Page 28 of Ruthless Kings of Obsession

"They'll be here soon," he says, glancing toward the exits.

I shake my head slowly. "No one's coming to save you, Domino. This is my warehouse, remember? Every exit is sealed. Every window is barred. And if you haven't noticed..." I gestureto the trail of gasoline that surrounds us both, "we're standing in the center of a very elaborate trap."

His eyes follow the liquid trails that crisscross the floor, finally understanding dawning on his face. "You're going to burn it down," he whispers. "With us inside."

"Maybe," I shrug, pulling out a lighter. "Or maybe I'll let you live to suffer through what comes next. Haven't decided yet." I flip the lighter open, watching how the small flame makes his eyes dilate with fear. "What do you think, brother dear? Have you suffered enough yet?"

The sirens are getting closer, but we both know they won't arrive in time to stop whatever happens next. This is our moment – the culmination of years of abuse and revenge and obsession.

"What happens now?" he asks, echoing his question from our earlier fight.

I smile, and it's not the smile of the girl he used to torment. It's the smile of a queen who's finally claimed her crown, built from blood and vengeance and the ashes of innocence lost.

"Now?" I flick the lighter shut, keeping him in suspense. "Now we find out if you're really sorry for what you did to Zander."

The name makes him flinch, guilt flashing across his face. Good. He should feel guilty. He should feel everything.

"And if I'm not?" he challenges, though his voice wavers.

My smile widens as I hear familiar footsteps approaching from behind – footsteps I've been waiting for all night.

"Then big brother, you're about to learn what true suffering means."

Confess Your Sins To Your Ruthless Queen

~GEMINI~

"If I'm going to die," Domino spits blood onto the concrete, his chest heaving, "it'll be with my fists, not your toys and tricks."

A laugh bubbles up from my throat – high, unhinged, bordering on hysteria. The warehouse echoes with the sound, making it seem like multiple versions of me are laughing at once. Tears stream down my face, hot and uncontrollable, but I can't stop laughing.

"Toys?" I wheeze through my manic giggles. "That's rich coming from you, big brother. Remember when you turned fourteen? How excited you were to finally be 'old enough' to play with real weapons?"

He shifts his stance, fists raised. "That was different."

"Different?" Another peal of laughter escapes me as I circle him predatorily. "You burned me with cigarettes when you were fifteen. Told me I should be grateful that's all it was."

I launch forward, my fist connecting with his jaw before he can properly block. He stumbles back, barely maintaining his balance.

"You were out of control," he grunts, blocking my next punch but missing the kick that follows. "Someone had to teach you discipline."

The voices in my head scream for blood as I unleash a combination of strikes – each one finding its mark while he struggles to defend. My body moves on autopilot, trained muscles remembering every lesson, every spar, every moment Zander spent teaching me to fight.

*Zander.*

Fresh tears fall even as I laugh again, my heart splintering while my body dances this deadly waltz. "Discipline?" My elbow catches his ribs. "Like when you pushed me down those stairs?" A knee to his stomach. "When you paralyzed me?"

He tries to counter, but I'm too fast, too precise. All those months of training with my Kings have made me lethal, while he's relied too long on others to do his dirty work.

"You don't understand," he gasps, blood dripping from his split lip. "You were Father's perfect little princess. Everyone's favorite. Even when you fucked up, they forgave you!"

"So you decided to take away my ability to walk?" I snarl, landing another devastating combination. "Do you know what it's like, learning to walk again? Feeling your legs betray you with every step? Wondering if you'll ever be normal?"

His back hits a pillar, and I press my advantage. "The doctors said it was a miracle I recovered. But you knew that, didn't you? You were counting on permanent damage."

"I never meant?—"

"LIAR!" I scream, my fist cracking against his cheekbone. "You meant every second of it! Every 'accident', every 'unfortunate incident' – it was all calculated! You wanted to break me, to make me nothing but a pawn in your sick game!"

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