Page 194 of Ruthless Legacy

I let the bitterness seep into my voice. “Is it a choice if you force me into it?”

“We’re all expected to do things we’re not always fond of.” His eyes flick over me, like fathering me was one of those things.

“Why do you hate this family so much?”

“This isn’t about feelings. There are consequences to all of our actions. This is just the consequence of what the Laurent family did long ago, coming back to bite them in the ass.” He cackles. “They really thought they could get out of their deal and hide the proof of her deception away from me.”

He stands and walks over to the window. “All the women in that family are the same. They think they’re too good for this life. Now it’s this life, this society, that can save or destroy Laurent’s line.”

“Thea has nothing to do with whatever happened with her mother.”

“Don’t be naïve, boy. She has everything to do with it. If it weren’t for that bitch who raised her, andher mother, I’d have already ascended to a higher seat on the council.”

“It takes as long as it takes. That’s what you’ve always told me.”

“It takes as long as it takes.” He mocks, turning to face me. “It does, until the high council gets bored and puts out an unwinnable challenge. One they say will catapult you two years ahead of your peers.”

He walks back to the table, pressing his hands against it. “My Trium was weak. Too focused on doing things by the letter of the law. I was never going to get far with them, so I formed my own little group. Visionaries who had the same goals as me. That challenge item was our bargaining chip. We found the item. Ihadit. But Hailee stole it from me, then ran off.”

I process what he’s saying. “You were gonna double cross your Trium?” And now he wants me to do the same thing.

He straightens, slamming his fist in his palm. “Damn right. It’s about winning at all costs and being the best. I was the best!”

Spittle flies out of his mouth as he works himself up. Too bad he’s not prone to heart issues. I’d be okay with him dying right now. Information is power and he’s in a chatty mood. I keep my tone measured when I ask, “Who was it that you aligned yourself with?”

“You mean, you don’t know, boy? The only way to rule the world is to have all your bases covered. I had that with Evan Bishop and Felix Lazarro.”

There’s a match made in hell if I ever heard one. A land developer and mobster, with my father, the money guy.

“I had it. I had everything in place, and that meddling bitch Hailee ruined everything!”

“How? How did she get the challenge item from you?”

“She was promised to Evan, and used their familiarity to gain access to where he kept his challenge items. She stole it right from under his nose. Her betrayal of her companion cost me my leverage to ascend faster.”

“That was a long time ago. Why are you targeting Thea over what her parents did?”

“Because the sins of the father… or in this case,the mothers, fall on their daughter. They’re the reason for all of this, including me ending up withyourmother.”

I knew he didn’t love my mother. Hell, I can tell he doesn’t even like her, but she comes from a good family. Their match certainly didn’t hurt his position within The League.

I need to keep him talking. Find out what other plans he had. “The three of you would have been an interesting alliance.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Or the third.” He cackles. “Hailee’s actions had serious repercussions for all of us. She went around town telling people she fucked someone else and got pregnant.”

His lip curls. “Evan looked like a fool, but that didn’t matter, because we had plans for Joshua’s youngest daughter. We were gonna be The Trium to have it all, but she took that from us too, when she skipped town with the little sister before we could finalize the deal. It took years for Evan to find another match.”

They were gonna share Moira? A girl barely out of high school when this was all happening? “And Lazarro? Where’d he go?”

“The League keeps him at arm’s length, only pulling him out for special occasions.”

He’s done with the trip down memory lane. “I don’t have my stone, but I can make good on my promise to make the Laurent family pay for what they’ve done.”

I know all about wanting payback and making people uncomfortable. The quickest way to tear someone down is to take away what they truly want. He taught me that. “If the Laurent’s wronged you, and wanted to get away from you, wouldn’t the easier fix be to tie their family to us forever?”

When he turns to look at me, I see him finally, for the vile human he is. “Oh, that’s certainly an option.” His smile is pure evil. “An heir and a spare.” Seeing the look of pride on his face makes me want to gouge my eyes out. “Now you’re thinking like a Cox.”

“So this means Thea and I…”

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