First Act of Revenge

THEA’s POV

The morning news was a bloodbath.

I sat at the long, marble breakfast table, sipping my coffee and watching the television mounted on the wall. The headline scrolling across the bottom made the bitter caffeine taste like nectar: "STERLING ARCHITECTURE DROPS 40% AS MAJOR INVESTORS PULL OUT."

My father’s company.

In my first life, this was the week they used my inheritance to buy out their competitors and become a dynasty. But because I hadn't signed those papers, the "bridge loan" they were counting on didn't exist. They were hemorrhaging cash, and they were terrified.

Elias sat at the head of the table, his eyes fixed on a digital newspaper. He hadn't said a word to me since he let me out of the bedroom an hour ago. He looked unbothered, but I noticed the way his grip tightened on his tablet every time I shifted in my seat.

"Your father called me six times this morning," Elias said, his voice cutting through the silence. "He’s begging for a bailout."

I didn't even blink. "And what did you tell him?"

Elias finally looked at me. His blue eyes were searching, trying to find a trace of the "soft" Thea who used to cry when her parents were stressed. "I told him I’d consider it. If he could convince you to speak to him."

"Then he's out of luck," I said, putting down my cup. "I have nothing to say to a man who treats his daughter like an ATM."

Before Elias could respond, the heavy front doors of the mansion burst open. We heard the shouting from the foyer, Maya’s high-pitched screech and my mother’s frantic sobbing. The security detail was trying to hold them back, but they were desperate.

"Thea! Thea, you have to help us!"

Maya sprinted into the dining room, her hair a mess, her expensive silk blouse wrinkled. She didn't look like the Golden Daughter anymore. She looked like a drowning rat. She made a move to grab my arm, but she stopped dead when Elias stood up.

The chair scraped against the floor with a sound like a gunshot. Elias didn't even have to speak; his sheer size and the coldness in his eyes acted like a physical barrier.

"I thought I told you to stay off my property," Elias said, his voice vibrating with a threat that made Maya tremble.

"Elias, please!" Maya wailed, looking at me with big, fake tears. "Thea, the bank is freezing our accounts! They’re going to take the house! Everything we worked for... it’s all going because you’re being petty about a signature!"

I stood up slowly, smoothing out the fabric of my new, sharp black dress. I walked around the table until I was standing right in front of her.

"Everything I worked for, Maya," I corrected her. "The house was bought with my trust fund. The cars were bought with my dividends. You didn't work for anything."

"How can you be so heartless?" my mother cried from the doorway, clutching her pearls. "We’re your family!"

"Get out," I said. "If you want money, sell your jewelry. I’m sure that Chanel suit is worth at least a month’s rent."

Maya’s desperation turned to pure, ugly rage. "You think you’re so high and mighty because Elias is protecting you? He doesn't love you! He’s just keeping you here because he hates losing! Once he’s bored of your new attitude, he’ll toss you to the curb just like we will!"

She lunged at me then, her nails aimed for my face.

I didn't move. I didn't have to.

Elias moved with a speed that was terrifying. He didn't just step in between us; he caught Maya by the throat and shoved her back toward the door. It wasn't a gentle push.

"Security!" Elias roared. "If these people ever set foot on this street again, you’re all fired. Drag them out. Now!"

The guards moved in, literally hauling my mother and sister away. Their screams echoed through the hallway until the heavy front doors slammed shut, cutting them off.

Silence returned to the dining room, but it was heavy and hot.

I turned to thank Elias, but the words died in my throat. He wasn't looking at the door. He was staring at me with a look I couldn't decipher. He stood up and walked around the table, stopping right behind my chair. He leaned down, his hands resting on my shoulders. His touch was heavy, possessive.

"That was a very expensive phone call you made last night, wasn't it?" Elias whispered into my ear.

I froze. "I don't know what you mean."

"The short-selling," Elias said. "The leaks. You did that. You used that phone to destroy your father's life's work."

He turned my chair around so I had to look at him. He knelt between my legs, his hands gripping my thighs. He looked like a man who had found a treasure and was terrified someone would steal it.

"I thought you were a victim, Thea," Elias whispered. "I thought I had to protect you from them. But you’re a predator. You’ve been playing us all."

"Are you going to stop me?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Stop you?" Elias laughed, a dark, jagged sound. He leaned in until our foreheads touched. "No. I’m going to watch. I’m going to watch you burn them all to the ground. But remember the price, Thea."

He gripped my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Every time you win, you belong to me a little bit more. By the time your family is gone, you won't have anyone left to run to. You’ll be right here. In my house. In my bed. Forever."

He leaned in, his lips a hair’s breadth away from mine.

"You're making yourself a prisoner, sweetheart. And I’m the only one with the key."

"They started it," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I’m just finishing it."

"And what happens when you finish with them?" Elias leaned in, his face inches from mine. "Are you going to try to finish me, too? Is that why you wanted the divorce? So you could watch me fall next?"

TBC