Page 64 of Ruthless Kings of Havoc

“I’ll ensure the rest of the staff are aware of my triggers, but one of the things I despise are those selfish bystanders who watch someone innocent get bullied until they’re left in shattered pieces,” Matteo growls.

It’s the first time witnessing this side of anger that makes him look hauntingly identical to his father. I think he’s doing this on purpose. For us to witness various sides of him while doing business.

So we know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into.

“But… I-I-I’m innocent.”

“Are you?” Matteo’s laughter sends a chill through me. It’s not just haunting. It’s a sound of mockery that would make anyone believe they’re nothing but guilty. “I have a very lengthy folder with videos, voice recordings, transcripts, and even interviews from the very colleagues you believe are your friends who have your back.”

“My colleagues?!” She looks shocked by that piece of the statement versus everything else used against her. “None of the other maids, servers, or workers would rat on me.”

“Loyalty is earned, my dear,” Matteo sweetly states. “When you show the world your true colors, they can see what they’re getting themselves into. It’s exactly why I requested my father to promote and allow you to be my guinea pig for this fine evening.”

“E-Excuse me?” Poor girl looks confused, and she’s getting paler by the second. Just watching the beads of sweat forming along her forehead, matched with her shivering frame, only proves she’s fucked up and knows it.

“Do you believe your fellow friends and mates in the various royal mansions witness your behavior and think you’re deserving of immunity?” Matteo ponders in our amusement. “What have you done to earn such? Tell a little lie? Cover someone’s shift. Speak empty promises and emphasize how loyal you are to all of them. Repeating the same promises over and over again. It’s rather entertaining to see you so spun up in your lies that you believe you’re but an innocent house manager, set to enjoy this grand promotion with a set of ruthless sickos.”

She struggles to speak as her eyes widen in fear the moment Matteo presses the button to release the safety.

“Why don’t I enlighten everyone here to prove why I’m in the position I’m in and how it’s so easy for others to give me their loyalty,” he affirms almost quietly like it’s some sort of secret he doesn’t wish for the rest of the world to hear. “Since I was a child, I enjoyed observing the world. How it ticks and tocks.How it spins and continues to move on despite every day losing an essence of life. A bug. An animal. A human being. A simple spark. When one is removed from this world, the frightening part is that the world keeps spinning. Our society keeps moving, and at the end of the day, another spark will come and take your place.”

He leans in to whisper in her ear, but we can all hear it as we hold our breaths to grasp what he dares to reveal.

“Meaning every single person is replaceable. Anna. You. Me. My father. Our legacy. Anyone can be replaced in a heartbeat. So, unless you fight to keep your spark shining bright, you’ll fizzle away like so many in the world,” he reveals. “Your flame was bright many years ago… when I was a child. Innocent but still observant. Then, I began to notice as I became a teenager the sins you’d commit in the shadows. The acts of adultery you’d hide in closets and entryways, hoping no one would hear those annoying moans of yours. I so desperately wanted to ruin you then, but alas. I do enjoy a bit of entertainment.”

Her face begins to redden as she realizes what’s being revealed.

“However, you did something to the little girl and her bright, smoky teal eyes.”

That has our attention, all of us know he’s referring to Gemini.

Evangeline.

“You set her up for failure. Closed a door because the bully son told you to cooperate so you can get a promotion. That was the room that was soundproof, so no matter how much that little girl screamed and cried as those burning ends of sticks pressed into her flesh, no one would come to her aid.”

She bites her bottom lip hard now as if to stop herself from saying anything, which only makes Matteo chuckle to himself.

“I’m sure you’re wondering if I knew this. Observed it firsthand. Why didn’t I interfere?” He offers. “Back then, I was simply the hidden heir. The eldest son forced to hide in the shadows. An outcast until the time is right for my shining debut. So what could I possibly do with no power in my grasp? How could I help this girl who was getting tortured for being in the same predicament as me? It’s like seeing everything that could go wrong happening to the wrong person who’s no different from you, but truthfully, the only difference was our gender, wasn’t it? That, and your immense envy for the little girl who looked identical to the woman who stole the love of your life away from you.”

Wait… what?

“Anna had a thing for Mr. Leighton?” Zander declares before whistling. “Oh, bitch, you fucked up.”

“Th-That’s not true!” Despite the gun to her head, she tries her best to look in Mr. Leighton’s direction. “That’s a lie.”

“If only it was,” Matteo announces. “You loved Mr. Leighton for years. In fact, you were a part of the first official set of students to attend the royal academic institution and worked extremely hard in hopes of becoming his chosen Ruthless Maiden. Sadly, it didn’t go that route because out of nowhere, Iva, the woman you once called your best friend from your wealthy upbringing, came out of nowhere to steal the show, catching the eyes of not only Mr. Leighton but Mr. Prescott.”

All of this is like envisioning a play unfolding in real-time. I can see it all, a youthful Iva waltzing through the doors and catching the attention of the two men who would be tangled in her life for years to come.

And there used to be a third.

“Envy consumed you then. Followed you through the years as you watched your best friend get everything she wanted and more. To watch these rich men idolize her, despite beingruthlessly horrible to her. You not only envied the lifestyle but also her perseverance in staying. In enduring whatever happened in the shadows and becoming the woman these men’s hearts desperately yearned for. You began to realize the real difference between the two of you.”

He leans back to look down at her.

“That she wasn’t a coward like you.”

She swallows slowly, the movement obvious to all of us as the silence is deafening.

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