Page 76 of Her Cruel Empire
I raise an eyebrow. “Gone. Back to America where she belongs. I don’t have time for distractions right now.”
Stefan’s eyebrows rise slightly. “Is that…all she was?”
“Of course,” I continue, hating how defensive I sound.
“Of course.” His tone is carefully neutral. And then he breaks into a sad smile as he shakes his head admiringly. “Zoltan would be so proud of you, Eva. You’re no wildcat. You are every inch the Beast of the Blacklake that he was.”
The praise should feel good.
So why doesn’t it?
Stefan moves closer, his expression growing serious. “And now you know what you must do. It’s time to prioritize avenging him.”
“Yes.” I lift my chin. “I will make the world tremble once more at the might of Novak vengeance.”
“That’s my girl.” Stefan nods approvingly.
“I’m grateful for your support, Uncle. And for your love of family.”
“Family is the most important thing,” he says gruffly, pulling me into a brief embrace. “It’s all we have in this world.”
We hug, and for a moment I feel almost steady. Almost whole. Stefan is staying for the night, but leaves me to make some business calls. “We’ll dine together,” he promises.
And then I’m alone again with my thoughts.
I pace the Great Room, trying to focus on plans for revenge. Someone killed my father. Someone will pay. This is what matters now—not some naive girl with strawberry blonde hair and impossible dreams.
But my mind keeps drifting. Robin, stepping off that plane in Vegas. Robin, walking back into her small apartment with her sick sister and her mounting bills. Robin, with no protection, no security, and potentially a target on her back.
I stop pacing.
In Paris, we were seen together everywhere. At the hotel, in restaurants, walking through the streets. Anyone watching would have drawn the obvious conclusion—that Eva Novak had found herself another pretty little pet.
But what if someone got the wrong idea? What if someone thought Robin actually meant something to me?
She doesn’t, of course. But she’s soft. Foolish. All that hope and determination that made her so infuriating also makes her incredibly easy to manipulate.
To hurt.
And I sent her away without protection. Without even a warning…
Chapter 27
Robin
The neon lights of Las Vegas don’t feel welcoming. Everything here is too bright, too loud, too sharp after the Gothic beauty of Eva’s castle. I clutch my phone, not yet steady enough to call Adrian and let him know I’m home, and I head out of the airport to find a taxi.
I feel dazed. Not even jetlagged, just…
I don’t fit in here anymore.
The taxi ride home passes in a blur of familiar streets that now feel foreign. Nothing’s changed, but everything’s different.I’mdifferent.
Broken, maybe.
Our apartment building looks even worse than I remember. I climb the stairs on unsteady legs, my heart hammering against my ribs.
“Robin?” Adrian’s voice cracks as he opens the door. Despite his joyful surprise, he looks terrible—pale, exhausted, like he’s aged a year in the short time I’ve been gone. Behind him, I catchglimpses of Alicia and Dane peering around the corner with cautious eyes.
