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“Why? If you’re running it, why do you have to hide behind Edison?” I question, trying to piece together where he’s going with this.
“All in good time, my boy.” He hits my shoulder before he continues. “When my father died, way before you were born, Carlo Rhivers was running things at the Third until I became old enough to start pulling the strings. Carlo taught me the trade and helped me get started before leaving me to my own devices. I had regular meetings with your parents. They were quite fond of me and liked to think they’d raised me into the leader I am today. Carlo liked to try and take credit. I was a young lad, so naturally, my ego was big and I was proud and I hated the fact he was taking credit for the things I was doing.
“However, one day, your father had to go out of town for something and our meeting was cut short. I was at the Rhivers mansion with your mother. Let’s just say Emily was very fond of me. Younger and more charming than her husband, a powerful man,” he said, a sparkle of evil shining behind his eyes.
“What are you saying?” I spit out, rage blinding me.
“I had an affair with your mother, King. God, she was obsessed with me. Whenever Carlo was out of town, she’d find me and we’d have endless sex until the day your father returned.” He smiles a wicked smile as I squirm in my seat. “Only we were stupid and a few times we didn’t use protection. Twelve weeks later, we discovered she was pregnant. Carlo was thrilled. Six months later, you were born and for a year our lives continued as normal. Emily raised her son with Carlo whilst continuing to have an affair with me. You, however, looked nothing like your father and he started to become suspicious of your mother’s behaviour. When she disappeared for too long at a time or refused to sleep with him.
“Carlo wasn’t stupid and he put two and two together. Your mother confessed her love for me. I admitted to the affair and my growing feelings for your mother. As punishment, he raped and knocked her up, waited until the baby was born, only to find out it was a girl. So, he murdered Emily, his own wife, and took my leadership off me and gave it to Edison here,” Casper says calmly, pointing to Edison at his side.
My blood boils as I go over the truth of my life. Carlo isn’t my father but Casper is? Bonnie was a baby born from rape by my father? Carlo had actually murdered my mother, meaning he was solely responsible for the reason why I no longer had a mother or a sister.
Casper continues on as if my rage is nothing.
“Of course, we put up the front that Edison was in charge when we’d really had this pretence all along. We were going to kill Carlo eventually for everything he’d done. But because of the position your father was in and the fact he’d demoted me from leadership, it took me years to finally get to him. Twenty-three years I waited. I went to see him to end his life once and for all. He was hosting a large District party, but I’d cornered him in his study and we got into an argument. I told him I would end his life for murdering Emily. Only there was a shadow that moved from underneath the door and when Carlo opened it, we discovered Mrs Elisa Harlow rushing down the hallway.”
I chance a look at Theo, whose eyes narrow at the mention of her mother.
“Carlo shouted something ridiculous about eavesdropping and consequences, and I seized my chance and made a deal with Carlo. Elisa’s life for yours, King. At least this way I’d have some sort of relationship with my son. Only once I’d drowned Elisa in her bathtub, Carlo went back on his word, so I had to get Kennedy involved.”
“Youkilled my mother?” Theo shouts and I glance back at her to see her face red with rage, her knuckles white from where she grips onto the armrests of the chair with fresh tears in her eyes.
“Yes, Theodora,” Casper says, shrugging one shoulder. “I then approached your father and told him Carlo had murdered her. I needed as many people on my side, you see. Kennedy was only too eager to help take Carlo down, not just for ‘murdering his wife’ but because of all the power he had over all of us.
“Only you, little Miss Harlow, put a spanner in the works. Kennedy had said you were adamant that your mother was murdered and refused to believe the story of her drowning. So I made a new deal.”
My mind runs a mile a minute as I try to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do now. How am I going to get Theo out of this? Casper turns to Theo and brings his story to a conclusion.
“Your father was in the process of selling you to me so I could deal with you appropriately. To kill you, maybe have a little fun in between.” He drools and I visibly shake in my chair at the thought of him anywhere near her. “But then you went and murdered Carlo?thank you, by the way?and then ended up in King’s clutches and inside that fucking prison.”
Casper stops and lets us take it all in, standing there silently, hands in his pockets, as if he just told us a fairy tale.
“On that note, I thought you were in prison, hmm?” Casper asks, looking at Theo.
She flinches and her gaze comes back to me.
“Word got back to me that my hit hadn’t succeeded, so I tried again, only my inside man said you were gone. I assumed you’d be at King’s, so I’ve waited for you, Miss Harlow, and here we are.” He smiles wide.
“You were behind the anonymous payments into Kennedy’s account? ‘For the girl’. That was intended for Theo?” I ask, seeking clarification.
“Yes, I stopped paying him when I realised he wasn’t giving me her. So to speed things up, I decided to just kill her whilst she was inside and rinse Harlow of his money for not following through on our deal.”
“You’re sick,” Theo spits, glaring at Casper.
“I see King here is just as sick as his so-called father, always wanting what’s not his. I suppose we could share, Son?”
I shake in my chair and spit right in his face.
“I will never be your son. And you will never touch Theo.”
“Is that a challenge?” he questions, stepping up to Theo and trailing a finger down her cheek.
She jerks away from him, cringing at his touch and probably the ache in her body that’s still there from the car hit.
Casper traces his finger all the way down her cheek and across her lips, until Theo bites down and Casper yanks his hand back, swings it round, and smacks her right across the cheek.
Her face jerks all the way to her shoulder at the impact of the slap and she hisses as his hand yanks her hair back.
