Page 63 of Seduce & Destroy

“Blood can’t.”

“Please, don’t. Avenge him, don’t ruin yourself for revenge. My father,” I chuckled thickly, "Nailed it in my head. The reward is sweeter with a cause. Pity, murder, and violent rampages are a temporary reprieve. A cause to fight for? One that ends in victory? Long term delight. This. ” I circled the area with my finger. “This will be ours. Soon enough. Eyes on the prize, Sorren.”

His breathing had slowed during my speech, but fire still burned in his eyes. When he turned his flames to me, I tried not to flinch away from the heat.

“Is it true…” He stopped and started a couple times. “Uhh…Is it true that your father beat you?”

“He loved me.” I lifted my head to stare over his shoulder. “In his own way. I’m stronger because of it.”

“You still have faith in your family name?”

“Of course.” I stood from my seat. I need to bin her meds. Right now.

“Why?”

“Because I’m stronger because of it.”

This was worse than I imagined.

Chapter 23

LANEY

"Why the secrecy of this meeting, Aldo? I would have welcomed you with tea in the warmth of our boardroom, like old times. Or, you know, a phone call?”

“There has been a situation. I feared my presence on the estate would escalate it further if what happened to my family is a sign of anything. The fire came from inside the house, I needed to be sure of my audience.” His words were vague, and he kept glancing at me as he directed his words at Father. “Rich.”

But before Father could respond, I began. “Sir, don’t be disrespectful.”

“Logan tells me you're feeble and like to run. You can’t run your mouth with this.”

“Your son’s ego is bruised, mine isn’t. Have you seen his hand recently?” I rolled my eyes. “What’s this really about?”

“My mother was assassinated.”

I gasped. “How?”

Flavia Novelli was the true matriarch of the Novelli dynasty. Without her, the structural integrity of the Novelli family business crumbled into dust. They’ve been fighting to determine their successor for decades, Flavia was a young mother, she had time.

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe it.”

“Start from the beginning…” Father prompted.

“There was a girl. She swindled her way into my trusted liaisons and took what was most dear to us.”

I found myself resting on a fallen tree as he relayed the story. The nettle stings spread across the back of my legs from where I leaned into a cluster of those leaves beside the tree. I didn’t even notice.

“We met her at a party near Christmas time. She approached us and told a convincing story about how she was once acquainted with us. An old family friend or something, and she never clarified. Her beauty was incredible, and we all fell for her charms.”

I shook his head as he didn’t believe it himself. A memory detached from him. His face was blank when he went on. “Flavia was most taken by the girl. Fawning over her dark black dress and piercing brown eyes. There was admiration there. I smiled along. In her older age, she needed company desperately. I was so naive.”

The words sunk slowly down my body to form a pit in my stomach.

“Mother needed live in care but there wasn't a long list of people we could enlist for the role. Until her. In fact, she volunteered. It was perfect. But Flavia became suddenly ill soon after she arrived at our home. Disappeared for hours on end.”

“I entrusted this woman with a duty of care she did not deserve. Mother became worse by the day, but her symptoms were nothing natural. Fainting and lethargy. It was so very strange. The only one with access to her medications was this girl.”

“As time wore on, her symptoms worsened. She became bedridden and we moved to be near the estate’s chapel, praying for salvation and longevity of life.”