𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄

38

I wait outside the doors that lead to the surgery room. Dieson won't be healed soon enough, and I don't have anyone else I can lean on.

If I can't trust Ethayn, then I can't trust Amina. And certainly not Hadassa. M betrayed me too, and who knows if NJ survived his own wounds.

I know every second I spend here at Dieson's side means another moment that Ethayn and my father could be working together, another moment for my enemies to converge and try to kill me or the ones that I love. But Dieson risked his life for me, and I'll do the same for mine.

They move him to a room to recover and the doctor is hesistant about letting me see him.

I get to brush my cold fingers across his warm face, and cry into the shoulder of his battered body. I have to save Dieson, I have to save everybody else.

I don't sleep a wink that night, even if I told the staff to keep anyone else away from visiting him. My father's men will come, and they'll crawl into the hospital like an infestation. I'll be killed for taking away his heir, and Dieson along with me unless he is spared. Still, I fall asleep.

I wake up and the morning is too perfect.

Dieson's room is too still.

My eyes fly across it, peach-colored walls, beeping machines and some chairs, not too far off from an American hospital.

Someone's been in here, I think, my body tensed, my arm hairs standing on edge.

I rake my knuckles across Dieson's rough cheek.

"We're going to make it."

The door is closed, and I see the knob turning.

I reach for my gun, but find it gone. I search the room quickly but the person is already entering and there's no way that it could have fell out.

I'm dead. Dieson's dead.

"Daughter."

Jarvis Cerbey stands in the doorway, two men behind him, their weapons likely concealed in a thousand different places. My father somehow looks older, his face more weathered, his body sagging with tiredness. He's ready to retire, ready to leave behind a life of crime.

However, he won't hesistate to get dirty again.

He wants someone to lead the life that he did in full. He thinks this empire is the only way to make it out of dark times. But our family is out of dark times, richer than I could ever imagine. But once you enter crime, most never make it away from it, and he's damned the entire Cerbey line.

"You're going to kill me," I state that fact in a tone much stronger than I expected.

"I don't kill my children, daughter," he says, entering the room. His head flank besides him, one politely closing the door as they both reveal guns they aim at the floor in their left hands.

"Of course. I'm sure you have other people to do it," I scoff.

Dieson stirs besides me, and my heart breaks.

My father sees my expression, and I expect malice and enjoyment to tickle the corners of his mouth, but instead I see...pity.

"I won't kill you. You aren't a threat to me, Courtlynn," he says after awhile, then looks me over, "At least not yet," he clasps his hands together as they noticeably shook, "Children are expected to fight over toys. Over things. You and Ali tussled, and you came out for the win, did you not?"

I study my father too. Was he sick? Was something wrong with him?

"And now comes the time for my other daughter to prove herself. Is Amina truly the sweet dove your mother and I believe her to be, or is she something more?"

"You want us to fight," I tense. Just like Dieson making me and Babe go at it.

"No. I want the best to come out on top. The best wins my empire. The best will be the leader," my father lays his hand on Dieson's bed. "I never expected you to make it this far Courtlynn, but clearly I have underestimated you. Your sister and you are the underdogs, but only the top dog will come out above the rest."

"Ali gave Dieson his blessing, or whatever. He found out who was taking the money-

"Yes, yes. We already talked. Dieson is pardoned," my father glanced boredly at Dieson, "He has great assets, but keeping his lovers under control is not one of them."

"So you knew that he was sleeping around with your son. And you still sent him to do all of this. To possibly even have him kill Dieson if he was the culprit of the fraud," my eyes widen. Why should I be surprised by the actions of my father?

"It was supposed to be Ali's greatest test. To see if he could kill someone he loved in the name of a greater good. He couldn't. And you all three got too involved. Too...in love," his gaze pierced mine. "Will you come out on top, daughter, or will Amna defeat you?"

"Hadassa is a Cerbey too. Will she try for the throne?"

"The throne is only for the children to have. She has no right-

"But she could," I say slowly, staring at him. I recognize that he had never considered that his wife might betray him.

"She wouldn't. Her job is to take care of me and be my wife," he declares.

Sweet, subservient Hadassa would never make a leap for his spot, that's what he believes, but my step mother is just another underdog in the game, using the cloak of obedience to do her bidding.

She's just like Amina and I.

"Be careful, Father," I warn, my words having more meaning than double.

"You, too, daughter," he nods to me. One of his men files out of the door before him, and the other follows behind, sending me a sneer on the way out. The door is closed and I left alone with Dieson, unsure if I should be grateful for the weird way my dad just told me he'd let me still live.

But I don't get it. He trained Ali to take over. Why wouldn't he mind if Amina or I did?

And how do I make sure my enemies fall away?