Page 51 of Royal Deception

That wakes me up completely. “What do you mean, ‘pivoted’?”

“You know how Lucky had Darren Webb ‘taken care of’?” Liam’s tone is grim, and I already don’t like where this is going.

I press my fingers against the bridge of my nose. “Yeah.”

“Well, it looks like Aleksey isn’t too happy about losing his mole inside Veridex. So now he’s making a move through his connections at Nexera.”

I frown. “Why are they so invested in working with that company?” I demand. “Other than bringing down Veridex, what’s their angle here?

Liam draws in a deep breath. “You might have forgotten this, but Nexera has had a partnership with the Brannagan Hotel Group for years now. The Bratva now have complete access to everything about our hotel security systems.”

My breath stills.

Fuck.

22

CLARY

When I step through the front door, I feel lighter than I have in years. Maybe ever. For the first time, I have a way out, and it’s one Kate can’t take from me.

I spot her in the kitchen, sipping coffee like she hasn’t a care in the world, like she isn’t the reason I’ve spent my whole life walking on eggshells.

I drop my bag on the counter. “I’m moving out.”

Kate barely reacts at first. Just a slow blink, then a tilt of her head as she sets down her mug. “Oh?” she says, voice light. “And with what money, exactly?”

I fold my arms, standing taller. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage.”

She snorts, sizing me up and down with her icy blue eyes. “I love how you think you can just run off into the arms of that man, like he’s some fairytale prince.” Her eyes gleam, as though she knows a secret I don’t, then she leans in and smirks. “I know you’re pregnant with his demon spawn.”

My stomach drops.

For a split second, panic grips me, squeezing the breath from my lungs. But then it passes. Kate doesn’t know everything. She thinks she has power over me, but she doesn’t. Not anymore.

I lift my chin. “He already knows,” I lie. “That’s why we’re moving in together.”

Kate’s smirk falters, just slightly, and that’s all the opening I need. I brush past her, heading up to my room to start packing. It feels good to be the one to have the last word, for once.

Kate has always tried to make my life miserable ever since she married my father. The very first day we met, the second my dad stepped out of the room, she dropped the fake nice act and told me I was little more than a burden to her. She made sure I always felt like an outsider when my dad was around. And when he passed when I was in high school, things got worse.

All the money he left went to her. She made sure to gloat about it when I found out. She only let me stay if I worked and paid ‘rent’ for the privilege of living in my own home. And when I tried to leave, she made it seem like I’d never make it on my own financially. It got into my head, so I stayed. I borrowed money for college, and then I was more in debt to her than ever.

But now I have somewhere to go, somewhere far away from her controlling influence.

Once I finish packing, I head downstairs and out the door, inhaling the crisp afternoon air. The tension in my shoulders melts away. I can’t believe I finally stood up to Kate and got the last word. It feels so freeing.

But as I step onto the sidewalk, a knot forms in my gut. I know what Kate’s like. She doesn’t back down so easily. She’s a business mogul, and she always said she didn’t get to the top by playing nice.

Kate knows a lot of people. She has connections, people who would jump to do her bidding. If she wanted to make my life miserable, she wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.

I take a deep breath, pushing the doubt away. I know Kate is smart, but Rory is far more powerful and well connected than she is. Deciding I need a little cheering up, I pull out my phone and call Ana, who picks up on the second ring.

“What’s up, love?” she greets, the sound of a TV playing in the background.

“I have news,” I say, grinning. “Good news.”

“Oh, my gosh, spill.”