Empire of Hate (Empire, #3)

by Rina Kent

This book isn’t as dark as the rest of my books, but it contains themes of sexual assault and eating disorder. I trust you know your triggers before you proceed.

An unhealthy obsession is to have an extreme interest in something or someone. It’s to constantly think about them. It’s to do something repetitively, even against your will.

It’s to have a compulsive preoccupation with them and being unable to chase them away, no matter how much you try.

Loving something that hurts you is also an unhealthy obsession, I think.

“When we grow up, will you marry me?” His eyes widen, but he looks away. My heart shrivels and breaks in my chest. Once again, it was all for nothing.

If life throws you a lemon, you should probably eat it or else you’ll remain hungry.

“I told him he’ll regret treating us like shit when we become rich, because we’ll buy this whole-ass building and kick him out.” “Jayden! You’re not supposed to talk to the landlord that way.”

It doesn’t matter how many years pass or how old she gets, Nicole was and always will be beautiful. The provocative type.

Little Miss Bitch will wish she’d turned around and ran the moment she saw me in my office.

All I see is the girl who made my and my best friend’s lives in school hell.

“Depends on how well she does. And stop calling her that, it’s juvenile.” “Maybe if you stop having her call you sir. It’s demeaning.” I suppress a smile, impossibly proud of my baby brother. The little rascal is so mature for his age. Daniel raises a brow. “Jay, was it?” “Jayden. You didn’t get the okay to call me Jay.” “Not asking for it in this lifetime.” My brother lifts his shoulder. “Your loss. When I become something important in the future, you’ll want my favor.” “Doubt it.”

Daniel starts to get up, probably to go throw up what he ate. I quickly pull a lollipop from my bag, open the wrapper, and stuff it between his lips when he opens them. He stares at me for a beat, the lollipop still frozen in his mouth. And then for a moment, a brief moment in time, his expression softens. For a brief moment, I see the stars in his shiny, bright eyes. The same eyes that looked at me and didn’t hate me. But it’s gone when he crunches on the lollipop, not bothering to suck on it first. When he swallows, he throws the stick to Lolli who runs after it. “Peaches.”

“That’s okay.” I spring to my feet. “I’ll do them.” “No. You prepared the food. It’s only right that Daniel and I do the dishes.” “I paid for this food,” Daniel says in his haughty tone. “I don’t do dishes at a restaurant.” “Yes, but you also don’t visit a chef’s house, so this is a compromise,” Jay counters and pushes me in the direction of the bathroom before Daniel or I can protest.

He grins, showing me his missing teeth. Then he reverts to his serious expression. “Hey, Dan. If you hurt my sister, I’m going to scratch your BMW and burn your luxurious apartment.”

“Suck my cock like it’s your favorite lollipop.”

Tiny glitters of fake snow jiggle around the girl, and my chest rattles just as hard. I flip the snow globe, just in case it’s a lookalike, but the initials Papa had engraved at the bottom nearly send me weeping. N. A. But why? Why would Daniel keep this snow globe…for twenty-one years? He clearly said he didn’t. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that he actually kept it.

“You think I would ever hurt you?” “W-what?” “You said ‘please don’t hurt me’ just now.” Shit. I spoke that out loud? “Say it, Nicole. Am I hurting you?” I slowly shake my head. “Then why did you beg me not to just now?” I wasn’t talking to you, but I can’t say that and expose how much of a freak I actually am.

Bloody perfect, Junior. We’re going to the ER in a bit.

“Why?” Her question is a haunted whisper as she closes her hand into a fist and hits me with it across the chest. “Why them and not me?” Hit. “Why is it never me?” Hit. “No matter what I do, you don’t look at me.” Hit. “I’m right in front of you, why can’t you see me?” Hysteria. Breakdown. Meltdown.

“Please…please…” she begs. I tighten my hold on her wrists, grabbing her throat with my other hand. “Please what?” “Don’t hurt me…I didn’t mean to.” “Didn’t mean to what?” “Be a cock-tease, I didn’t mean to! Please, please…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” My jaw clenches and my hand trembles with rage. “What’s going to happen now?” Her glassy eyes turn into a waterfall of tears as she murmurs, “You’ll hurt me…”

The assault. The violation. The burning pain.

I love you. I think I’ve loved you since we were kids. I know you think I’m a bitch, but that’s only because I don’t know how to express myself and I was taught to never show feelings. But I promise to change if you teach me how.

He swallows. “Promise?” “Promise.” “If you do hurt her, I’m gonna kick your ass.” “I’m sure you will.” I ruffle his hair. “Now, go to sleep.” “Can I have my things back?” he asks sheepishly.

“All good love stories end in tragedy, Peaches.”

“I’m no one’s warm hole, including yours. And I only put in all that effort for you. To make you happy as you made me yesterday by bringing Uncle Henry, but apparently, I made a

mistake. I always make mistakes when it comes to you and it’s time I learn to not make them anymore.”

“You always lifted me up just to bring me down harder than before. You touched me just to stop touching me. You kissed me only to never do it again. Did you know that your smiles disappeared whenever you looked at me? That you always looked in the other direction? You ignored me to the point that I wondered if I was invisible. But I’m not, Daniel. I’m right here, I

was always right in front of you, looking at you, watching you, being so unhealthily obsessed with you, it ruined me.

“I stepped on my pride to love you. I crushed my bleeding heart, then gave it to you. All I wanted was for you to see me, to not make me invisible. All I wished for was a tiny piece of your heart, a sliver of your attention, but you ne...

forward, the frigid coldness wrapping over him, like when he’s about to wear his dick hat. “You were that desperate, huh?” I ignore the jab of his words and suck in sharp intakes of air through my mouth. “I was that in love with you.” He bursts out laughing and I feel my heart shattering into pieces at his feet, with all of its blood and longing and stupid damn feelings that I harbored for years. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He slowly puts a halt to his maniacal laughter. “That wasn’t supposed to be funny? Because the only thing I recall about you from back then is your bitchy, entitled fucking self, Nicole. You were just a fuck but you went ahead and made it into some love story. Hopeless romanticism does suit you since you’re so fucking naïve.”

“I’m trying to make you understand that I’m not your Prince Charming, nor your white knight nor anything remotely noble. We used each other and that’s it. Keep the girlhood dreams where they belong.”

“You’ll never see me, will you? No matter how much I look at you, give you, or be there for you,

I’ll only ever be someone you despise to want. Someone who’s meant to only ever be invisible.”

Nicole, The mansion is yours. I told my English solicitor to transfer it to your name and signed the appropriate documentation. I also asked Zach to give you an apprenticeship in one of our biggest hotels in London. You have a formidable talent and as much I hated sharing it, the world deserves to have the experience of eating your cooking. Jayden’s education will also be taken care of. Make London your home again as you always secretly wished.

You don’t have to worry about Christopher or the custody case anymore. The cunt got what was coming for him and won’t be bothering you going forward. And neither will I.

I’m sorry you loved me. Daniel

to open your own restaurant.

“That I ruined you, Nicole! If I wasn’t a fucking idiot and noticed the signs, if I didn’t choose to see you as the image you projected, I wouldn’t have pushed you into that cunt’s arms. You wouldn’t have lost a part of you that you’ll never get back. And I get that now, I get that no matter what I do, you’ll never forgive me for what happened to you. Which is why I chose to hurt you and myself and fucking leave.”