Empire of Desire by Rina Kent

And Gwen is the only family I have.

The family I’ll slaughter everyone in my path for, just so she’ll remain safe.

But there was a miscalculation on my part.

I didn’t look close enough at my surroundings and, therefore, I didn’t identify the one person who could threaten her. The one person who could take her away from me after I’d raised her for twenty years.

“Fuck!” I hit the gas and call Nate again.

He finally picks up and speaks with a bored tone. “What is it, King? I have a meeting.”

“Fuck meetings. This is an emergency.”

“What is it?” His voice sobers up.

I open my mouth to rain hell down on him, but the blaring of horns interrupts me. A car cuts in front of me and I hit the brakes hard, the loud screech echoing in the air.

But it’s useless.

A haunting sound of metal against metal fills my ears and I’m swung back by the airbag until my neck nearly cracks.

My eyes are half-open as liquid streams down my forehead and forms a red haze in my vision.

In a fraction of a second, I’m disconnected from my body as if I’ve somehow left its confinements and am now existing someplace else.

My ears buzz long and hard and my body doesn’t feel like mine anymore. I’m floating somewhere, motionless, unblinking, but there’s movement.

Not from me.

Sounds, colors, and sensations blur together as a commotion from outside slowly filters in, and with it comes Nate’s voice. “King! Kingsley…say something. What the fuck happened?”

“Gwen…” I croak. “Take…care of…her…”

I want to say more.

I want to curse him for what he brought into our fucking lives. It’s all because of him and his safe and strategic plans that everything is going to hell.

But no words come out.

My vision slowly darkens, and invisible hands drag me under.

I’m so sorry, my little angel.





3





Gwyneth





The glass of water slips from my hand and hits the sink with a loud crash, splintering all over the surface.

The sound collides with the climax of Car Radio by Twenty One Pilots that’s playing from Alexa.

I wince while I carefully grab the tiny pieces and throw them in the trash and simultaneously scroll through my phone.

Aside from the memes and mindless conversations in my group chat with my college friends, there’s nothing of importance. Though calling them friends is an exaggeration. Colleagues would be more appropriate.

Chris, Jenny, Alex and I all take pre-law at the same college, so we kind of flocked toward each other. It’s hard for me to consider anyone an actual friend, because most of the people I’ve met since I was in elementary school were either interested in my super successful father or our family drama, namely the drama between Dad and my step-grandma. It got worse in pre-law since everyone is gunning to snatch an internship at Weaver & Shaw.

The screening process of interns is so strict and thorough that I’m not sure if even I’ll get in. Dad made it clear that there would be no preferential treatment and if I wanted to intern at one of the best law firms in the world, I needed to prove my worth.

But not to him. Nate’s the one I’d have to impress, because he’s the managing partner of the New York branch. He also holds the key to Weaver & Shaw’s entry gate, and besides being a perfectionist, he’s also stern.

Everything about Nate is, whether it’s with work or in personal relationships.

I ignore the group chat and scroll to my contacts until I find the name Susan.

Okay, so Dad definitely doesn’t know that I secretly got his stepmom’s number. Or maybe not so secretly, since I asked her for it when we bumped into each other at a restaurant.

I don’t know why I did it, and she must’ve been as surprised as I was, because she gave me that hawk-eyed stare that made me kind of squirm. Or maybe I knew exactly why I wanted the number. For something like today. I’m planning Dad’s birthday and I hope they somehow get along.

When Grandpa died, he left this house, which he bought when he married Dad’s biological mother, to Susan, and Dad was livid, like absolutely furious in a way I’ve never seen before. It didn’t matter that he’d inherited the shares Grandpa previously owned in Weaver & Shaw; the house was his number one priority. He went as far as proving that Grandpa was senile and not in a sound state of mind when he wrote his will. He won and the will became null and void. Then they had another long case about his inheriting the house because of the sentimental value it holds to him, and although Susan fought tooth and nail, she didn’t stand a chance. But she’s appealing now. Not only for the house, but also for shares of W&S. Her argument is that since the will is null and void, she should receive a percentage of them, if not all. Dad said she’ll never win, not in a million years.

I hate all their legal battles.

I don’t want Dad to keep fighting her in court until either of them dies. I know this might not be the most logical idea since she stole his mother’s place and drove her to suicide, but I do believe in making peace.

And most of all, I believe in making Dad less stressed, even if he still has to deal with a million other things.

I hit Call before I chicken out and lose my resolve. My forefinger swirls between the pieces of glass in the sink as I listen to the ringing of the phone.