Broken Promises, A Vengeful Heart Returns

hamber

ing closure notices on doors under the guise of "routine inspections." The partners who hadn't already fled now s

the police commissioner, who had practically laughed me out of his office. My father

asked, his

vy, final. "They're not backing down, Da

did you do, Anya?" he demanded, his voice cracking with a rare display

wanted to tell him how Kaiden had blackmailed me, used me, broken me, and was now destroying us to prove h

whispered, the words f

egaining its familiar, hard edge. "You show weakness, you los

ew the rules. I just didn't know how to win a

red and blue lights sealed off another one of our nightclubs do

erate act, I se

me. P

ith a hotel

od by the window, a cigarette dangling from his lips,

ya?" he asked, not bo

et us go," I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper. "Take wh

g on his lips. "Well, well. Anya Cha

said, the words tasting like as

es raking over me with cold assessment. "And w

and sank to the floor, my hands shaking as I reached for the pol

just evading my touch. The rejection

had held back for so long finally breaki

soft, venomous caress. "The thing is, Anya," he murmured, "I

er me. "You're not even

posure. "Don't you care at all?" I cried, looking up

of warmth. "Care about you? A mob

, isn't it?" I choked o

d, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "You people cho

glancing back. "You live in the shadows, An

pty, silent room. I had thought I was numb to his cruelty, but this was a new,

e. My assistant ran into my office,

ou need to

was going viral. It was from the security cam

ing it look like I was performing some degrading act. His face was blurred out, but his tall, authoritat

s over. He had not just destroyed my family;