Page 186 of Love Me

Caleb casts his gaze down and I catch the pure hatred glinting in Felix’s. He seeks the eyes of the others, looking for allies. “You fear her. She’s got one foot in the ground, anyway,” he snarls.

“Silence.”

One word. She didn’t even raise her voice, and no one dares utter a word.

“The Family has prided itself on one thing. Loyalty above everything else. It went well for generations until times changed and values shifted. Instilling fear is nothing when we cripple the next generation to the point of fighting against their own family.”

I gasp.

Her eyes find me, and she adds, “In my time, the initiation was a vow. Family comes first. Nothing and no one else. That’s all you needed, and it became your credo. I would have never condoned these types of barbaric initiations. But again, these youngsters became people you could have never been: resilient and devoted. A new generation will restore the right order. They are smarter than all of you together and have followed one simple rule: love. None of them want this legacy, and that makes them worthy leaders.”

Jaws drop. Kaden and I lock gazes while murmurs buzz around the room.

“The legacy is tarnished anyway, but I will give the next generation all the tools they’ll need to rebuild it from the ground up.”

Grandmother looks at Kaden and says, “What do you say?”

“I’m not speaking for the group. We are a unit.”

She smiles, pride etched in the wrinkles around her eyes.

“This is what you all forgot. Sadly. An acute selflessness and sacrifice comes with upholding a dynasty.” She turns her sharp gaze to Felix. “This is your punishment. You will spend the rest of your time in a cell for betraying the Family, and for giving orders that were never yours to give.”

“I did everything for this family.”

“No, you did everything to steal the leadership of this family. Greed is a snake, and you drank its venom until you became one.” She turns to Caleb. “And you.”

His eyes widen into pools of fear, and she adds, “You lived for one thing. For your research, for your projects, and revolutionizing the health industry. But passion without balance is madness. I will put you in the cell right next to Felix so you can keep each other company for the rest of your days.”

She looks toward the other senior members. A reverent silence falls among them. The shackles have been cut. Caution takes residence in their eyes, but I am still watching Felix. It might be intuition, it might be morbid curiosity, but I can’t take my eyes off him.

He glances at a security guard, who makes a slight dip with his chin. He’s going to attack.

Split seconds decide your life. I snatch the letter opener from the desk and ram it straight into the guard’s arm.

“You fucking bitch. You’re too late,” Felix roars.

When I yank it out, I notice the time ticking down on his watch.

“Everyone out,” I yell.

Ruckus erupts. Kaden tries to get to me through the crowd. “Celine?”

“Grab Felix. We need to find the bomb.”

“This house is not fucking worth it.”

“I’m doing this for us, so we never forget.”

I drive my elbow into Felix’s face, and Kaden keeps him in place.

“Son, no. You can’t leave me here.”

I grip his collar, shaking him. “Where is it?”

“You’ll never find it.”

He inches toward the bookshelves, but glances at something on the opposite wall.

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