Page 20 of Ruthless Kings of Obsession

"Interesting choice of words," the masked voice muses. "Considering you were the one who started this game of psychological warfare. How old was she when you first decided to break her? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

There’s silence that only encourages him to chuckle further.

“No. It was far younger than that. An innocent child enters such a grand place after being sold out of debt and deal breakers. You could have had her the way you wanted, you know? Could have made her fall for you.”

The idea sounds sick to any individual with a proper mindset, but to me, I dare to say he’s right.

For I did like him.

A lot more than one should when the one you like abuses you every chance he gets.

“Or maybe she was in love with you,” the voice continues in awe. “You two are so fucked up by trauma that you were falling in love far too hard. Yet, you’re from two opposite spectrums of the world peering in. The popular Headmaster son of one of the richest empires is matched with the poor orphaned girl taken in out of pity and remorse. Good grades, a nerdy appearance, and a tomboy at it. I’m sure you liked that. Seeing how good she looked in boy clothes and the mere idea of her being a male. Made you hard, didn’t?”

“SHUT IT! I-I-I-”

“Don’t roll that way? Funny when you’ve had crushes on so many. You joined hockey so you can see all those cocks, didn’t you?”

“No! It’s not! I actually like the sport, dammit.”

“And yet you fucked around and found out,” he declares. “Your career that could have set you up for life, all going down the drain. A shame really, but you know this all started because of your obsession with her. This woman seems to be catching everyone’s eye for her cunning mind. The apple doesn’t fall farfrom the tree, but I wonder…what change made her so brilliantly cunning. Was it your bullying that made her snap in the head? Or was it something else? Something more.”

"I don't... that's not..."

"Oh? Having trouble remembering? Should I refresh your memory? The cigarette burns? The attempted paralysis? All those little 'accidents' that kept happening around sweet little Iva?"

My heart pounds so hard I worry they'll notice.

Those memories he speaks of —fragments I've tried so hard to piece together— surge forward like a tidal wave.

The pain. The fear. The helplessness.

What concerns me now is how the fuck he knows about any of this?

Does he know my Father? Mother? Leighton himself or even Joaquin? He must be someone of importance to have this intel like it’s some free information he can acquire from the newspaper for daily entertainment.

All my trauma, out in the open like drying laundry on a clothing line..l.

"That's different," Domino dismisses, but his voice wavers. "She deserved it. Always acting so fucking perfect. Teacher's pet. Father's favorite. Even after everything, they still chose her over me! They’ll always choose her over me!"

"And now the world sees you for what you truly are," the voice says coldly. "A sadistic, entitled child who never learned there are consequences to his actions."

"FUCK YOU!" Domino roars. "You don’t know shit. Don’t know fucking anything. She’s probably got into your head too, hasn’t she? Is her money talking now? She used Benedict’s dollar bills to pay for your cooperation?!”

“You wish she did,” the voice admits. “You hate that they’re in love. A passionate connection everyone can see is makingthem stronger than ever. It got the underdogs and anyone in the underground whispering as to what will happen with Leighton Senior having every intention of marrying your sweet Iva on the surface while Benedict has every intention of keeping her between his sheets, warming him up every night and chasing away all those sinister demons in the depths of his mind.”

The voice hums, the sound so deep, I can only assume they’re a male.

“But things are changing, aren’t they? Will it make your model friend suddenly realize how protective he’s been with that bodyguard brother of his? Or is that lab boy, who will probably find the cure to cancer faster than the government attempts to hide its origin in the depths of their underground, finally get a chance with the girl that got away?”

He knows too much.

Why does he know so fucking much?!

My head is pounding, making it hard to keep breathing so smoothly. I can tell my breath has hitched, but all this information is overwhelming me.

“Get back to the point!” Domino snaps. “Are you going to help me or not? Because I swear to god, I'll paint these walls with her brain matter if you don't fix this RIGHT NOW!"

Something cold presses against my temple — the barrel of a gun. I force myself to remain perfectly still, though every instinct screams at me to fight.

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