I rolled my eyes, but the banter pulled a reluctant smile from me. "I'm right here. And I don't mope."
Aurelia glanced back, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "It's cute."
Zora snorted. "Cute? That's a first. Usually it's 'terrifying' or 'intimidating.' What spell did you cast, Aurelia?"
"Just luck," Aurelia replied, her tone playful, but her hand squeezed mine when I caught up. "Or stubbornness. He's hard to scare off."
We reached the villa cluster with the lagoon sparkling beyond. I left them at Aurelia's room, the door closing on their laughter, and headed to mine. Seeing her smile, hearing Zora's teasing pull it out, it was a glimpse of normalcy. A reminder that not everything was tainted. But as I sat on the balcony, my phone buzzed, pulling me from the abyss. Elias, the butler, his number flashing like a warning. Suspicious. He never called unless Father ordered it, or something dire. I answered, "Elias. What's happened?"
His voice was tight, the usual formality cracked. “Mr. Krogen, sir... it's Ray. He's... dead. Found him this morning in the pond behind the cottages. Floating face down.”
The words hit like a gut punch, air leaving my lungs in a rush. Ray! Dead. The man who'd confessed in the market, his eyes wide with the burden of mother's murder, the sold sister, the empire's rot. "What happened?" I demanded, standing, my voice low, controlled, but laced with ice. "Details, Elias. Everything."
He hesitated, the phone line crackling faintly. "I... I don't know, sir. The groundskeeper found him at dawn, tangled in the lily pads, water red around his head. Looked like... trauma. Blow to theskull, maybe. No note, no sign of struggle on the bank, but... it's suspicious. Mr. Marcus told me to handle the cleanup."
Fury ignited, hot and blinding, my vision narrowing to the lagoon below, its serene surface mocking the violence. Ray, dead because of me, because I'd pushed him for answers, stirred the hornet's nest. He'd killed him, silenced the witness to mother's murder, the empire's secrets. My hands gripped the railing, knuckles white, rage boiling over. "I'm coming back," I growled, my voice a promise of storm. "Tell no one. I'll be there in hours."
The call ended, and I paced the balcony, the island's beauty a cruel irony. Guilt crashed over me, a tidal wave, my fault for dragging him into the light, for not protecting him sooner.
I found Aurelia and Zora with Theo on the patio, laughing over coffee. "Aurelia,” I said, my voice rougher than intended. “I need to get back to New York. Business.”
Her face fell, concern etching her features. “What kind? Everything okay?”
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Just... loose ends. Nothing I can’t handle. I’d like to see how much progress you’ve made on the island while I’m gone. Maybe a tour when I return?”
She stood, wrapping her arms around me, her warmth seeping into the cold. “Be careful. Come back soon.”
I kissed her, deep and promising, whispering against her lips, “I love you, My Maneskin.” My light, fragile but fierce, the light I’d kill for.
Zora watched, arms crossed, her badass smirk in place. “I’ll look after her. Don’t worry your pretty head.”
“You’re stronger than me?” I teased, signaling to the challenge in her eyes.
She grinned. “Damn right. Go fix your mess, brother. We’ve got this.”
~
The flight was a blur, the jet’s hum a counterpoint to the storm in my mind. Elias met me at the airstrip, his face ashen. “Mr. Marcus is in the study.”
I nodded, the mansion a looming beast as I drove up, gravel crunching under tires. Father’s office door was ajar. I planted the device I asked Victor to arrange. It was a measure to keep an eye on Marcus. The device was a tiny microphone hidden in a pen holder, battery life weeks, quickly, seamlessly. The door opened behind me, “Keith,” he said, his tone measured, almost amused. “You’re early. That’s rare. I assume Elias told you what happened.”
I kept my expression neutral, taking a seat across from him. “He did.” I folded my hands, forcing calm into my voice. “Ray’s dead.”
Marcus’s lips curved, faint and sharp. “Disappointing, but necessary.”
I leaned forward slightly. “Necessary? A man drowned in our pond with his skull cracked open. That’s not an accident.”
He raised a brow, feigning surprise. “You’re emotional. You always were soft when it came to the help. The boy was stealingfrom me, Keith. Rifling through my private documents, documents that could’ve compromised this family. I gave him a chance to speak, to tell me who sent him.”
“And when he didn’t?”
He met my gaze evenly, no flinch, no remorse. “Silence has a price.”
My jaw clenched. Every word was a match against gasoline, but I couldn’t let the fire show, not yet.
“You questioned him?” I asked.
Marcus nodded, leaning back, steepling his fingers. “I asked who he was working for. He refused to talk. So, I reminded him what happens to disloyalty. He ran. But I caught up.” A faint smile ghosted across his face, pride in the efficiency of his cruelty.
