Page 100 of Ruthless Lullaby

My ears perk up at this. "Already? Tell me how it went. Last time I checked, it was about to be shipped."

"Well, it got shipped," he says with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Details, Maurice."

"Alright, alright," he holds up his hand in a typical Maurice gesture. "The kidney arrived from Bangladesh two days ago. I personally made sure it got to the hospital. Jennifer Shirkova had her new organ transplanted yesterday. She's doing well according to her doctors."

"What about her father?" I ask, feeling my heart rate pick up a little. If this is really sorted, then a decade-old family feud has been resolved.

Maurice chuckles. "The old man was with his daughter at the hospital and waited there till the end of her surgery. A sentimental, semi-senile, emotional mess, if you ask me."

I let out a breath of relief. "That he is. But you pulled it off, brother. I'm impressed."

"I told you I'd handle it, didn’t I?" Maurice boasts.

"Yeah, you did," I admit, and allow myself a smile. "And I know I promised you a pay rise. How does an extra five percent sound?"

Maurice’s eyes widen. "Fuck, are you serious?"

"Dead serious," I confirm. "With the Shirkov deal, you just saved our asses from a world of pain. You earned it."

"Thanks, Maron." There’s genuine emotion in his voice. "I mean it. And since we’re talking, there's something else too," he adds with a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "I thought I'd let you know. Mindy and I... we're back together. She's still in love with me and we decided to work things out. I'm telling you, brother, I’m going to marry that woman. It will be my next step towards building a normal life."

What the fuck?

My heart suddenly drops to my stomach and all I see is red. My emerging good mood evaporates in an instant, and an all-consuming rage takes its place. I’m sure it shows on my face. Then the penny drops. Mindy's sudden departure, the message she left me without any explanation. Suddenly, all of it makes a sickening sense.

Yobany Urod!

She left... to be with Maurice.

She fucking left me, only to go back to the man who hurt her, who betrayed her, who was never worthy of her love in the first place.

I feel as if a donkey kicked me in the gut. I puff my cheeks and the air leaves my lungs in a rush. For a second, the world seems to tilt on its axis, and I have to grip the edge of my desk to steady myself. Betrayal, anger, disbelief – all of them race through my mind, but I force them down. It takes every ounce of self-control I possess to retain my composure.

"Are you sure about this, Maurice?" I grit out, my voice sounding distant to my own ears. I can feel a vein pulsing in my temple, and my is jaw clenched so tight it's painful. But I can't let him see it, I can't let him know how deeply this news has cut me.

As Maurice speaks, seemingly oblivious to my inner turmoil, I feel something dark stirring within me. It's a familiar feeling, the cold calculation of a predator preparing to strike. But for now, I push it down, forcing an artificial grin on my face that feels more like a grimace.

"Then you have my blessing," I grind out, the words tasting like poison on my tongue.

Maurice beams, oblivious to the sarcasm dripping from my words. "Thanks, Maron. I knew you'd be happy for us."

Ublyudok!

My fists clench beneath the desk and my nails are digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. Happy? I'm fucking devastated. Enraged. The only woman I've ever loved in my fucked-up life has chosen my pathetic fuckup of a brother over me.

Loved?

What the fuck are you thinking, mudak?

She left you for fuck’s sake!

She doesn’t deserve your love!

I feel like I’m going to murder someone if I’m not left alone with my thoughts. And I fear that someone might end up being Maurice. "Don't fuck up this time, brother," I say, gritting my teeth and waving him off. "And now, if you'll excuse me. I have a lot to do."

He smiles and walks out of my office, shutting the door behind him with a decisive click. As he leaves, I feel something inside me break, something vital and irreplaceable.It’s like a small voice from the core of my soul telling me that Maurice is doing this on purpose. He’s doing this to fuck with me for whatever the fuck his reason is.

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