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Refusing to pay for anything but school and essentially leaving me to exist on the Price family’s generosity? Yes.
Withholding food? Yes.
The psychological torture was strong, but the physical one stopped. I still stayed close to Estella, though, so no one would harm her.
Maybe my scar gave him so much pleasure. He got off on my daily pain as it throbbed and reacted to weather changes. No matter how I grew my hair, it still wouldn’t cover it up, and I avoided looking at my reflection in the mirror, hating seeing his mark on me and my weakness.
A shrink hired for me wanted me to open up about the incident, but I wouldn’t. How could I explain to a sane person that I found the scar offensive, but deep down under this offense was buried pain?
Too fucked up to explain.
Not to mention how everyone stared at the scar. The girls whispered to one another whenever I passed by or just trembled in fear because they found me hideous. One of them even asked me not to sit next to her in class because she didn’t want a freak as her chemistry lab partner.
I felt bad for her because she said it in front of Florian, and well…he didn’t take it well. I could do nothing to control his rage whenever someone disrespected me.
She was expelled the next day when a video of her drinking alcohol in school came out, and her parents couldn’t argue with the school policy.
No one said a word to me after that.
I lived, had some fun with friends, and Estella thrived under my watchful eyes, so life wasn’t too bad. I started working out while Remi decided to earn some money by participating in illegal fights.
Needless to say, no one wanted to bet on him, so Florian sneaked inside the club and put five thousand dollars on him. Since he won, he got the job and others later on. To this day, Remi thinks it was his lucky star that gave him a chance, considering how there is still tension between him and Florian after the latter slept with his sort-of girlfriend.
If only he knew he did it because the girl called him a charity case she wanted to use to get to the heirs, aka us, he’d react differently, but Florian forbade me to do it.
He takes care of everyone while never allowing anyone else to take care of him, and that’s his greatest tragedy.
One day, he’ll need us all, and I hope he’ll ask for help when that day comes.
The best part about these six years was Santiago coming back. Gone was the carefree boy; instead, we had a brooding teenager who hated us all. We reacted fine toward it, giving him a wide berth, which resulted in Remi getting into stupid fights whenever someone picked on him in school for being poor.
This leads me to today when we got into yet another fight protecting each other. As a result, we need to do some work on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Even Santiago got into trouble because of us.
After drinking coffee, I’ll go to him. Seeing his reaction and listening to all the shit he says our way while we ignore him should be hilarious.
He might have sworn us off, but we are still an us even if he hates us. Friendships like ours are for forever.
“Antonio, bring coffee to my room,” I shout, climbing the stairs and passing by Wayne, ignoring him. “I’ll head out in a few,” I add when I reach my room, blasting rock music through the speakers.
I’m about to change when Wayne appears in my doorway, and I freeze, spinning around. “You think you’re so brave and have it all figured out, huh?” He scans me from head to toe. “Think you won?”
“Get out.”
“Even if your father wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate me.” He walks out, but his words rub me the wrong way, so I get out in the hallway and see him moving to the primary wing.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“I fell in love with your mother first. Did you know that? She came to work for us, and I planned to ask her out on a date. But then your father appeared.” His voice lowers a few octaves. “And she fell for him right away. Older, wiser, and richer. Can’t blame her. Couldn’t fucking stand him.” He goes inside his room, pouring himself a glass as he holds my gaze. “They married shortly after, and he knew. He knew I would not allow him to live. Why do you think he gave Lucian power of attorney?” My body grows cold at the realization. “Arranging that accident of his wasn’t so hard. But I was fucking stuck with you.” He spits on the floor. “Fucking heir to the throne. Couldn’t stand you. You were a constant reminder that he fucked her.”
Did my cousin just admit to killing my father?
The information barely registers in my shocked mind. Flashbacks from my childhood pop in my head one after another, painful and agonizing in their nature as he continues to run his mouth. “I guess your father loved you. Little good it did you, Octavius. You’ll have the same fate as him.” His laughter rocks off the walls. “Your death will be a tragic accident, and Estella will inherit all your shares, making her the one true heir, and then…she’ll sign them over to me. She’s a lot like Pamela, weak and a doormat.”
“Stop talking about her.” I cover my ears, trying to control a weird sense of panic where his words almost echo as if I’m staring at myself from a distance and not being an active participant in this conversation.
“And when the time comes, I'll sell her to the highest bidder. Some old friend so he can have his fill of her. I would love for her to suffer. The thing Keneth’s son loved the most, his sister, subjected to a worse fate than some whore from the streets.” More laughter as rage slowly awakens inside me, big and powerful, wiping away any common sense, and the ringing in my ears starts. “I always win, boy. Always. Wasn’t the scars proof enough? You’ll die, and Estella will be all alone. Maybe even someone will rape her? And when it happens to her, I can tell her it’s all because of her big brother who failed to protect her.” He sips his drink as my fists clench and my soul weeps just thinking about anyone harming her. “She might be my child, but I don’t give a fuck about her. Means to an end to get the shares, that’s what she is.”
“Shut up!”
