Page 15 of Revenge (Corrupt Empire 3)

“No.”

He let out a low growl of frustration.

“You really do fucking try my patience. What the fuck is going on with you?”

“Nothing.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, staring down at me with hazel eyes which matched my own.

“Do not bullshit me. What exactly happened to you when you were taken? What were you shown?”

My stomach dropped. I didn’t want to think about what Rick forced me to watch. All the memories came flooding back, causing me to swallow back bile rising in my throat. I couldn’t think about what my dad had done to Aiden’s mother. I couldn’t.

“N…n… nothing.”

“Don’t give me that. You told John, why not me?”

I shook my head, trying to take a step back. I didn’t like him getting up in my face nor did I want to talk about this any further. As strong as I’d become, all the memories of what kind of sick, disgusting people my family and their associates were still haunted me. I still felt self-loathing that I was a part of this. Except now, I’d been freed from the shackles of having the Daniels name.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, shaking my head again.

Something in his expression softened. If I wasn’t staring at him so intently, I wouldn’t have noticed it.

“Was it really that terrible?”

The only person I hadn’t seen in those videos was him. It seemed my uncle didn’t involve himself in the abuse of the women my family kept. I knew why that was. He only liked girls of a certain age. The thought of it made me feel queasy all over again.

Is this what Aiden had been talking about to him? Did he tell him I’d seen something? Why? Why did he put me in this position? Did he want me to tell Chuck I’d seen videos of women being abused? I had too many questions. My uncle had backed me into a corner I didn’t know how to get out of. What I needed was to speak to my husband and ask him what the fuck he was playing at.

“Can we not do this now? We’re neglecting our guests.”

“Fuck the guests. You already gave them enough to fucking well talk about.”

I flinched. He really was angry with me. In some ways, I deserved it. I’d gone and announced my engagement without telling him. Gone behind his back and done something he didn’t want me to do. Why I felt any sort of sympathy or regret for this was beyond me. My uncle wasn’t a good person. He’d tried to rape me when I was a kid. I was sure he’d touched other little girls too. And yet, the fact still remained, he was my family. Even if I hated that concept now. I hated being related to such monsters.

I made a decision. I no longer cared what Aiden thought about it because he’d put me in a difficult position by revealing that I’d been forced to watch something when I was kidnapped. Taking matters into my own hands was a huge gamble. I just hoped this one would pay off.

“Uncle Charlie, please, I don’t want to talk about that tonight. I’m going to tell you one thing though. One thing which has to stay between you and me.”

His eyes narrowed, but he dropped my arm.

“What is it?”

“I’m not going to marry Tristan. It’s not real. None of it.”

His eyes widened a fraction.

“What?”

“They want the money. Our money. Dad put a stupid clause into my trust fund. It makes it legally possible for anyone who marries me before I’m twenty five to take it all away from me. That’s the real reason I went back to the penthouse. To get the paperwork. Frazier wouldn’t leave me alone, so I did this to stop him pestering me. I’m going to destroy them, Uncle Charlie. Tristan tried to rape me. Do you think I really want to be married to a man like that? Did you think I’d do any of this without a reason? I’m not stupid even if you think I am.”

He stared at me, eyes wide as his mouth dropped open. I was relatively sure he hated the Shaws after what he’d said to me about them. It just depended on how much. Would he keep his mouth shut long enough for me to execute my plan?

“He wants the money. Our family money. That fucking cunt.”

I nodded. He stepped back, running a hand through his hair. I noticed it had started greying, just like my father’s. The stark memory of his face before Aiden had come into the kitchen and taken his life flittered across my vision. Those last moments I’d seen him alive. My uncle reminded me so much of him, except they were almost polar opposites. My dad rarely lost his temper, whilst Uncle Charlie could fly off the handle at any moment.

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