Page 13 of The Promise Of A Princess

“Yes. I’m glad I don’t have to explain this to you. That would make this situation very… dull,” I drop the switchblade from my sleeve, allowing it to snuggle into my palm. “And this– this will be anything but.”

“Atlis, what’s wrong with you? You're going to do this now, today of all days? You've hated me since I was a kid. Why couldn't you have done this before now?” Kias yells.

I jump forward, holding the knife to his neck as my other hand covers his mouth. “Shh,” I hush him. “Let’s not alert everyone. You say I've hated you since you were a kid, but how do you not understand why? You killed mom. It's your fault, and because of that, you killed a piece of me as well.

“And to top it all off, I find out you're engaged to MY woman? Come on, you still can't figure it out? I knew you weren't very smart, but I didn't think you were actually this stupid. I told you a million times to not even look at her, but you can never seem to listen.”

His face relaxes, and he nods his head. “Mmm.” I remove my hand from his mouth, moving it to hold him by the back of the neck. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to snap. I’m just surprised it’s today of all days. You know, if you kill me, she will never trust you. She will never fall in love with you. She will never marry you. You’re just jealous, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not fucking jealous. I’m goddamn possessive– learn the fucking difference. She has been promised to me since I was ten. Zolina is mine. I’ve told you time and time again. You shouldn’t touch things that don’t belong to you. I don’t care if I have to tie her up and keep her in my sex room until she falls for me. I am better than you in all ways.”

I hold the knife tightly in my hand and move the tip slowly up his face, teasing him.

“You might want to bite down on something. This might hurt.” Placing the knife between my teeth, I reach into my pocket and retrieve a handkerchief. I shove it into his mouth, using the hand on his neck for leverage. Hopefully, this will shut him the fuck up. Once he is gagged, I take the knife in hand and carefully angle the tip into the crevasse of his eye. I hear a pop as his eye comes forcefully out of its socket and falls to the floor, rolling under a chair.

Well, that didn’t take much effort.

I fold up the knife and put it down on the table next to us. His screams are nearly silent as his hands grapple with my own for control that he won’t succeed in gaining. “That is for looking at something that wasn't yours.”

Picking the blade back up and flipping it out, I hold it back to his neck as I force him to a chair.

“Sit,” I growl. Once he does, I praise him like an owner does a puppy. “Good bitch. Now, let's work on things you should not touch.” Moving the blade down his body, I trail the tip along his arm. Stopping at his fingers, I begin to apply pressure on his pinky finger and meticulously chop them off, one by one, and let them fall to the floor as I go. I can’t hide the evil smile that forms on my face– blade through tissue, blade through muscle, blade through bone. I repeat the process deliberately until every finger on his left hand is gone. “Almost done.”

His almost silent screams have now become nonexistent. Kias is on the verge of passing out from the pain. “Goodbye, brother.”

I slide the blade slowly across his neck. Blood pours from the wound, seeping into the upholstery of the chair and down onto the patterned carpet. The life fades from his eyes, and he gasps for a breath he will never again take.

I take a step back after I wipe the crimson liquid and eyeball gunk from my blade onto his suit jacket. What would you call that? It’s gelatinous, stiff but not, and kind of warm. Yup, eyeball Jell-O. Making sure I didn’t get his tainted liquids onto my suit, I check my reflection in the mirror near the door. All clear. I take his mask off the little table that has watched everything. Placing it onto my face, I discard my own next to his body. I shut the door behind me and lock it, checking to ensure no one has seen or heard us. My two main bodyguards stand at both ends of the hallway and nod at me as I walk out.

“All clear, Boss,” Jacob whisper-shouts to me.

I nod in acknowledgment.

Time to make Zolina mine.

~

She is gorgeous, dancing below. Her pale skin is clear of blemishes and smooth. Whoever did her makeup today needs a bonus. Zolina’s hair reminds me of a sheer curtain billowing in the sea breeze in a luxury condo. From the moment I introduced myself to her at David’s party, she has been stuck in my thoughts. Replaying every facial expression, every strand of hair that fell into her face, and every twinkle of her eyes as she stared at me.

I currently stalk her from where I lounge. My forearms resting on the banister of the second level of the ballroom as I watch her spin. No one, dressed to the nines or not, could compare to her beauty. The way her dress and hair blend together makes her look like an angel stepping out of the heavens. Zolina spins in circles, forcing her dress to billow even more beneath her. Lost in thought, I don’t notice that her best friend has left her side and moved to stand by me. Harris clears his throat from the end of the hall, signaling the impending interaction.

“You should be down there dancing with your fiancé. She looks rather lonely from up here.”

“She was Kias’s fiancé, but that’s no longer a problem.” I’m not going to lie to Jezi. She’s Zolina’s bodyguard, and if she gets in the way of what is mine, I have no problem taking her out, too.

“Oh, it’s you. Wait, where did he go?” she asks.

“Where he belongs. Hell.”

“Thank fuck. I hated his super sweet, innocent, whiny, god-awful voice.”

I turn to finally look at her, her body relaxing against a decorative banister column. Her face looks genuinely relieved as she watches the guests below. Maybe I won't have to fire her… Or kill her. “That’s not the reaction I figured you’d have. I assumed you would scream from the rooftops or something.”

“Nope,” JD says, putting extra emphasis on the ‘p’. “I don’t know the reasons behind what you did, but we’re in the same circles, the same families. That's enough explanation for me.”

“Okay then. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take care of more business.” I nod at her as I pass.

“As long as I’m not on your hit list.”

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