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Somehow, all these possibilities are unacceptable, so I give myself a word right there. No matter what happens, I’ll always protect her and be her best big brother.
She’ll be a little princess in a castle with a brave knight protecting her and saving her from all these princes who stink.
Mommy opens her mouth to say something, when the door bursts open again and Daddy enters, throwing his jacket on a nearby chair. “Darling,” he greets her, grinning while swirling the glass of whiskey in his hand as he walks toward us.
Jumping up from Mom’s side, I rush to him and smack into his knees, tilting my head back, and smile. “Hi, Daddy!”
I expect him to do what he always does, pick me up, tickle me, and then hug me close. However, he does none of those things.
Instead, he barely spares me a glance as he pushes me away, snapping, “Not now, Octavius.” I rub my arms in confusion. Pain travels through me at his rejection, and I watch him go to Mom, staring at Estella.
Does he love her more now?
I have a classmate who said his parents changed after having siblings. They paid them more attention and became more snappy and angry with my classmate. None of my best friends could confirm this story because they don’t have siblings for now.
I didn’t believe it, though. How could my loving parents not love me anymore just because they have another baby?
He leans forward and picks her up. Mom gasps when he straightens up and rocks the baby a bit in his arms, only to huff in displeasure when she starts to cry, her whimpers filling the air, and devastation rushes through me because I hate to hear that. “She misses Mommy.”
He ignores my words and instead barks, “Antonio.” In a second, our butler rushes inside, and he orders, “Take the baby to the nursery. Have you called the doctor?”
“Yes, sir.”
“From now on, you’ll feed her from the bottle.”
“Wayne—”
“You’ve finally given me a true heir. She’ll get the Reed empire one day.” My brow furrows at this because what he says makes no sense to me.
Despite being five years old, some family traditions were taught to me from a young age, like the fact that only direct heirs inherit the fortune of the Reed dynasty. Wives and husbands get nothing and when my biological father Keneth died, fifty-one percent of his shares transferred to me while the other forty-nine belonged to Daddy.
Everyone said that one day I will rule our empire, and I couldn’t wait to work alongside Daddy and see our company prosper.
“Wayne, I need more time—”
“Nonsense.” With one last glance, he gives Estella to Antonio. “Hire two nannies taking shifts. I want someone with her all the time, and never bother Pamela. My wife needs all the rest, she has no time to have sleepless nights with a newborn.” He cups her cheek, swiping his thumb over her lips while she swallows hard, her face paling. “You’re too precious to me, darling, to waste on these children.” An odd note coats his voice, his eyes softening as he looks at Mommy. According to various people, he has always loved her, even when she married Keneth. She must have feelings for him too, because she married him two months after her first husband died.
I rub my arms once again, hating my thoughts as they were usually spoken by some jealous people who claimed Mom snagged a rich husband and decided to secure her position in society when she married his nephew.
I’m not sure about that, but I do know she had no money to speak of because Keneth left the power of attorney over my shares to Uncle Lucian.
Daddy always hated it, claiming that a Cortez deciding what happens with a Reed was an offense and an unforgivable move made by his late uncle.
Estella chooses this moment to cry harder, and Antonio rocks her, trying to soothe her, but it doesn’t help. “Take her fucking away. I can’t listen to this anymore.” Our butler nods, hastily walking outside and closing the door behind him as Daddy continues to stare at Mommy. “Pamela, you made me a happy man. I finally don’t have to act in my own fucking house. No matter what happens, my daughter will be the one to inherit all the fortune.” His laughter reverberates through the walls, cold and scary in its nature. I freeze when his gaze lands on me, his usually warm eyes now so hollow, reminding me of those belonging to a demon from all the horror books Santiago loves to read. “Keneth, I hope you’re watching this,” he says, and I step back, ready to grab the handle because Daddy is so scary that my hands shake. “Come here, boy.”
“I need to check on Estella,” I whisper, the walls closing in on me as I breathe through my nose, too afraid and confused to understand what’s going on around me.
Maybe Daddy drank too much; it wouldn’t be the first time either.
“Octavius.” His tone leaves no room to disobey.
I spin around again to look at him, only to cry out in pain when he slaps me hard across the face, making me land on my side and hitting my head on the floor, hurt traveling all over me as tears fill my eyes. “Always listen to my orders right away, Octavius.”
“Daddy, please stop,” I shout when he kicks me hard in the stomach. Instantly, dizziness and the desire to vomit overtakes me, and I cover my mouth, silently crying because my father continues to loom above me.
“Don’t fucking call me that ever again. Do you understand? I’m not your father, and your existence alone is a reminder that Pamela chose someone else over me.” He fists my hair and I tilt my head back, his grip so strong I’m afraid he’ll rip it all off while I feel blood dripping from my forehead, mixing with my tears. “Your existence no longer has a purpose for me. Estella will get everything.” He sways me from side to side while holding my hair and then he pushes me to the wall, my face hitting it. My mouth fills with blood as the scream traps in my throat, for the pain is so strong I can barely move my jaw. “I can’t kill you, but I will destroy you. You won’t win this time around, Keneth.”
Keneth. Is it my biological father he’s punishing right now?
