Page 29 of Scent Of Obsession
“S-Sorry?” he stuttered.
“Beg,” I gritted out between clenched teeth.
He swallowed his pride, facing the truth. I would humiliate him and his ego enough that it’d haunt him to his grave. It was his admission fee for wanting to go against me in the past.
“Please, I’m begging you. She’s everything I have.”
“Beg harder.” I loomed over him, unmoved by his weakness.
He curved his trembling body in a submissive way. Then, he bowed down, falling on his knees. “I beg you.”
Those words ripped him apart.
As for me, I had to admit it, having one more judge under my ruling was always a safe bet. Especially this desperate one. Once again, human weakness. LeBon was a good man but a stupid one.
Contrary to what people thought, I didn’t take pleasure in all of this. I had no feelings, good or bad. I was a peaceful man as long as people respected my rules, didn’t try to cross me, or cheat with the contract.
“Pick a card,” I ordered, displaying the set of tarot cards in front of him.
LeBon, to my surprise, did as asked without a word. He rose up hesitantly and pointed at a card, staring at me with wide eyes. I turned the card around only to notice it was ironicallyThe Justice.Just like I thought—good man but stupid principles.
“You know it’s true.” He peered at the card, conflict rising inside of him. “I would have never come to a man like you. I despise all of you. But despite who I am, my hands are tied. I want him to pay, and protect my daughter. I hope you’ll use your power to do something right, Mr. Radcliff. Please.”
His eyes betrayed his disgust and hatred for me, but his soul was powerless. A lost one.
“You’ll receive a contract tomorrow that I’m expecting back within twenty-four hours, or you’ll pay the price. Your daughter will receive a full scholarship abroad at Malarin School of Fashion, which if I recall is the best in the world. She’ll follow it with, of course, an internship with the most talented creators of the century. However, I don’t do personal revenge.” I was smart enough not to create unnecessary drama in business.
I stuck my stare on LeBon, whose eyes had tripled in size.
“Congratulations, Mr. LeBon, your daughter’s future will be bright. Yours, on the contrary…”
With one sharp gesture from me, the guards took him away. I lit up a cigar, the pungent smoke twirling skyward. So many people chased after the light; they forgot we were born and would die in the darkness. It was only there we were our true selves.
Look at them.My lips turned cruel around the corners as I observed through the security cameras the guests fucking inside the red dungeons and practicing BDSM. The crowd inside my club wasn’t better. Each of their gestures and laughter hid the void of their pitiful existence.
All of my money came from investments. Jewel businesses and diamond mines. Everything was legal, which was one of the reasons most people hated and envied me. One, I had power. Two, they couldn’t blackmail me since I had no feelings whatsoever. Three, I was untouchable and technically doing nothing wrong. I made my own kingdom with its justice and rules.
A thick cloud of silver-blue smoke, like the hottest of fires, obscured the office in the sweetest of blurs. I didn’t take any side, good or bad, which was why people came to me. I was able to deliver them the privacy they needed. Mafia bosses would meet to discuss alliances as powerful men would be free to expose their desires.
I exchanged favors for a piece of their soul. Most of the time I was an intermediary, introducing people together through this club. Sometimes, I’d even help with their money problem or be the solution to a situation they wanted to escape. I knew everyone’s most somber secrets here. I even threw exuberant parties to create the perfect image. I was the invisible man in the dark, who delivered the pleasures they sought and favors they craved.
My eyes roamed across the club, locking on something rather unpleasant. My edge of irritation had returned at the sight of Lily discussing with Carmin, and his repulsive persona hidden behind his Ken’s artificial smile. She hadn’t done as she was asked. She was making me wait after I requested her up here.
“What does she think she’s doing,” I growled.
Melissa was doing what she usually did, flirting with people and being the center of attention. She was the closest thing to a friend, I guess. We understood each other, but I was sick of her attention seeking. As for Hugo, he stood like a fucking statue. Did anyone follow orders around here?
Anger rose in me like a tide. Carmin was leering over Lily. Everyone could see it except her. She was too naive for her own good. Beauty was the weakness of every man here, so of course they ogled Lily. I didn’t need to be a mind reader to guess their thoughts.
She was a breath of fresh air in this perversion, an angel at the mercy of demons.
I didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
She wasn’t mine. But that didn’t mean she could be someone else’s.
I was here to do business, and here I was babysitting a child. I cursed the Devil’s Corpse, regretting my impulsive choice of having her at Ravencliff Manor. I loathed the fact I wasn’t indifferent to her. How innocent her smile was. And most importantly, the way she’d corrupted Cerba. That dog liked no one, apart from me and Hugo, and in less than one day, they became best friends.
