Page 80 of The Heart of a Villain

The loud screeching of tires fills my ears when I stop the car abruptly, parking it by the main gates, and get out, throwing my sunglasses off while glancing up at the sky.

While the storm ended during the night and the sun came back for a few hours, dark clouds gather together once again, making the sun almost disappear, which means it will be a heavy rain. However, it’s not as dangerous as a storm, so the boat my family is on should have a safe and sound journey.

My family is now synonymous with Aileen, and isn’t that just fucking surprising?

I have really lost my mind.

How the mighty have fallen.

The double doors open, and Emmaline runs out, wearing shorts and a shirt while she grins at me giddily, jumping up. “You’re back!” She palms her cheeks. “Does this mean you’re going to punch him again?” Excitement pours from her, and I raise my brows at this.

Truly, what the fuck was Rafael thinking, marrying into the King family?

Based on what I know about Zachary King, he loves his family, and crossing him like this will have the most severe consequences.

Rafael isn’t like me; he might be an asshole, but he operates within the law and doesn’t do any dark dealings—at least to my knowledge. His father-in-law is the same. He uses his power but isn’t like Lachlan, doing anything psychotic.

It will be hella fucking interesting to watch their dynamic once all this blows up in my twin’s face.

And it will. He messed with the wrong family.

“Ah, darling. Why? Did you enjoy playing my nurse?” My twin walks out and pinches her nose. “Role playing must be your kink. We should explore it more.” He winks at her and then blows her a kiss.

She slaps his hand away and glares at him. “No. I just enjoy you being in pain,” she replies sweetly and points at the black eye I gave him. “I will take even more pictures and look at them whenever I feel sad.”

“Darling, you’re starting to turn me on.” He leans closer to her while she fumes at him but holds her ground and doesn’t back down. “Just say the word, and all this”—he swipes his palm over his form—“is yours.”

“Over my dead body!” she throws at him and then looks at me. “Do God’s work, please.” With this, she elbows him in the gut with all her might, which just makes him laugh, and disappears behind the doors, shutting them.

Rafael shoos the guards away with his hand and then focuses his stare on me, all playfulness gone from him while he hooks his thumbs on his sweatpants, his shirt plastering against him when the wind whooshes over us. “What brings you here, brother?” He emphasizes the last word and then takes a step in my direction. “Giving me a black eye wasn’t enough?”

I don’t miss the resentment in his tone and swallow mine down, resisting the usual things I do in his presence.

Blame him for all the fucked-up shit happening to me and snapping at him.

“You gave her an assignment?”

“I wondered how long she’d keep her mouth shut. Turns out less than forty-eight hours. I’m not impressed.”

Ignoring the sarcastic jab aimed at my woman, I continue, “She didn’t find anything. I guess she got distracted when she snooped in my room and instead found the videos of her dad.”

He whistles. “Bet that was a big shock.” He cocks his head to the side. “What does it have to do with me, though?” He chuckles. “We both know you don’t step foot on this part of the island without a reason. So?” His tone stays even, but for the first time since our reunion, something is present in it.

Anger.

And maybe that was the root of our problems all along.

His constant guilt, which always reminded me of my hardships and my inability to push past his betrayal.

I’ve been harsher on Rafael than anyone else because he’s my twin. How the fuck did he exist so easily without me in his world?

Aileen’s words from last night play in my mind.

“You put a heavy weight on his shoulders.”

“I sent her away.”

Surprise flashes on his face at this, but he stays silent.

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