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EVE

It’s been 5 months since I took over the mantle as the new “King of Hearts” and I have never been happier. As I pull up to the café to meet Maya for brunch, I take a few extra minutes letting the sun bathe my face in warmth as I walk from my car to the patio.

Taking my seat, I place my order with the barista and pull out my laptop to start working on my upcoming presentation for the university.

RING RING

I pull my phone out and check the name: Maya. With a smile, I answer the phone and prop the phone against my shoulder.

“Hey you, are you almost here?” I say cheerily.

“I’m standing right behind you.”

The voice isn’t Maya’s. It’s male.

The hairs on my neck stand on end as I whip my head around behind me and see a tall, older man walking around me. He takes the seat in front of me and stares at me through a mop of black and grey hair. The smell of cigar smoke and cologne is so pungent my eyes nearly water, and as I cross my arms I narrow my eyes and stare him down.

“Who are you, and how the fuck did you get my friend’s phone?” I ask with a hiss.

“You mean the Queen? She and I go way back,” he says with a scoff. He reaches into the pocket of his long brown coat and my back stiffens, my arms uncrossing as I prepare to defend myself.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to harm you. Not in public at least. I wouldn’t dare tangle with the new King of Hearts in public,” he sneers.

My heart skips a beat but I ignore it. I cock my head and furrow my brow, doing my best to keep calm.

“Why would you harm me? I don’t even know you, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know me alright,” he says, a manic grin spreading across his face. “You killed my son. You killed him and broadcast the entire thing for everyone on the dark web to see. I left him years ago so that he could live up to his potential, and you snuffed him out like a candle.”

Now my heart stops beating entirely. I struggle to force air into my lungs and keep my voice from shaking as I dip my chin down and whisper with all rage I can muster.

“WHO. ARE. YOU.”

He pulls his hand from his pocket and places his palm on the table in front of me. With a deep, dark chuckle, he slides his hand away, revealing a small, rectangular playing card.

The King of Hearts.