Page 23 of Ruthless Royalty

“Bullshit!” I slam my hands on the table, my voice louder than I intended. “You’re my family, Nikolai, or at least you’re supposed to be. Family doesn’t throw each other to the wolves without warning. Family doesn’t let this kind of thing happen.”

He flinches, but it’s gone in a flash. He straightens up, his expression hardening, closing off. “This isn’t about family.Giovanni made his move, and once that happened, I had no choice. We all had no choice.”

I can feel my chest tightening, the betrayal cutting deep. I thought I could rely on Nikolai, that even in this twisted world of Crowns and power plays, he’d have my back. But I guess I was wrong

“You had no choice?” I spit, shaking my head. “You always have a choice, Nikolai. You could’ve at least warned me, given me something, instead of blindsiding me like this.”

He exhales sharply, frustration flickering across his face. “And what would that have done? Made you more anxious, more paranoid? This isn’t some game, Chiara. The moment you set foot at Willow Bridge, you were already in it, whether you wanted to be or not.”

I feel a bitter laugh bubbling up in my throat, but it comes out more like a choked sob. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that my entire life is just another move in your fucked-up chessboard?”

He leans forward, his voice low, but there’s an edge to it, something dangerous. “You were never supposed to be a part of this. I fought to keep you out, but Giovanni…” He trails off, his eyes flickering with something I can’t quite place—guilt, maybe? “He saw something in you.”

I swallow hard, my mind racing. “And what the hell does that mean? Why me?”

Nikolai leans back, running his hand over his face. “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know. But he chose you, and now you’re in it. There’s nothing I can do to change that.”

I feel the tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away, refusing to let them fall. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how hurt I am.

“I started trusting you,” I say quietly, my voice trembling with emotion. He opens his mouth to argue, but I don’t give him thechance. I slam my half-finished breakfast back on the counter, the yogurt splattering onto the granite.

“This isn’t how you treat family,” I say, my voice cold and final. “You don’t blindside them and expect them to just fall in line. I don’t care about your traditions or your tests; I wasn’t born into your world or made for it. If this is what it means to be part of it, then I’m better off leaving.”

I turn on my heel and storm out of the kitchen, my heart pounding in my chest. I don’t look back to see the expression on Nikolai’s face, don’t care if he calls after me, I just need to get out of there, to put as much distance between us as possible.

Grabbing my bag where I left it earlier, the anger and hurt bubbling over as I rush toward the SUV. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe that the one person I thought I could trust in all of this, has let me down so completely.

When I get into the back, I bury my face in my hands; the tears threatening to spill over. But I won’t cry. I won’t give them the satisfaction. They want to break me, but I won’t let them. I’ll survive this, just like I survived last night.

But as I sit there, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me, I can’t shake the feeling of betrayal. Nikolai was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be my friend, my brother. But now I see that he’s just as ruthless, just as heartless, as the rest of them.

And that realization hurts more than anything else.

CHIARA

The moment I step into school, I feel everyone’s eyes on me, as if they know what happened last night. I keep my gaze straight ahead, ignoring the stares, the whispers, and the curious glances.

I don’t acknowledge Nikolai as I pass him in the hallway, even when he calls my name. His voice is filled with concern, but I don’t care. I’m not in the mood to play nice or pretend everything is okay.

I don’t want to hear his excuses; don’t want to listen to him try to justify what he did. He can keep his twisted loyalty to himself.

As for the others, I keep my distance.

I can feel Connor’s gaze burning into my back, and can practically hear the questions forming on his lips, but I don’t give him a chance to speak. I walk faster, my footsteps echoing in the corridor, and soon enough, I’m out of his sight.

Mihai tries to catch up with me between classes, his usual smirk replaced with a frown. “Chiara, what the hell is going on? You’re acting?—”

I cut him off with a cold stare and walk away. I don’t owe him an explanation. I don’t owe any of them anything.

Even Cat and Marina can’t get through to me. They hover nearby at lunch, exchanging worried looks, but I don’t engage. I sit alone, pushing my food around my plate, not really eating. They don’t push it, just linger around the edges, unsure of what to do. It’s like they know something’s broken between us, and they’re just waiting for me to fix it.

But I’m not in the mood to fix anything. Not today.

I make it through the day in a haze, my mind elsewhere, my body just going through the motions. But then Giovanni corners me in the hallway, blocking my path with that infuriating smirk on his face. The one that used to get under my skin, used to make my blood boil.

“Look who’s giving everyone the silent treatment,” he says, leaning casually against the lockers. “What’s wrong, Chiara? You finally realized this place isn’t your playground? That you’re out of your depth?”

I don’t respond, don’t even look at him. I just keep walking, brushing past him without so much as a glance.

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