Ruthless Empire (Royal Elite 6)

Whoa. It’s so beautiful.

It’s nothing like the expensive necklaces Mum gets for me that I only wear when I’m out with her.

I stare back at Cole to find him leaning on the piano, legs crossed at the ankles and his fingers running over the black keys without pressing them.

But his entire attention is on me. I take a moment to see him, the boy, the damnation, Helen’s son who doesn’t deserve to be.

His hair is tousled. Sometimes, I wonder if he bothers to comb it after showers. His physique has started to fill Royal Elite Junior’s uniform. Even the hollow of his neck has become muscled. His shoulders have broadened, his legs have lengthened, and in no time, he’s become way taller than me.

He’s so different from the boy who sat beside me that day at the park. The boy who saw me cry and was about to leave until I made him stay.

One thing hasn’t changed, though. His eyes.

They’re still as hard as back then. Others might find them mesmerising, but I’ve often found them a little bit haunted, a little bit mysterious, and a little bit frightening.

Cole might be the best at hiding his expressions and feelings, but he can’t hide what I see in those dark greens. They have a language all of their own, yet right now, I can’t figure out what they are saying.

My fingers shake, only a little, before I drop them from the necklace and speak in a smaller voice than I would like, “What is this for?”

“Our new beginning.”

“Our new beginning?”

“Yes. Sebastian didn’t say anything?”

Papa did mention he’d tell me something at dinner tonight, but I thought it was about his upcoming travel plans.

“What is he supposed to say?” And why does Cole know about it and I don’t?

He remains silent, almost as if he’s testing my nerves. Scratch that. He’s absolutely doing so.

Then he smiles. It’s blinding, his smile. He doesn’t do it often, but when he does, all I can do is stop and stare. “Congrats on the engagement with Aiden.”

My heart drops and it takes everything in me not to cry. He’s congratulating me? Not that I expected him to tell me not to go through with it after that text, but I thought he’d at least be upset about it.

He’s congratulating me. Seriously?

“Deflowering and an engagement all in one day,” he continues in that calm, infuriating tone. “You work fast, just like your mum.”

“Don’t you dare bring up my mum.” My voice raises. “You have no right to talk about her.”

“Why, Butterfly? Afraid you’ll turn out just like her?” He leans over so only a small breath separates us. “Here’s a reality check: with someone like Aiden, you’ll end up worse than your mother; you’ll end up like his mother. You’ll be found dead after long hours of suffering in the middle of nowhere.”

I raise my fist and punch him in the chest, my eyes stinging. “Screw you, Cole.”

I’m about to remove the necklace and give it back, but he says, “If you remove that, I’ll take it as you’re forfeiting.”

Pursing my lips, I drop my arm. Why does he know the right buttons to push? There’s nothing I hate more than losing before even starting.

“Go away,” I dismiss him. “I don’t want to see your face again.”

“That would be hard, considering the family ties and all.”

“What?”

“Mum and Sebastian are dating.”

Oh, God.