Page 97 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

Remi

Odysseus found his Penelope that inspires such a possessive and obsessive beast inside, who wants to forever trap her by his side and never let her leave.

And now, with her in my arms, I crave more than ever to finish my revenge, to destroy my enemy forever.

So he will never think about hurting what belongs to me.

My darkness helped and saved me from madness.

But my darkness will never have Penelope. Otherwise, I will lose her.

And I haven’t waited for her this long to do just that.

Chapter Twelve

“Destiny cursed me before I came into this world.

As I was conceived in shame and born in agony and despair.

My existence threatened not one but two dynasties, and as such, people wanted to destroy me.

I clawed my way to the top despite it and survived.

But I would have never done it without my friends.

Three princes to the thrones who accepted me with open arms.”

Remi

Remi, 5 years old

The massive iron gates slide open as one of the guards shouts, “Let them in.” My father starts the engine again, his dirty knuckles gripping the steering wheel and he drives our old, rusty car along the narrow asphalt road as my mom sighs in relief.

The smell of alcohol pollutes the air. My father barely managed to take a shower while still hungover, and Mother did her best to mask her bruises with some makeup borrowed from a whore in a nearby hotel room.

They even combed my hair and put a new shirt on me while cursing under their breath when my stomach growled from hunger.

Although they did nothing to soothe it, just told me to shut up and make sure to stay in the car while they spoke with the employers.

“Rich-ass people,” Father huffs, pressing on the accelerator as he frowns. “Even have fucking guards.”

“He’s one of the richest men in the country. What did you expect?” She claps her hands as excitement laces her tone. “Imagine what our house might look like? In the job description, it said housing is provided.” She flips her hair back. “No more cheap motels.”

Father huffs again, clearly not impressed with it, and I plaster myself to the window, watching in awe at the picture opening up in front of me.

Emerald-green grass surrounds the enormous property leading to the mesmerizing garden in the distance with so many flower bushes. I gasp in admiration as I’ve seen them only in botanical books.

One of our neighbors was a gardener, and he lent me the books so I wouldn’t be bored.

Roses and orchids are arranged in interesting designs and forms, their beauty so haunting you could walk into the garden and never want to leave. My nose twitches, just imagining their amazing scent. I wish to bathe in it, so maybe then it will wash away all the disgusting smells attached to me since birth and make me more appealing to the people who usually shy away from my dirty, smelly state.

The limbs on the big trees are heavy with leaves that brush the ground whenever the wind hits them, swaying them in different directions. The birds perched in the branches chirp loudly in the sunlight.

A glass house stands farther away, probably a greenhouse. At least that’s what it was called in the book, and there are pots in it, visible even through the glass. Several alcoves dot the gardens with flowers growing from the walls, and I see a huge canvas with a small desk that has paint on it.

Is someone a painter in this family?

I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, and my soul soars just looking at it. It’s such a contrast to the never-ending dump that’s surrounded me my whole life.

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