Ruthless Empire (Royal Elite #6) by Rina Kent

Ugh. The arsehole.

I huff as I climb under the covers, pulling them to my chin. He pulls out my chair and a book we’re reading for literature and sits opposite me.

“You can go. I don’t need a babysitter.” I try not to sound frustrated that he prefers the chair over me.

“Considering you were going out to meet your stalker in fuck-me clothes, you obviously do,” he says without lifting his head from the book. Wuthering Heights. Fitting.

“What do you care? I thought you weren’t going to talk to me.”

“I’m not.”

“Well, you clearly are right now.”

“Go to sleep. You’re confessing tomorrow.”

“Confessing? To whom?”

“To Elsa, who almost drowned because of you. Because you were self-centred and enjoyed having a stalker say you’re beautiful.”

Tears prickle my lids and I hide farther beneath the sheets. “You know that’s not the case.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You think I want to hurt other people? What is wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

“Watch that fucking attitude, Silver.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Go to sleep,” he repeats quietly.

I do, with tears in my eyes and emptiness in my chest.

For the first time since he moved here, Cole doesn’t hug me to sleep.

For the first time, he’s so disgusted with me, he doesn’t want to touch me.

I hate myself for hating this.

And I hate him.

I hate him so much, I dream of him hugging me.





In the morning, Cole takes me to the Meet Up.

More like, he drags me.

He’s still not speaking to me and I’m starting to feel pitiful.

I loathe being pitiful. It brings back memories from when I was a child and every single one of my parents’ friends gave me that look.

Poor Silver.

Since then, I’ve built walls and a whole new persona so no one would give me that look again.

Cole and I are sitting in the small cottage, and I recall the pain I felt when I thought he’d lost his virginity to Miss Goldman.

So what if it didn’t happen? He made me believe it.

Well, I made him believe I lost my virginity to Aiden, so there’s that.

Ugh. I hate this tension.

I sit on the chair, waiting for Aiden and Elsa. Cole stands right behind me like the Grim Reaper.

True to his Grim Reaper image, he’s not speaking either.

I’m too scared to look behind me, so I murmur, “Are you going to keep up the silent treatment for long?”

“Not a word, Silver. I don’t want to hear your voice.”

I pretend he didn’t slash my heart open with that and mutter, “Screw you, Cole.”

The door opens and Aiden and Elsa come inside.

She watches me as if I’m a freak while Aiden appears mostly annoyed. “What are you doing here, Queens?”

“Ask Cole,” I speak low.

Elsa steps inside, observing Cole and me carefully, as if we’ll jump her. “Hey.”

Cole offers her his signature polite smile that he offers to everyone. The good boy image. The good son, good stepson, good freaking citizen.

But I know Cole the best. I know the image he puts out and the one he keeps tucked underneath layers of practice.

He’s a gentleman in public. A monster in private.

With me.

He’s being a monster to me right now and I hate how much it hurts.

“Elsa,” he says. “Sit down. There’s something you need to know.”

Aiden throws his weight on the sofa and she settles beside him, still watching us closely, as if she’s trying to get a read on the situation.

I wonder if she sees the pain in my eyes.

No one should see your pain, Babydoll. Your pain is yours, not for the people. They will only use it against you.

I inhale deeply, remembering Mum’s words.

“Tell them,” Cole orders in a low, calm tone. “If you don’t, I will. Do you want them to hear my version?”

He’ll tell them I wanted Elsa hurt. I wanted Kim hurt.

That I’m scum.

That I disgust him.

“Get it over with, Queens,” Aiden says impatiently. “I don’t have all day.”

I lift my head and focus on Elsa. “I don’t know why we keep getting involved, you and I.”

She gives me a look that says, Same.

“This is my final warning.” Cole’s merciless voice cuts through my head like a knife. “Talk or I will.”

Taking in another deep breath, I speak in the most composed tone I have, “Remember Adam?”

“Did he hurt you again?” she blurts.

Shit. Why did she have to mention that?

“Again.” Cole’s voice lowers. “So it’s happened before, yes?”

He won’t let me live this down, will he?

Aiden grips Elsa by the shoulder, hard. I can almost imagine the tightness I’d see in Cole’s jaw if I were brave enough to look at him. “How do you know about that, sweetheart? Hmm?”

“He was bothering her in the car park; I stopped him,” she says.

“You stopped him,” Aiden repeats. “How did you stop him exactly?”

“I just threatened him with calling the principal and using pepper spray.”