Page 43 of Fractured Empire

I can’t read her tone or her facial expressions, but I don’t catch any hint of the rage that must have been flowing through her to cause her to break into the spa. She’s unpredictable right now, and therefore impossible to predict.

Eyeing her with caution, I fold my hands in front of myself. “The spa rooms are partially soundproofed, remember?” I ask, tilting my head as I remind her that she’s been here with me before. “The sound machines were on and I didn’t hear anything until the glass broke.”

Her eyebrows pull down in the middle and she grimaces, looking back at her work. “They wouldn’t let me in.”

“They had orders to let nobody in,” I explain patiently. “The guards must always follow Linus’ orders.”

“I’m not just anybody,” she replies, nostrils flaring. “They know me and they wouldn’t let me in.”

“Chloe,” I reply, trying to calm her rising anger. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to talk to you,” she says, nose scrunching as if it’s obvious. “You weren’t answering your phone.”

I try not to allow my face to betray my confusion. She tried calling me?

“My phone is off, like it always is when I’m here.”

“You don’t want to talk to me.” She pouts, stepping forward once and swaying as she does. “How am I supposed to apologize when you won’t speak to me?”

“You want to apologize?” I echo, feeling an odd sense of unease settle over me.

“No,” she bites out with a huff. “I have to apologize. My parents are losing their minds over our fight, and they refuse to see that you’re the one who should be apologizing to me. You stole my life and somehow I’m at fault.”

Of course, I should have realized.

“I didn’t steal anything from you, Chloe,” I reply tightly, forcing a closed-lip smile. “Leon asked me to marry him, and I said yes. I’m sorry that you feel betrayed, but I didn’t take what was yours. If something is yours, it can’t be freely given away by another.”

She looks indignant, lifting her chin and opening her mouth to disagree.

“If your parents are upset with you for your harsh words during our fight,” I cut in sharply. “I can’t imagine they’ll be more pleased with you breaking into a building to try and talk to me. While you’re drunk, no less.”

I expect to see fear or worry on her face, but only more rage dances in her eyes.

She curls her lip and points at me furiously. “This is all your fault, Katya. One day, you’re going to look back at this moment and realize that you’ve never been a good friend to me. You’re going to regret taking Leon for yourself.”

“Is that a threat I hear?”

The sound of glass crunching under boots makes me wince, as I look past my former friend to find the source of the question. Ares strides into the building as if he owns it, looking smug and amused, despite the disaster he’s stepping into.

He clicks his tongue, taunting Chloe with a disapproving look. “Ms. Contos, I’m in shock. Look at the state of you and the mess you’ve made. Daddy is not going to be pleased.”

“Oh fuuuuuck off,” she growls, spinning around to address him head on. “No one asked you to be here to defend her. You’ve made far bigger messes, Mr. Gabris.”

He flashes a lethal grin at her, displaying his teeth like a predator. “Ahh, but that’s the difference between the two of us, isn’t it? Gabris and Contos. I can afford to make messes. I own my messes. You need other people to clean up your mistakes, and you hate it even more than you hate yourself.”

She flinches, hearing his assessment and I almost do too. His words are harsh, even for this situation.

“Now, you have two options,” Ares taunts, invading her space with a casual cold stride. “You can come with me now, or you can wait here for your daddy to pick you up and see his disappointment firsthand. I know how much you hate making him upset, and you’ve just crossed a whole new level of boundaries. My father has considered exiling you, you know? But I assured him I would take care of this.”

“What?” I ask, but the word comes out too quietly for him to hear.

“So what’s it going to be, Chloe?” He hums, tilting his head down at her. “Would you like to make a deal with the devil? Or are you going to go home and face the real consequences for your actions?”

I can’t believe what I’m witnessing, nor can I believe it when Chloe reaches forward and shoves Ares back. He doesn’t fall, and he barely stumbles, but the action makes him laugh. It’s a rich and dark sound, full of amusement and a twisted glee.

Even more unbelievable, Chloe doesn’t tell my stepbrother to get fucked. No, she walks past him, climbing through the broken glass into the parking lot and yells back at him to hurry up. She’s going to go with him.

Looking like he’s won a battle, Ares gives me a smirk and a tip of his head. “See you later, sis.”