Page 70 of Mistress A-0002

“Fuck,” I ground out, pushing the button and getting in rhythm with the pace. “This is a slave market, not fucking civil court. Next?”

“I vetted your appointments for the day?—”

My hand flew up, my palm flattening towards him. “I should have called earlier. I’m cancelling. I’m not in the mood.”

Nineteen’s eyes widened. His mouth opened, only to shut.

“Alright…That’s not like you, Main Master, but…I guess that’s it.”

I increased the speed, pushing the button so hard, I was sure my finger would go through it.

“No one from the Council has reached out? I told you I’m expecting a call. They deleted a file from Shane’s computer, and I want to see it. He told me all he remembers but it’s not enough. I need that video, Nineteen.”

“No one has called the guard. I’ve made sure to route any important calls right to me, if they don’t go to you first.”

That fucking video. I knew why it existed, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to see my sins.

“I should have had Shane pull it up the moment he told me. I should have—I fucking should have just—” I stopped talking, feeling the stomping of my feet trigger the pounding in my head. There was nothing smooth about my running. I hated it as much as I hated my procrastination that night. By the time I rushed to Master One to watch the tape of Vivia, the message and videos from the Council he’d been sent were gone.

They knew I knew. And maybe that was the point. Closure? Mercy? Payment for bringing light to secret manipulations on Melissa’s part? There was no way to know, and no peace in the truth. I killed the love of my life to become Main Master, and Shane got to witness me beat her to death. That was the only thing that made sense to me. It was the only thing that explained the video. We all had our right to passage. We all were blackmailed in one way or another. That had to be mine.

But it didn’t matter. There was no doubt anymore for what I’d done. Shane saw with his own eyes. Swore it was her. He watched Vivia crying and trying to scream for help. He watched her die, and he watched me continue beating her to nothingness for minutes after. All out decimation. No holds barred. Theepitome of my love for Vivia was reduced to nothing but mush and broken bone. All in fourteen fucking minutes. Those sharp edges from her beautiful face had done more than cut my hands to pieces. The shards had reached my heart and were still there. We both died that day, but only I was reborn. And all for what? For this? For power? Greed? Money? Supreme placement within the most elite circle in the world? Higher than Bram Whitlock?

Yes.

I had wanted that back in those days. And Melissa knew it. One of our first meetings revolved around conversations of the future. She’d been so…eager to get to know me better back in those days. No. Not just her. The Council would have had interest. They were planning a takeover of Whitlock long before the fortress fell. The only question was, did I know what they planned to do? Did I consent?

“You should start getting ready for the trial, Main Master. I know there’s still a little time, but the board members will want to meet with you beforehand. We all know this trial is nothing but a ruse. We know what’s going to happen. Today is crucial for the Gardens, and Mistress Two…she’s not to be trusted.”

“She’s not,” I agreed, pushing myself faster, “but she wants her son dead. She wants her entire family gone. Her husband has been calling me demanding answers. Between Keith Moore and Melissa’s punishment to stay here, he knows this is bad. But he doesn’t know just how bad. She still hasn’t told him about Jett.”

Nineteen nodded. “Dispatch has put him through to her phone numerous times. She refuses to answer.”

“As I figured.” Fire burned my lungs as sweat soaked my shirt. Had I thought Adrian would kill Melissa’s husband before today? Absolutely. That wasn’t happening, and we were almost out of time. “Let’s give it a few more days. If all is well on Melissa’s account, we’ll have Ron picked up.” I licked my lips, tasting the salt from the sweat that was running down myface. “We don’t have that sort of time for Marian. She’s not as controllable as her father, and her routine is like clockwork. She’s in Miami for a conference. I want her taken tonight while she’s still stateside. I’ll call Drayton after the trial. He should be prepared by now.”

Nineteen nodded, pushing buttons on his phone, no doubt preparing our men on the outside. I increased the speed, sprinting harder. Faster. Until I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t stop. Minutes passed while I ran as hard as I could. Fourteen minutes, to be exact. My High Leader stayed quiet as I stopped the machine and got off, scraping in any sort of oxygen I could come by. With each torturous moment that passed, Nineteen waited. Calming began to bleed back in. The numbness. The mindset.

I was the Main Master, and there was no reason now not to fully embrace it.

“I’m done. Let’s get this fucking trial over with.”

“Elec,are you sure you’re okay? You look…distant.”

“I’m good, Shane. Really. Just a lot on my mind.” I made sure my mic was off, glancing down the row of Board Members before leaning towards Master One. “Where the fuck are they? Sebastian knows we need them here.”

“I don’t know. Didn’t you send Nineteen to check on them?”

“That was nearly twenty minutes ago.” I took in the over-crowded room. “I don’t like this.”

My eyes went to Melissa as she kept glancing towards her son. I gestured for the guard standing at the door, not missing as Hale entered, sliding into a seat in the back. Vibrations buzzed against my chest, and I reached into my suit’s jacket, pulling my phone free. At Nineteen’s number, I answered.

“Well? Where the hell are they?”

“Main Master…they’re dead.”

“What?”

I kept my tone calm despite my pulse gave one hard hit to my chest.

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