest with a satisfied moan.
She’s so beautiful, it’s fucking me up.
And it’s not only her external beauty, it’s everything about her, from her insecurities to her affectionate and responsible side.
It’s just her.
I sit on the bed and manoeuvre her so she’s half-lying atop me, her back leaning against my chest and her legs tucked between mine.
My fingers stroke the sensitive spot in her nec
k. She moans, and this time, her eyes flutter open.
Fine, so I was being a dick and woke her up. But I needed to see those baby blues.
For a second, she seems disoriented, then her lips break into a smile as she stares up at me, her head lying on my bicep.
“What are you doing here, Silver?”
The smile slowly vanishes. “Mum has a late-night meeting at the party and I don’t like staying there alone. Besides…”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want to run away anymore.”
“And you decided to come to my room?”
She nods.
“If I remember correctly, you ran away when I told you to wait in the car earlier. Do you think you can come and go as you wish, Silver?”
“Cole…”
“Answer the fucking question.”
“I was scared, okay? You can be scary sometimes.” She half-turns so she’s tucked in my lap and glides her fingers across my chest. “But when I got to Mum’s and knew she wouldn’t be home, I was restless. I met Adam there the other time, you know. He said his uncle lives there, but he doesn’t. So I was scared he’d come find me.”
That fucker. I should’ve punched him a few more times.
“I couldn’t stay there,” she murmurs. “You’re the only person I wanted to see.”
I try not to let those words consume me, but I fail. All I can do is watch her — the rosy hue on her cheeks, the relaxation in her shoulders as she snuggles into me.
“Are you still mad at me?” she whispers.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you hide things from me again.”
She gulps. “I won’t.”
“You won’t, huh?”
“No.”
“Adam is gone,” I tell her. “He’ll be forced to transfer tomorrow. You won’t have to worry about him again.”
Her eyes light up and widen like when we were kids. And just like then, I would do anything to bring that expression again. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” She plants sloppy kisses on my lips, my cheek, my jaw. “Thank you, thank you.”
It’s like she’s back to being a little girl, but I’m the only one who gets to see this side of her.
Just me. And it’ll remain this way for as long as we both breathe.
I reach my fingers under her T-shirt.
“Cole, what are you doing?” She swallows, her expression morphing from excitement to arousal.
“Punishment.”
“P-punishment?”
“You think you can hide things from me, flip me off and run away without paying the price?”
My fingers find her bare pussy and I grunt as her arousal coats my skin. “Looks like you’ve come ready for your punishment, Butterfly.”
Her breathing hitches as I thrust two fingers inside her.
“You’ll never lie to me again?”
“N-no.” Her thighs clench around me.
“Run away from me?”
“No…” It comes out as a moan as I pound into her and play with her clit.
“Take someone else’s side over mine?”
“Oh, God. Cole…” She tightens against my fingers, her lips forming an ‘O’.
Using my other hand, I slap her arse and she gasps even as her walls grip me like a vice. “That’s not the word.”
“No, no…” She falls apart around me.
“You’re mine, Silver. Only fucking mine,” I whisper against her ear.
She doesn’t nod. She doesn’t agree, but for the first time after an orgasm, she doesn’t tell me she hates me.
35
Silver
Unlike what I feared, Papa doesn’t say anything when I tell him about breaking off the engagement with Aiden.
He simply pats my back and tells me my happiness matters more than anything else. Besides, it’s not like Jonathan will stop backing him just because there’s no in-law relationship. Apparently, Papa can help him with a partnership with a duke’s family in return.
Jonathan hasn’t been as tolerant with Aiden, though. I think he’s taken him somewhere in China.
Mum is the same. She hasn’t been talking to me since she learnt the news.
She showed up here and started her usual fighting shows with Papa.
“You’re such a horrible influence, Sebastian. It’s because of you that Silver has no sense of responsibility.”
“Me?” He laughed with menace. “Do we really want to go down that lane, Cynthia? Because you’re the one who’s trying to make her a carbon copy of you, and not in the best way. If she doesn’t want to marry for money and status, she will not marry for money and status. I will not sell my own daughter like a whore the way you’re selling yourself to that Frenchman.”
Their fight just got more intense after that, it was like those divorce days all over again.
I squeezed Helen’s hand as we listened to them from outside Papa’s office. Helen was pale and I could tell she was uncomfortable, but she didn’t interfere or face Mum. If it were any other person, she would’ve kicked her out, and honestly, Mum would deserve it.
I apologised on her behalf to Helen and she stroked my cheek and told me it’s not my fault.
That was yesterday.
I haven’t heard a word from Mum since then. It’s the weekend, so I have no idea where she could be. Usually, she’d invent work, because unlike what she won’t admit, Mum is also a workaholic, just like Papa.
We’re supposed to spend time together, but she hasn’t returned my calls or texts. She’s not in her flat either and it’s freaking me out.
I plan to gather my thoughts and keep my promise to Cole — the part about not hiding anything from him again. I’ve been thinking of ways to tell him about the pregnancy because, like he did with Adam, I know he’ll take care of this. Or at least help me make the decision, since obviously I can’t do it.
A part of me is scared he’ll tell me to get rid of it.
What else should I expect? That he’ll suggest we leave the country or something?
Damn it, Silver. Stop being a naïve fool.
Cole has an early practice today because of a game in the evening, so I don’t have to look at his face and feel guilty that I’m hiding something from him.
Besides, Mum’s disappearance feels like a weight perching on my chest, looming over me like a demon.
I feel like that girl who walked in on her while she drowned in her own blood.
She hasn’t answered my calls in fifteen hours. She promised to never do that to me again.
I tap on Papa’s office door, balancing a tray of tea on my hand, and go inside. A forced smile grazes my lips as I serve Papa, Frederic, Derek, and the rest of their team.
“Thank you, Miss.” Derek smiles but quickly hides it.
I return it, then ask Papa, “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Absolutely.” He nods at them before following me outside. We’re standing in front of his closed office door. “What is it, Princess?”
“Mum is missing.”
His jaw tightens. “She’s a grown woman, Silver. Stop worrying about her as if she’s a child.”
“Papa…”
“Why would you even want to talk to her after the show she put on yesterday?”
“You don’t understand. She can’t be left alone for too long.” I clink my nails against each other.
His expression morphs from anger to contemplation. “What do you mean?”
Mum will kill me if she finds out I told him, but she pushed me to this. I can’t take this pain anymore. I can’t keep it from Papa.
“Remember that time I went to spend the weekend with her and didn’t want to leave her side for a whole month?”
He nods. “I thought you felt guilty about leaving her alone.”
“I did. She cut her wrist, Papa.”
“She what?”
“She doesn’t want to show it, but
she suffers in silence. The image you see, the debates and smiles and social media goddess titles are just her way to appear strong.”
“Princess.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder, appearing as shocked as I did back then. “You dealt with all of that on your own? Why haven’t you told me?”
“She wouldn’t let me. You know her; she’d rather die than show any type of weakness. During your divorce, she spoke high and mighty in front of the cameras, but she cried when she thought no one was there. She fought you every time she saw you, but she always worked on improving your plans for the party’s future when she was alone. It’s not that she doesn’t care, Papa, it’s that she doesn’t like to show it.” And I think I inherited that trait without even realising it.
“That loathsome habit of hers.” He sighs, stroking my back. “She’ll be okay. She loves you too much and would never leave you.”
“But she was so mad yesterday.” I sniffle. “What if she…what if…”
Papa’s brow furrows in concern. “She won’t.” Even as he speaks the words, he doesn’t seem to believe them. “She’ll stay, Princess. If not for anyone, then for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, Cynthia was always the type who didn’t want children, because she thought they’d get in the way of her ambitions and her plans. I tricked her into it, sort of, and the moment she knew she was pregnant with you, she said she loved you without even seeing you. When we first met you, she cried and thanked me for changing her mind.” He smiles with nostalgia and shakes his head. “Then she said she’d kill me if I told anyone she cried. Point is, Princess, you gave her life and mine a deeper meaning. For that, we would never leave you, even though we left each other.”
My arms drape around his waist and I fight my own tears. “I love you, Papa.”
People say you can’t choose your own parents, and many wish they never had their parents. Not me. I hated the fights and the divorce and everything that came with it, but I wouldn’t change my parents for the world. Flaws and fights be damned.
My phone vibrates and I pull it out faster than I’ve ever done in all my life. It’s not Mum. It’s Lucien.
I called him earlier but only got his voicemail.
“Hey, Lucien.”