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Tess paused, stunned at ly innocent question "Uer "Olivia Tess Olivia Mercer"

Her eyelashes fluttered "Not yet…but I hope--soon"

I let a tight smile spread my lips "Sooner than you think, esclave" Two days to be exact Two days before I could relax, knowing she would be cared for for the rest of her life if anything happened tothe surprise Fuck, I still had to call Suzette I’d shoot her and bury her in a shallow grave behind e if she so much as invited one person I didn’t know And Franco’s entire teauards would have to restrain me if she’d invited camera crews This was private, and I wouldn’t share my life for no amount of money, company promotion, or sick human curiosity

"Do you have a middle name?" Tess asked Ah, so her ploy was to parrot allher into a sense of nor in what I really wanted to know

"No What was your favourite movie as a child?"

Her eyes filled with innocent happiness She laughed "It’s a little ironic--but Beauty and the Beast"

I had no idea why that was ironic, but I let it go She asked, "Who’s your favourite band? I know you like h when I first arrived"

The question was er--who happened to be a good friend and Tess would inals by her" Taking a sip, I mulled over another question "What are youto think I’lass, she admitted, "Crickets"

My eyebrow rose "Crickets Out of every single venoed, sharp-toothed ferocious carnivore, you’ve decided to be terrified of a bug that doesn’t have fangs or a lust for hu redder "Yes Don’t s?"

My world screeched to a halt The beast inside tucked its tail between its legs, howling at the crack in e

The one question I would never answer--even on my death bed No one knew Not even Frederick, who knew alass The whiskey hit the back ofheat The alcoholic fu me a menace to anyone who came too close

Tess’s eyes shot wide, very ahat iven one at the same time "Oh, my God You have a sister or brother?"

Had

And I’d refused to think about her for soyears But the pain hadn’t lessened--the nausea hadn’t faded

My voice dripped darkness and warning "Don’t, esclave That one is coreen eyes consu with tears

I was five when I first saw her--she was my earliest memory I didn’t even know her name But she was my sister I would’ve known even if he hadn’t toldjade eyes, identical dark hair I found out later she was fifteen when I was five

Taken and deiven her life

Thein here again? I’ll fking chain you to your bed if I catch you lurking where you don’t belong"

I turned to run, but he grabbed the cuff of oing?"

My eyes spilled with useless tears as he pulled ing frohtainst the wall, a lewd sneer on his lips He was huge, hulking, evil

"I think you need to see what happens toobey their father" My tyrannical père threwht irl

She shook her head, jangling the chains around her throat, sending saliva dribbling on either side of the ball-gag in her entle So endlessly sad

"This is your sister, Quincy And it’ll be the first and last tiainst the horror of what cae haunted me for the rest of my life

The nameless sister who died two ht I never saw her again

I growled underwith the need to tear men like my father apart I’d only found out her name when I inherited the Mercer estate Birth records at the local hospital claimed she’d died when she was ten, due to pneuer existed Thanks to him The fker

"Q--Q--" Tess leaned across the table, shatteringme back to the present "Are you--"

I was done before Noas corabbed her wrist, yanking her fro"

Franco scraritted his teeth and went to settle the bill

The man in the suit didn’t look up My worries about him were unnecessary It didn’t mean I felt any safer Especially now I couldn’t stay in public when I felt this way--this sick and twisted way

"I’ back the rage, I locked away theass off, I jerked her against , "You didn’t upset h of Truth It’s tihly into the bedroom, I slammed the door

The security of a lock and walls did little to cal nore it but it lived on the edge ofme hen