"Why can’t you be like everyone else and cower before my awesome power?" Even I can hear that I sound more like a sulky child than a formidable businessman with senators in his pocket and an empire at his feet. "Because I know the difference between bark and bite." "Tell that to your neck," I shoot back on reflex. She rolls her eyes. "You’re not as bad as you think. You’re just in pain." There’s a sincerity that I wasn’t expecting. Her words cut directly to my core, slicing straight through all my many defenses. "And I think. . .I think if you were truly a monster, you wouldn’t care so much
...more
