AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because there’s more. And I want Sinclair to know.”
“What?” Elspeth gritted out between clenched teeth.
“That when Vivian came back here, Ossian found her first.” I suppressed a shudder at the memory.
Elspeth dragged her gaze to me in a challenge. “And?”
I swallowed hard, hoping to God Vivian had decided to shut her ears – I didn’t want her to think I was using her situation to justify my actions against Ossian. “He abused her, Elspeth.”
The room fell silent and in my peripheral vision I saw Vivian’s head fall forward.
Elspeth swallowed and looked again at Vivian, not kindly, but with less hatred than before.
I sighed and looked down at Elspeth’s hand. The huge diamond Iris had insisted I give her had lost its shine, as though a curse had been lifted.
“I’m not a Thorn, Elspeth. I’m not who you thought you were marrying.”
I hated what I had to say, but my true heart was in the corner of this room and I couldn’t break it again. I wouldn’t. Vivian was mine. My true love. My reason for living. “You knew she was the one, El. Now there’s nothing to stop me being with Vivian. The business has been destroyed; I have no reason to do Sinclair’s bidding anymore. I can now do whatever I want.”
She got to her feet and tilted her face up to mine. “And what is that, Rupert? What are you going to do?”
I rounded my eyes, innocently. “I’m going to tell a father that he’s just lost his son.”
And with that, I turned and walked out of the room, taking Vivian with me.
Rupert
“Where are we going?” Vivian whispered as we wound our way through the labyrinth of corridors that led back to the South Tower.
“To Sinclair’s quarters,” I replied.
“And you’re sure Iris won’t be there?”
“I’m sure. Sinclair sent her to the mainland straight after the wedding. He was hellbent on finding the person who blew up the boat and didn’t want the distraction.”
I sensed her eyes rolling.
“But there is one other person we need to see on the way,” I said, knocking softly on a door at the foot of the stairs to the tower.
“Who?” Vivian whispered, looking nervously up at me.
I didn’t need to answer. The door creaked open and the very person I needed to see stood at the other side.
“Aro.”
He glanced at me, then at Vivian, then peered down the corridor behind us. “What’s going on?” he asked quietly.
“You remember that favour you offered?” I asked, my voice low. Vivian’s face swivelled to mine.
“I do,” Aro replied, solemnly.
“I’m calling it in.”
Aro’s eyes flashed. “Now?”
“That a problem?”
Aro leaned back slightly and assessed me down his long, Thorn-bred nose. “No, but I need to bring this.” He held up his phone.
