Before leaving, he turns to Alexander:
“If anything happens to her, I’ll take great pleasure in sending all your offshore bank accounts to the tax office. Consider yourself without an IT guy–I quit. I refuse to work for a man who has so little decency.”
Alexander says nothing, and Mathieu walks out without turning back.
Alexander and I stare at each other, neither of us willing to speak first. Eventually, he breaks the silence.
“You’re not calling me every name under the sun? Not hitting me?”
I raise an eyebrow.
“You seriously think you deserve me lowering myself to throw a hysterical tantrum? Go fuck yourself.”
“I know what you just found out must make you want to kill me, Inara.”
“Don’t call me by my name. You and I–we’re nothing to each other, got it? You talked about my father, but you’re no better. At least he never hid who he was. He always showed his true face. You’re just a hypocrite.”
He clenches his jaw.
“Let me talk.”
“You’re going to tell me you’re sorry, right? Maybe you regret it now that you see I’m not as bad as my father? But we both know you have no remorse, no guilt.”
He doesn’t bother replying.
“If you had to do it again, you’d do it without hesitation. Lucky for me, I wasn’t dumb enough to give myself completely to you, huh? So what was your plan, exactly?”
“You’re talking about things beyond your understanding.
I let out a bitter laugh.
“I figured it out the moment I saw the file about my father. Your plan was to fuck me and make me give you all the information you wanted on him to complete your precious little dossier.”
He sighs.
“That was my original plan.”
“How could I be so naïve and let my guard down for a smooth–talker like you? Mathieu is mad at you for betraying me. Me–I’m mad at myself for not seeing it coming.”
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
I slap him hard. He could’ve dodged it but he takes it full force, His cheek is marked by my hand.
“You never wanted to hurt me, Alexander? I want to rip your head off or snap your neck!”
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19:00 Mon, 25 Aug
Chapter 94
He clenches his jaw.
“You have to listen to me.”
I’m trembling with rage, my hatred too strong. I clench my fists so hard my palms turn red, just to stop myself from losing it.
“Stop trembling.”
“Don’t tell me what to do! What info did you manage to collect on my father thanks to me?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“I read what you wrote about him–and about me. I want to hear it from your mouth!”
He sighs.
“I wrote that Khalid is a violent man who takes pleasure in humiliating and dominating those under his control–starting with his own daughter. He constantly torments and humiliates her for fun.”
I feel like throwing up.
“You used adjectives to describe me–can you remind me of them?”
“Why do you want to hear that bullshit?”
I bite my lip.
“That ‘bullshit,‘ as you call it–you wrote it. I want you to say it to my face.”
“I wrote that you’re as beautiful as you are skilled with a weapon. I also wrote that, despite your tough exterior, you’re a broken woman who fears abandonment.”
He wrote those words in his file–the one I’d love to set on fire.
A broken woman who fears abandonment…
That’s accurate. I’ve never let people into my life because it hurts too much when they leave. I’ve been broken since childhood— since I first set foot in this world. I wonder how, with a father like Khalid, I didn’t turn into a full–on psychopath.
“You saw a broken woman in me, someone afraid of being abandoned—and you still used me to collect your intel?
The saddest part is that I didn’t even give you anything you didn’t already know about my father.”
“I know you must hate me.”
My heart hurts so much. I should’ve known I’d never matter to him. But I wanted to believe he could be different.
“I don’t hate you, Alexander. I just hope you die a horrible death, that’s all. You don’t respect anyone–you never have, except yourself and your family.”
He tries to come closer. I step back quickly and he freezes.
“You have every reason in the world to hate me, but you need to set that aside. We have common enemies who want us both destroyed.”
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19:00 Mon, 25 Aug
Chapter 94
I let out a bitter laugh.
37%
“There’s no ‘we‘–get that through your thick skull! I see you as much of an enemy as Khalid, maybe even more. Stay away from me -far away–or I’ll put a bullet between your legs and force you to swallow your own balls.”
“I’m just asking-”
“You don’t get to ask me anything! You really are a bastard–just like your father! A rotten tree bears rotten apples. You and I–we’re just two bastards with bastard fathers.
The only difference is I don’t play with people’s feelings. That’s a son–of–a–bitch move.”
The moment I mention his father, his eyes darken and become threatening. His muscles tense, his jaw clenches, his pupils dilate.
He doesn’t scare me one bit. If he wants to hit me, he can go ahead–or look away.
“Who told you about my father?”
His voice is cold.
“Did I hit a nerve? You think I don’t know that you were an unwanted, abused child who took as many beatings as I did growing up?”
I want him to hurt. I want him to feel just as pathetic and humiliated as I do right now.
“Don’t talk about my past.”
stare him down while he struggles to keep his rage in check.
“Or what? You know just as well as I do what it feels like to fall asleep bruised all over, to hurt so bad you can’t move, to fear each night might be your last, to hide it so people don’t pity you.
And yet, that didn’t stop you from being a complete asshole to me.”
He storms toward me.
“I wasn’t an abused child!
I raise an eyebrow at his denial. My heart aches because of him. It tears at my throat just thinking about it.
“Then what? What is it about that secret you’re hiding that’s worth tracking Khalid for all this time? What’s the connection between your secret and Khalid?”
“What good will knowing do you?”
“I have every right to ask questions–and get answers.”
“Don’t you get it? If I tell you the truth, you’ll be riddled with bullets before the month is over.”
I clench my fists.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m not talking about me. You think I’m a monster–but there are worse ones out there.”
3/4
Chapter 94
“Why the hell would you care if I get killed? That’s not your problem.”
“Believe it or not, your death is not part of my plan.”
“Thanks, Prince Alexander. Your generosity knows no bounds.”
Note the sarcasm.
He doesn’t even react to it.
“You can hate me with all your soul. I won’t tell you anything.”
“Go fuck yourself, Alexander.”
I already have some pieces of the puzzle. I’ll uncover the truth by myself.
“And don’t try to go after Mathieu for revenge.”
I head for the door, the sound of my boots echoing across the floor.
“Consider you and me enemies. If you cross my path again, I’ll kill you without hesitation. The only reason I haven’t done it now is because you saved me more than once.”
“Even if you pointed a gun straight at my head, I wouldn’t kill you, Inara.”
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宙
AD
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