Page 41 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

“I wish you were here with me,” I said to the empty room.

Really, I was speaking to Aiden, but no one would know that. Perhaps if anyone viewed the footage, they’d think I was speaking to my dad. A moment later, the phone in my bag buzzed. I pulled it out.

AIDEN: I am here.

ME: You say that, but I still feel alone.

I walked further into the room and stood by my father’s desk. I dropped my bag down onto it as my phone buzzed in my hand.

AIDEN: You handled Chuck well. I’m proud of you.

I smiled. Knowing I did good made this a little easier.

AIDEN: Princess, you’re so much stronger than you think.

ME: Flatterer.

I slipped off my blazer as I walked around the desk and hung it over the back of the chair before sitting down. This felt strange, being in his office. I should really say my office now.

I opened the top drawer of his desk, rifling through the contents. Nothing particularly interesting. A few pens, memory sticks and other bits and bobs. The second drawer had various unimportant documents. The third was locked. I tugged my bag closer and pulled out something Aiden had given me. A lockpick. He’d taught me the basics.

I managed to get it unlocked within a few minutes and pulled open the drawer. I rifled through the contents and froze when my hand landed on a photo. I picked it up, staring down at it with horror. There was a girl who could’ve been no older than sixteen. That wasn’t the reason it made me feel sick. It was her eyes. Eyes which belonged to the man I loved. I knew immediately who this was. What I didn’t know is why the fuck my father had a photo of her in his desk.

My phone buzzed again. The photo slipped from my fingers.

AIDEN: What did you find?

I shook my head. I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I closed the drawer abruptly. The photo remained on the floor. I could hardly breathe. I gripped the arms of the chair, trying to calm down. So many implications. So many reasons why he had this photo. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.

My phone buzzed, but this time he was calling me. I reached out and picked it up.

“Princess, what’s wrong? Do you need me to come get you?”

I took a deep breath.

“No, don’t do that.”

“What did you find?”

“I can’t talk about this right now. I’ll show you later.”

“Avery…”

“Please, don’t. You know it will ruin everything.”

Aiden would come if I asked him to. We couldn’t afford that. Not when the company wasn’t in my hands. I had to make sure my relationship with him stayed under the radar whilst we took down my family and Frazier Shaw. There was no doubt in my mind he needed to be stopped too. No matter how much he terrified me to my very core. Just another monster who deserved nothing but punishment for the pain he’d inflicted on others.

“You promise you’ll show me?”

“Yes, I should go before he comes in here.”

“Okay, remember I’m here.”

“I know.”

I hung up and put the phone back on the desk. Bending over, I picked up the photo from the floor and slipped it in my bag. He told me he didn’t talk about her, but this was a conversation we needed to have. He had to tell me what happened. That photo meant my father had something to do with his mother.

“Funny, Mitchell, you lost the right to negotiate the moment you took something that never belonged to you.”

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