Page 32 of Brutal Reign

“He didn’t have time to, but think about it, Hope. We make sense.” Simon’s gaze sweeps my flat, his lip curling. “Your father wouldn’t want you to live like this. Always looking over your shoulder. Residing in some dump, serving drinks to drunk idiots, and wearing patched-up clothes. He raised you to lead.”

I bristle, heat rising beneath my collar. “No, he raisedyouto lead. That was never my role. He kept me far away from his world.”

His expression turns steely. “Maybe. But survival isn’t enough. Not for someone like you. We can’t let your father’s death go unanswered. The Syndicate stole everything from us, and now we’re going to take it back together.”

His words make my head spin. “I don’t want revenge or power. I just want a normal life. I’ve already lost both of my parents to this world, and I won’t risk losing anything else.”

He closes the space between us. There’s something in his expression, in his flat stare, that makes my stomach drop. “I’m not asking you. I’m telling you this is happening.”

Ice spreads down my spine. “What is it you want from me?”

“Exactly what your father told me before he died. He wanted to see us married, to stand side by side and rebuild what was stolen from us.”

Footsteps echo behind me. I turn and see two men in dark suits blocking the doorway.

The walls feel like they’re closing in. Maybe Simon believes he’s honoring Baba’s wishes, but that doesn’t make this right.

He looks at me with icy detachment, his features revealing nothing. Simon was always able to hide his emotions. Maybe that’s what made him rise through the ranks so quickly in my father’s triad. “This is your fate. It’s what you were meant for.”

“No, Simon. I’m a grown woman, and I will decide my own future. Whom I marry, where I live, what I do with my life—those are my choices to make. Even if it goes against what my father wanted.”

His upper lip curls in a sneer. “If I found you, so can the Syndicate. What do you think they would do to you? I guarantee you wouldn’t be standing here breathing right now if they found you first.” He folds his arms across his chest, shutting down any argument. “I’m doing what’s best for you, even if you don’t realize it yet.”

Bile rises in my throat. “You’re not giving me a choice?”

He doesn’t bother responding, and that makes everything clear.

My mind races, searching for a way to get myself out of this. To talk sense into him, but I don’t know if I can. A thought takesroot. If he’s going to force this marriage, I need to use what little leverage I have to get what I want.

And what I want is this baby.

The feeling has only grown since I found out I was pregnant. But now, I’m sure. I want a child more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I want someone to love unconditionally, and to be loved in return. I want a chance to be the mother I never had.

Simon is offering me a gilded cage, but at least it’s one protected from the Syndicate.

And he doesn’t know about my trust fund—no one other than Chen does.

He doesn’t know that when I turn twenty-five, I’ll have enough money to take my child and disappear forever. I just need to survive until then.

I lift my chin, meeting his intense stare. “I’m pregnant.”

His face darkens. “Is that so? I didn’t realize you had time to whore around while pulling pints.”

I ignore the jab and force confidence into my tone. “You might have been my father’s right hand, but you need me—my name, my bloodline, my father’s legacy—in order to legitimize your power. If you want my cooperation, it will be on my terms. I will marry you, but only after I have this baby.”

His gaze turns calculating, weighing his options. Finally, his mouth curves into something that might be a smile. “Clever girl. Your father would be proud.” He pauses, studying me. “But this changes nothing about our arrangement. Only the timing.”

I work hard not to visibly exhale in relief. I’ve bought myself time. Not freedom, but a window where I can protect this child until I figure out what comes next.

It may not be a perfect plan, but it’s the only one I’ve got.

Simon looks me up and down, his expression cold and businesslike. “You have ten minutes to pack before we leave.”

Leave? Blood rushes in my ears. “Where are we going?”

He smiles, and it chills me to the bone. “We’re going to Hong Kong. Where you belong.”

PRESENT DAY