Page 69 of The Heart of a Villain

The cute, adorable thing who is a little angel that brightens up everything around her, which in turn makes me uncomfortable.

Innocent and pure, a perfect weapon for his countless enemies to use against the man, and sometimes I don’t know how Lachlan survives in this world, having a family he loves so much.

What if someone hurts them? Or worse, uses his own daughter against him?

Whoever that fucker is, he has no honor, for only a bastard would ever use a woman or a child to get to a man.

This I’m sure of, without a shadow of a doubt.

You risked their lives and yours while you went in there without any backup. We don’t do that.

Well maybe we should then.

I can almost imagine him growling at me and giving me the stare that indicates I better shut up. But really, why the hell does he still see me as a child?

Sometimes, I think he has no confidence in me—not in my skills. Oh, no. God knows I soaked up all the knowledge about torture with pleasure and such eagerness to learn that I could spend hours in their dungeons and never be bored. I even had a huge-ass board with the human anatomy, memorizing all the arteries and how various wounds would affect the organs to either finish the job quickly or prolong it for endless agony.

Lachlan and his best friends, aka protégés, the closest to his circle, the elite as we call them, all have a lot of power and billions of dollars in their bank accounts. They have the patience to teach us everything, but they watch us like hawks too, evaluating our psyche every other month to see how we react to certain things.

And despite liking some of the guys my age who happened to end up in the same situation as me, I noticed their different treatment.

They get to do whatever the hell they want, and their mentors like Arson or Madman give them free reins.

But my mentor is Lachlan, which was a surprise to everyone in itself, as apparently he stopped mentoring people a long time ago. And was always extra strict with me and my workouts, but also my evaluations.

He still prefers to watch my tortures and carefully studies my opinions, as if expecting me to be on the brink of insanity.

As a result, he’s always been harder on me than on most, and I have all these expectations to uphold, including working my ass off in the business world because he wants me to succeed.

Arson, who arguably knows him better than anyone, told me the reason he’s so hard on me is because I remind him of himself, although Lachlan’s past was far shittier than mine.

Maybe there is some truth in it, but I’m really done being treated like a child who has no idea how to handle any situation.

My phone buzzes once again, bringing me to the present, and I groan inwardly.

You ever do something like this again, you’re out. Do you understand? Completely cut off.

Considering I went against his orders, I don’t doubt the threat, and that sours my mood, resignation washing over me, because as independent as I want to be… I don’t want to lose my family.

They showed me with their attention and kindness in their own way that they care about me and will stand by me no matter what I do or where I go.

And if I ever get caught in a storm, whisked away to the island, they will search for me and won’t rest until they find me.

You don’t reply to such loyalty by acting out.

Okay. Got it. Won’t do it again.

I slip into my sweater and leather boots before grabbing my jacket and going to the door because I can already predict what he will order next.

And when I’m in the hallway, pressing on the elevator button, I almost bark a laugh when he writes it.

Come to the mansion tonight. This is not over.

Looks like a lecture is in sight too, along with some punishments in the form of not being allowed into the dungeon for a few weeks. Like what the fuck is this anyway? But whatever. I’ve killed so many people lately the monster in me is sustained for a while, and I wouldn’t mind focusing on my art for a little bit.

At least for a moment in time, until the voices become loud again, urging me to find a pound of flesh to feast on.

Stepping into the elevator and riding it down, I think about stopping by my place and grabbing the gift I prepared for the little princess.

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