Page 66 of A Twist of Poison

ADAM

Addiction didn’t come just in the form of what you could drink, inhale, or consume. Obsession didn’t imply that you watched the object of your desire at every moment of the day. Love revealed itself in all shapes and styles.

I stood at the opposite end of the room, smirking at the mess left for whoever found him. I enjoyed every minute of dictating his suicide note while he frantically scribbled the words on paper before placing his own gun to his temple and ending his worthless existence of a life, brain matter and blood decorating his desk and parts of the room.

Life was a game, you made strategic moves at the opportune moment.

My phone rang as I drove away from the scene of the crime, I groaned at the caller ID. Pulling over to the side of the road I answered. “Sir?”

“This is getting out of hand…” His heavy breathing filtered down the line, trying to control his temper. “Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve made the two women, you used to make a point, ineligible and worthless in the Pavilion’s eyes!”So, they’ll be thrown on the streets or killed.

Not that I cared. As he said, they were used to make a known point. I hated the man in general but respected him as a cut-throat businessman from what he’d cultivated, benefiting us all. The position I was in gave me a bit of leeway and I made executive decisions about what served me best. I looked out for number one, always guarded myself.

I kept mute. Not defending my actions because I generally didn’t care if it impacted others.

“The agenda with that particular one will be brought forward.”Good luck with that.He hung up. I glanced in the rear-view mirror and grinned, looking into my blue eyes. One step ahead.

Hours of driving later, I diverted off the main roads down a private lane and pulled up outside the modern house hidden from plain sight. Cracking my back, I stepped out and grabbed my phone from the console, noticing a few messages from the same person.

Lizzie: Months… months we’ve been together! How could you!? Why? She’s my best friend, but what does she have that I don’t? Things have been good, haven’t they?

Lizzie: I think I love you.

Lizzie: Let’s work through things. Okay? I’m sure we can figure this out and come through stronger together.

Adam: Sure.

Months of work had this girl obsessed with me. Lizzie was desperate for love and became easily attached. That’s what happened when you were lower on the totem pole.

Milla made it too easy sometimes, her weaknesses made simple target elimination. How easy was it to create a fissure between her and her best friend? Too simple. I should have done this years ago. It made it all the sweeter, when the realisation hit her that I’d messed around with her best friend. Hopefully she’d learned her lesson in not giving out what was mine to retain. Usually such an exercise taught her a valuable lesson.

Milla had been marked regardless, I just shaped her into mine instead.

Stuffing my phone in my pocket I approached the door, knocking gently as Rita smiled allowing me entrance. I nodded at Bob, her husband. These two were a godsend, I’d trusted them with my most valuable possession and they hadn’t let me down. I paid them handsomely and they lived by the lie we’d all conjured to slide under the noses who’d take advantage of what I had. Of my weakness.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “Go on ahead, I’ll make you a coffee when you’re ready to head out.”

“Thanks, Rita.” I kissed the top of her head. She’d been more of a mother figure to me than my own mom.

Entering the room on silent steps, I made my way over to his crib, his features illuminated by the dim nightlight. Leaning forward I placed a kiss on his forehead, breathing him in.So young, so innocent.A breath of fresh air and so very wanted. I stroked my fingers through his dark mop of hair. His eyes fluttered open, dazed, half asleep. He blinked a few times before his eyelids shut, nodding off back into dreamland.Wish I could join you, son.

I might be the villain in my little angel’s story, but not in his.

Chapter28

Milla

We all ate lies when our hearts were hungry.

I’d let them judge me, let them misunderstand me. They didn’t know the depths of despair I drowned in daily. They took a slice of the situation without seeing the complete picture, putting two and two together but coming out with five.

I shouldn’t have felt let down... but I did. I felt betrayed. I’d believed we’d shared something truly special together between the four of us, however, I was the one who misjudged, once again trying to find something within someone. Something pure, and something of mine to selfishly hold onto. It had been weeks but felt like a lifetime since my life took a turn, and not for the better.

I’d been pulled back in a breakneck speed after my small reprieve, in a way it was much worse now. Because I’d known what true heartfelt happiness with a man—men—felt like before it slipped from my grasp, before I’d even had a chance to properly hold onto it.

The oblivion that protected the small piece of sanity remaining had widened, encompassing every single part of me until I felt very little or nothing.

---