Page 137 of GlitchBorn Heart

Heat rises in my cheeks. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t play innocent.” She smirks, tapping her pen against the table. “I’ve always wondered why he’s never been seen with anyone. He’s all brooding and dark and gorgeous. The tortured architect twenty-four seven.”

I’ve never seen this side of her. I kind of like it. It’s real.

“You walked in here with him this morning with the ‘just been fucked blush.’ I half-expected him to carry you in bridal style.” She takes a sip of her tea.

I glare, though it does nothing to stop my mouth from curving upward. “Nothing happened...yet.”

“Mhm.” Ember leans back, twiddling a strand of fallen hair, mischief glinting in her eyes. “But you wanted it to.”

The laugh that escapes me is more of a snort. “I don’t know what I want with him.”

“Liar.” Her grin softens. “You wouldn’t look at him that way if you didn’t.”

We shift, as girls do, from teasing to confessions.

“What about you and Ash?” I ask, letting the question barrel into the conversation. Like a bull in a china shop.

Her fingers still. She looks down at the terminal, cheeks flushed the color of her hair. “Ash is...” She pauses, chewing her lip. “Annoying. Infuriating. Chaotic.”

“And?” I need more information.

“Handsome, charming, and the only person who makes me laugh when everything else in my life feels shitty.” She shakes her head, smiling despite herself. “Don’t tell him I said that. His ego would combust. It’s already enormous.”

We laugh, and for a moment we’re just two normal girls gossiping in the middle of Vikktor Vosse’s sterile empire. But the moment doesn’t last.

There’s so much I need to know. After all, she is the daughter of the man holding my brother hostage. Heir to the throne of one of the most ruthless men in the history of corporations. “Do you hate your father?” I ask bluntly. Bull, china shop again, yes that’s me.

Her expression shutters. She looks like I’ve put her on the spot. A bit of sadness creeps into her eyes. “Every day.”

The words hang heavy, and when she speaks again, her voice is much smaller.

“I was nine when I learned what loyalty meant to Vikktor Vosse. His assistant was cleaning his desk and accidentally broke a vase he’d purchased while traveling abroad. He was furious with her. He made me watch while he whipped her with the cord from his LINKpad for it.” Her hands clench tight in her lap. “He didn’t care that it was an accident. He just wanted me to understand: Mistakes are not acceptable. They have swift consequences and often demand blood.”

I swallow hard, throat tight. “Has he ever threatened or hurt you?”

“Yes.” One simple, honest word. “Kael is the only one who has ever stood up for me to my father.”

That’s Kael, loyal to a fault, no matter who it is. “I’m sorry.” I have no words for the type of cruelty being inflicted on all of us by this man.

“You want to know why I follow Kael?”

I glance at her. “I assume it’s because your father runs everything, and Kael’s the safer option.”

Her laugh is humorless. “My father doesn’t run everything. He owns it. There’s a difference. Nothing about him is safe. But Kael is safe, Lyra.”

Her expression turns cold, and then, with a crack in her armor, she adds, “He never wanted a daughter. He wanted a son, an heir. Just someone to shape into his likeness. He was stuck with me. I wasn’t a person to him. I was a brand extension; our family was just a positive corporate image he liked to project on ads across the city.”

She sets her mug down, knuckles white as she grips the edge of the desk. “Kael...he’s not easy to work for. He’s passionate and driven. But he sees me. He trusts me. That’s more than I’ve ever had before.”

I don’t know what to say, so I just let it be.

Then she looks at me sharply. “What about you? You hated Kael, and now? What changed? Something’s different.”

I take a breath. “I thought I did. He built the system I’m trapped in. He’s dangerous, arrogant, infuriating. Possibly a murderer. He should be my enemy.”

Ember smirks. “But?”