Page 41 of Hateful Games

“Subtle isn’t the word I’d use.”

“Uncle believes he did it to eradicate Nova and leave them with no heir to his legacy. However, he didn’t succeed because Nova escaped, but they scarred him enough that he had to be homeschooled until he got into middle school.”

Each heart-wrenching revelation shocks the hell out of me, putting my fiancé in a whole new light. A part of me is having trouble reconciling a scared and traumatized little boy with the vicious man with the sharp tongue he’s become today.

Is this the reason he despises my family so much?

I can’t even imagine being forced to marry the daughter of a man who you believe tried to kill you in cold blood as a kid. It perplexes me even more that his father actually agreed, despite having the same suspicions.

I’m confused and torn.

The more truths that come to light, the more tangled our webs become.

Miya expectantly waits when I become silent for too long, lost in the same old rabbit hole. Yet again. No matter where I go, those sick memories remain attached like a parasite.

“Why are you telling me all this, Miya?” I ask, curiosity nagging at me. “Nova wouldn’t appreciate you baring his secret like this, definitely not to me.”

“Oh, he’ll be pissed,” she says with a small affectionate smile before becoming serious. “But I’ll cross that bridge when it comes. As for sharing with you, just because our elders spent years tearing each other down while burning in mutual hatred, doesn’t mean us kids need to follow the same path. Hate can never be erased with hate.”

As part of the extended family, she seems to know more about the history of our families than I do. The knowledge I’ve been fed over the years has always been vague, raising more questions than answers. The gist as narrated by my father like a broken record is that Nova’s family came from the wrong side of the tracks.

They were low-life thugs and were into money extortion, money laundering, drugs, illegal underground rings, before realizing they would be far more wealthy and safer with legitimate businesses.

Rumor has it their darker sides of the empire hasn’t ceased.

It’s the reason their name inspires so much fear.

After Nova’s father married Teresa, Nova’s mother, who came from old money, the D’Cruzes became untouchable.

It eats at my father, who prides himself on hard work and old traditional values, that someone like Danish D’Cruz became his competition by climbing his way to the top through sneakier means.

Nevertheless, I’ve always had this gut feeling that there’s more to the story.

Maybe Miya knows. If she revealed Nova’s darkest secret so easily, perhaps I could tempt her into sharing more. Anything to give me an edge, a wild card, when I marry into the family in the future.

She wouldn’t answer if I ask now, which means I only have one choice. To spend time with her. Besides, did I not promise I will not let anyone ruin my trip, least of all my own damn self?

Clearing my throat, I say, “I’m going to be sightseeing while I’m here, if you want to join?”

Her whole face lights up like the Fourth of July. She takes my invitation as a clean slate. For a moment, I wonder if beneath her sunny personality, lies a lonely girl.

“Of course, I would love to.” A mischievous smirk graces her lips. The tension dissipating and she offers, “If you ever need embarrassing stories about Nova or ways to get back at him, I know a ton. Hell, I might even join you.”

“Very enticing.” I chuckle and wave my fork at her. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

Amicable silence falls as we both focus on finishing our breakfast. Though, my mind whirls with all that I learned today. Instead of easing my tension, it only makes the muddy waters murkier. With it, it strengthens my resolve to not let my guard down around Nova.

After all, I’m the second person in my family to almost kill him.

The scarred man in him will not let it go unpunished.

Chapter Twelve

Rosalie

When I used to visit London with my parents as a kid, I was always eager to go the station. Not because I particularly loved trains, but because I wanted to live out my secret Harry Potter fantasy and enter another realm through the wall.

I had already read the books, but the movies made it all seem so real.

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