Page 70 of Twisted Empire

I pretended to hem and haw over it for a couple of minutes before deciding on the most elaborate dish. It almost certainly wouldn’t be delivered for at least forty minutes. That was a plus for me, because the last thing I needed was someone knocking on the door and bothering us within the next half-hour. The dinner discussion was merely a way to kill time for a few extra minutes.

When my father finally ended the call, I leaned forward and clasped my hands on the desk. “So anyway, I wanted to know about your first kill.”

“What about it?”

“Who was it? How did it feel?” I asked. I figured it was the perfect topic to keep him distracted a while longer.

As predicted, a wide smile spread across his face. He guzzled down another mouthful of scotch before responding. “I don’t actually remember her name. Some brunette girl here on the estate. But I remember how it felt. It’s never changed, no matter how many I go through.”

“Tell me about it.”

He licked his lips and leaned back in his seat, a gratified expression crossing his face. “There’s nothing like holding another person’s life in your hands. It’s incredible. You’re in control. You decide what happens to them. How it happens. You’re God.”

What a shock. A billionaire with a god complex.

I smiled thinly. “That’s exactly how I felt when I did it.”

“Then there’s hope for you after all,” he said, studying my face again. “Why did you ask me that?”

“Just wondering if we were on the same page about it.” I leaned closer. “I am curious about something else, though. How did you kill Camille and Sylvie?”

He tapped a foot against the polished parquet floor. “I shot them. I know they deserved to suffer, but at the time, I was frantic. So I got rid of them as fast as possible and had their bodies thrown in the underground lake. They’ll never be found.”

“Do you ever miss them?” I asked. I noticed he was eyeing my glass, so I took another sip.

He sighed. “I don’t regret killing them, if that’s what you’re asking. They tried to take you from me. But I suppose I do miss them sometimes. Sylvie was usually so sweet and mild. Hardly ever questioned anything. The perfect wife. And Camille…” He paused, a faraway look entering his eyes. His foot was still restlessly tapping the floor. “She was fiery. Spirited. Never gave up fighting. There was a lot of fun to be had there.”

“I see.” I gritted my teeth.

“I hope this isn’t some prelude to you saying you miss Tatum already,” he said, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Of course not. I don’t miss her at all.” I don’t need to, because she’s not fucking dead, I added silently.

He snorted derisively. “Good.”

“One more thing,” I said, holding a hand up. “You were willing to murder two women—one of them your wife—to get me back because you were so desperate to have a son. But earlier today you said you wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I fucked up again. How is it possible to think about murdering me like that when you claim to want me in your life so much? Doesn’t that seem like an insane level of cognitive dissonance to you?”

He poured himself another drink and took a sip as he considered my question. “You’ll see one day, if you ever have your own children,” he finally said. “You think you’d do anything for them, and in most cases you would. But everyone has a limit. There’s a point where you realize you might need to turn your back on your own child.”

“Not for me. I’d never do that,” I replied.

“You say that now, but just wait until you’re actually a father. Trust me, you’ll see.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So you’d really kill me?”

He nodded. “Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t want to, but if it came down to it and I felt I had to, then yes, I would.”

“Thought so.” Lifting one brow, I smiled again. “I guess it’s too bad I beat you to it, huh?”

His forehead wrinkled with confusion. “What?”

I glanced at the clock and stood up. “Does it ever worry you that the whole world might find out what goes on here?” I asked, ignoring his question for now.

He snorted. “Of course. Why do you think we go to such great lengths to protect ourselves? Why do you think I said I’d kill you if you threatened us again?”

“So you wouldn’t be too happy if someone got that hard drive from your safe and sent it to someone else. And you wouldn’t be too happy if an article about the society with all that material started making the rounds on the internet. Would you?”

My father stood up, his face thunderous. “What the fuck are you saying, Elias? Are you threatening me after all I’ve done to protect you?”

---