Page 90 of Vicious Vows

The guests parted creating a wide circle allowing Kumar and my father to take center stage while Lionel and I stood nearby.

"What the hell is going on here?" One of the guests said out loud letting me know that this was a surprise to all of them.

"Lionel, we don't have to do it this way. We can build upon what we already have." I turned and whispered to my brother.

My father glared at me and shook his head but didn't say a word.

It didn't make sense, even now as he stood before me beaten and broken, it didn't make sense that he would try and steal from Kumar only to sell it right back. There was no gain in it for him.

"Build up what we already have? When the fuck did we become we. This is your making Dominic. You wanted to be in our father's shoes so badly, now you're here. It's time to reap what you sow." Lionel snarled at me and I took a step back. The anger in his voice was so intense it nearly vibrated off his body.

At first, I thought the anger was directed at my father but as I looked into my brother's eyes I realized the truth, the anger was directed toward me.

"I'm not doing this. Fuck it all. I'm not going to let him kill our father." I barked at Lionel, positioning myself between him and our father, standing at my full height ready to fight him if I needed to.

"Are you sure you're in the position to be telling me what you will or won't do? Isn't that the choice of a leader? You think you've already claimed that seat don't you? Maybe we find out what your wife thinks, shall we?" Lionel put his hand up and gestured in Faye's direction.

Like an angel walking out of heaven, she glided through the crowd and came to a stop next to him.

"What the hell are you doing? Get over here." I snapped at her but she didn't move a muscle instead she entwined her arm with his leaning into his body as if she'd done it millions of times before.

"Oh would you look at that, seems your own wife doesn't think you're worthy." Lionel laughed loudly and pulled Faye in for a kiss. She went willingly.

My mind reeled, and I stared at the two of them.

She betrayed me with my brother?

I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to. Not after everything we'd been through. There had to be some other explanation. He must be forcing her in some way.

"Leave her out of this."

"You were supposed to leave her out of this." My brother screamed at me, the veins on the side of his neck bulging from the strain. "You knew, both of you knew." He pointed at my father before looking back to me. "You knew I wanted Farrah for myself, that I was in love with her and still you took her for yourself. Selfish piece of shit, couldn't let me have even one ounce of peace." He pulled his gun and pointed it at me before continuing to shout, "You fucking had to have everything!"

My eyes focused on Faye once again, and the way she smiled, the way she rubbed against Lionel like she was in heat; it was all wrong.

That wasn't Faye, that was Farrah.

"I didn't have a fucking choice!" I yelled back.

Lionel's expression dropped, and in its place bloomed the blank stare of a psychopath, "Maybe you didn't, but he did." He pointed his gun at our father, and finally, the old man decided to speak.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lionel? Put your fucking weapon down."

"Oh, now you see me? How convenient. When your life is in my hands, you finally open your fucking eyes and realize you've got two sons instead of just one. I'm the one you should've been grooming to take over for you. From the very beginning, it was me who should've been next in line for your seat, but you couldn't see past Dominic. The golden child."

"And you wonder why? You'll never be able to shoulder the responsibility. You're too unhinged. Too reckless."

"Too unhinged, maybe, but I am smarter than both of you..." he stepped to the side and I reached down for my weapon only to remember that I didn't bring it with me. I was dumb enough to think I'd be safe in my own home.

"You only think you are." My father hissed at him.

My father might not have realized what Lionel was saying, but I did. All this time, I'd been worried about who could have possibly tried to go against me when the culprit was smiling in my face the entire time.

Lionel was the one who fucked with the drop.

"It was him. He's the one who set up for the drop to be swiped. He wanted us at each other's neck." I said out loud, and a small chorus of gasps and whispers erupted from the audience around us.

"You lying piece of shit!" Kumar lunged at us, and before I could react, Lionel swung his gun in his direction and pulled the trigger.

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