Fucking assholes.
I can’t afford to fight a war on all fronts, not even for London.
“And what if I told you it doesn’t have to be one or the other?”
Jack raises an eyebrow and says nothing.
“You had Mom and the empire,” I point out softly. “There’s no reason I can’t have both.”
Jack’s expression darkens again. “That woman is nothing like your mother, and I learned the hard way that I couldn’t have both. Or have you forgotten the price we paid?”
“I could never forget.”
I relive what happened to her every day, and the last promise I made while she drew her last breath, the light in her eyes growing dimmer.
Choosing London won’t just affect me.
It’ll impact my siblings, too, and I’ve spent too long trying to protect them from the chaos of this world to throw it all away now.
You made a promise to Mom to protect Olivia and Oliver, remember? Oliver, especially, would never survive this world, and you know Jack has been circling him like a shark for years, waiting for the moment to strike.
Now that Jack has found the chink in my armor, he won’t let go easily.
Not unless I give him something worth far more than the satisfaction of watching London pay.
“I haven’t forgotten my duty to the empire,” I add in a stronger voice. “Or my duty to this family. I will make our enemies pay. I won’t stop until I have them kneeling before us and begging for forgiveness.”
Jack scoffs. “And how do you plan to do that when you’re so busy playing house?”
“By cutting them off at the knees. Since they saw fit to go after something of mine, all bets are off. I can do whatever I want as retaliation, and they know it.”
There’s a hint of approval in his eyes. “Good to see she hasn’t made you completely worthless. I was planning to pay Oliver a visit. It’s high time to bring him into the fold, don’t you think?”
Ice settles into my veins. “There’s no need. Mathew and I can handle things.”
Even as a spineless coward, Oliver is one of the few things Mathew and I can agree on.
He needs to stay as far away from the family business as possible.
I don’t want it to cost him his life like it did with our mom, and if that means my youngest brother hates me for what I’ve become, it’s a small price to pay.
I will shoulder it without question to keep him safe, because that’s what I promised my mother.
Jack shoots me a chilling smile. “Show me you can handle this, and I won’t be forced to deal with your little problem.”
I know he’d take pleasure in that.
London doesn’t stand a chance against him or anyone else from my world.
And whose fault is it that she’s in this mess to begin with, huh? You had to get attached.
I clear my throat and cross over to the desk. After pouring a drink, I raise the glass in his direction. “I’ll make our enemies regret the day they crossed us. I’m gathering intel and preparing for a strike as we speak.”
“I look forward to it,” Jack says. “Now, tell me—”
The door to the office bursts open and Carlisle hurries in, blood caked on one side of his head. He skids to a halt, and his eyes widen when he sees Jack. Then, he bows his head.
“I’ll come back later.”
