Page 4 of Merciless King

Monday morning, I pull my Porsche in front of Piper’s home ready to pick her up for school. The house is dark, which is unusual. I knock on the door. No answer.

I look through the window. The room is bare. What the fuck? Where are Piper and her family? Confusion and dread wash over me as I retreat back to my car, my eyes scanning the street for any clue as to what might have happened.

There’s no one to ask. I get in my car and drive to school. I’ll see her there and find out what the fuck is going on.

I pull into the school parking lot, my eyes already scanning for Piper. I don’t see her. Not on the way to homeroom. Not in English.

After English, I head to the office. “Mrs. Sawyer, have you seen Piper?”

The secretary glances up from her computer, her brows drawn together. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” I feel like I’m on a precipice and about to fall.

“Her family moved.”

“What? Moved where?”

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell you. I know you’re close?—”

“Where?” I demand.

“England. Her father got an inheritance or something.”

What the fuck? Surely, I’m having a nightmare. This doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t she tell me they were moving? Why did she take my ring if she knew she was leaving?

I leave the office, my mind reeling. I’d had everything. My life was plotted out, planned to perfection. And now it was all blown apart.

I sulk for days, weeks even, until my father threatens to kick my ass.

“You’ll end up dead if you let a woman turn you into a pussy, Elio,” he says. “Get your fucking head straight. Once you do, I’ve got work for you.”

It’s another day before I realize he’s right. I’m a pussy for wallowing. I become laser focused on business. By the time I head to college, I’m already my father’s right-hand man and trusted advisor. By his side, I learn everything I need to know. I follow my father’s lead, growing more powerful the more merciless I become. There’s no room for sentiment or love. I've outgrown those childish ideas. The only things that matter are money and power.

1

PIPER

Present Day

Itake a deep breath as I stand at the kitchen counter, preparing breakfast for my husband and daughter. The kitchen is bright and airy, with large windows that let in the morning sunlight. Anyone looking in would think this is a happy home, a happy family. It is not, and being back in Chicago after my parents took D’Amato money and moved us to England isn’t helping. Yes, I’m in a nicer home and have more money, but money doesn’t buy happiness.

I scoop eggs from the pan onto a plate and bring it to my seven-year-old daughter, Elysse.

“Eat up, baby.” My tone is filled with sunshine, hiding the darkness within. As I turn to go back to the stove, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the window. The woman staring back at me is a stranger. The life is gone from her eyes. The fight in her is gone except in the protection of her daughter. I’m a shell of the woman I once was.

"Is breakfast ready?" Gabriel's gruff voice cuts through the silence, and I flinch involuntarily.

"Yes.” I hurry back to the stove and put the remaining eggs on a plate. I set it on the table at his seat.

Gabriel sits down, his brow furrowed in a perpetual scowl. Elysse looks up at him nervously, her fork poking at her eggs.

"These eggs are overcooked," Gabriel snaps, his gaze fixed on me. "Can't you do anything right?"

I feel the familiar sting of shame and humiliation as his words cut through me. Over the years, I've become accustomed to his constant criticism and belittling, but it never gets easier. Still, it’s better than pushing or slapping.

“I can remake?—”

“Don’t bother.”

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