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Hearing the truth pierces me. Understanding hits me, along with the decision of what I must do.
I can’t let my father lose everything.
If that were to happen, knowing I could have stopped it, it would break me.
Chapter9
Knight
Islide my cigar to the side of my mouth and lean over the wooden edge of the pool table, lining up my cue stick to take my shot.
The set of remaining cue balls are on the smooth black surface waiting for me to strike, but all I can see is Aurora Wright swirling around in my mind. That murderous expression is entrenched on her beautiful face, and she’s glaring at me as if she wants to gouge out my eyes with her heels.
Even I couldn’t fault the beauty if she stepped over to the dark side and tried to kill me. Today, she witnessed the conqueror in me and saw the cruel extent of my ruthlessness.
Our encounter this morning was the summoning of all the participants to the battlefield. Now the war has truly begun.
I take the shot, and the balls scatter. All, including the eight-ball, roll straight into the nearest hole.
I win.Again.
“Damn you,” Jericho hisses, slamming down five hundred dollars on the edge of the table.
I straighten, take a drag of smoke, and release the fumes into the ether with a smile on my face.
We’re at the Astoria Club playing pool.
The Astoria is an invite-only association for the world’s elite. Apart from the fundraisers and other gatherings that are hosted here, most of the men come by during the week to be social and hold meetings for the businesses and charities they support. I’m sure the lure of the beautiful women who work here is also a reason they come in droves.
Most Sundays, Jericho and I meet here with our friends from high school to hang out.
The Astoria also happens to be one of the few places I can stand to see my father and Bastian outside of work. That’s probably because the grandiose mansion we’re based in has enough space and rooms so we can coexist without actually seeing each other.
As usual, Jericho and I are the first here. The other guys will come later. Luc will be the only one missing tonight because he’s doing extra training with his team for the hockey championships in a few weeks.
“Want another game?” I quirk a brow when Jericho sneers at me. This is the third game I’ve won, and he’s out of pocket by a grand.
He hates losing to me and won’t stop until he finds a way to win back all the money he lost.
“Fuck yeah. I’ll beat you this time. Let’s put two grand on the table.”
“Game on.” I chuckle.
“Hey.” He taps his stick on the table. “Don’t get cocky just because you’re on a winning streak. Sunset Cove today, Park Avenue tomorrow.”
“Why don’t we just wait and see what happens.” I blow out another ring of smoke.
“But you already know you’ve got Sunset Cove, don’t you?” He gives me a quizzical stare.
“Not until Aurora gets here with that contract.” I don’t doubt she’ll come. Iknowshe will. I’m simply being vigilant by wanting the signed contract in my hands before claiming my victory.
I know how people behave when their backs are up against the wall and they’re blocked in. Ninety-nine percent of them will cave. But then there’s that one percent—the fighters who won’t give up. They realize they still have a chance, and no matter how bleak the outcome may seem, they’ll fight tooth and nail.
There’s a remedy for those sorts of people, or rather a work-around. Either you snuff away their hope, or you provide a sufficient counterattack that will force them to bend to your will.
Aurora Wright fits into that one percent, but my counterattack is her father. By using him, I also had the doubled-edged effect of stealing away her hope because she won’t be willing to take any risks that will affect him. Unlike me, the goddess has a heart. She won’t let her old man suffer or lose his life’s work.
That’s why, although the sun has nearly set, I expect to see her soon.
