Page 80 of Reckless Royalty

But he jerks away from me, a look of pure fury in his eyes. “Mihai, I love you like a brother, but don’t fuckin’ interfere with this.”

Connor throws the door open and storms into the suite. Nikolai looks up from his phone, surprised, but doesn’t have a chance to say a word before Connor’s on him. Grabbing him by the collar, Connor hauls him to his feet and, without hesitation, slams his fist into Nikolai’s face.

“You absolute piece of fuckin’ shit,” Connor spits, pulling Nikolai forward only to shove him back against the wall again. His voice is rough, carrying a venom I’ve never heard from him before. “You went after my baby sister? What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Nikolai sways but doesn’t defend himself. Blood is already trickling from his lip, smeared across his jaw from Connor’s first hit, and his expression is void of any fight.

“Con—”

“We’re supposed to be family, you fuckin’ cunt!” Connor roars, his fists landing again, one after the other, as he pummels Nikolai’s face, his anger spilling out in every brutal strike. “I trusted you. I thought you were my brother!”

Nikolai’s head snaps back with each hit, his jaw set in a grim line. But his face shows no attempt at resistance; instead, there’s a hollow look in his eyes, a resignation that’s harder to stomach than anything else. It’s like he’s already surrendered, accepting each blow as some twisted form of penance.

Nikolai doesn’t utter a word even when he falls to the ground and Connor is on him again. Each time Connor’s fist connects, he takes it, his face twisting in pain—not defending himself, not making a sound, just… enduring.

I hear footsteps pounding down the stairs, and Giovanni appears in the doorway, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene. His expression shifts from shock to anger then confusion as he sees Connor with bloodied fists and Nikolai taking it all without a single word in his own defense.

Giovanni makes a move to step in, his hand outstretched to stop Connor, but I step in front of him, grabbing his arm and shaking my head.

“Let him finish,” I say quietly, my own voice rough. “You can’t interfere.”

He hesitates, looking at me as if he’s trying to make sense of all this, but he backs down, his face a tight mask of anger and disbelief as he watches his two brothers fighting.

Connor’s breaths are coming faster now, ragged and uneven, but he’s relentless, the betrayal and hurt pouring out of him in waves.

“She’s just a fuckin’ kid! She trusted you, and you took advantage of that!”

His voice is filled with an anger so raw it leaves a bitter taste in the air, yet beneath it, there’s a pain, a betrayal that cuts deep.

It’s clear that Connor feels this is more than just an offense against his sister—it’s a violation of the trust and brotherhood they once shared.

Finally, he releases his grip on Nikolai’s shirt, and Nikolai falls back. He makes no move to wipe away the blood streaking down his face and doesn’t even look at us.

“I would have fuckin’ died for you,” Connor’s voice cracks, and he stands up and steps back, breathing heavily. His fists are still clenched and that’s when I notice the tears running down his face. “And this… this is how you repay that trust?”

It’s then that Nikolai sits up and finally speaks, his voice rough and barely audible, like each word takes a piece of him to say. “I never meant to hurt her, Connor.”

Connor lets out a harsh, bitter laugh, shaking his head as if he can’t believe the words. “You ‘never meant to’? You think that makes it better? You snuck behind my back and went after my sister. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Nikolai’s eyes flicker with a hint of shame, but he doesn’t deny it. He sits there, his gaze on the floor, taking every bitter word.

“You’re dead to me,” Connor says, wiping at his cheeks with the back of his hand. “Dead.”

There’s a chilling silence as the weight of those words settles over all of us. Connor doesn’t say anything else. Without another glance, he storms out, brushing past me with a look of utter disgust and betrayal.

I want to say something, anything to ease the tension, but there’s nothing left to say. The damage has been done, and it’s irreparable.

I turn back to Nikolai, who staggers to his feet; his face a bloody mess, his eyes hollow and defeated. His gaze flickers to me, and for a moment, there’s a rawness in his blue eyes that’s almost painful to witness.

But he doesn’t ask for pity, doesn’t ask for understanding. He just stares, a quiet acceptance etched into his bruised features.

“You could have stopped him,” he mutters, his voice thick with bitterness.

I shake my head, the anger simmering beneath the surface. “No, I couldn’t have. And I wouldn’t have, even if I could. You crossed a line with Cat, Nikolai.”

He swallows, his gaze dropping again, that same look of hollow shame settling back in. There’s a part of me that wants to feel pity, that wants to reach out and remind him of the bond we’ve all shared for years, but I can’t. Not after this.

Giovanni is still standing by the door, his face tense, the hurt evident in his expression. Connor just cut ties with Nikolai, our fucking brotherhood is shattered.

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