At home,I stand in front of the glass chess board and stare down at the black King piece.
Dad always liked playing in black and I picked up the habit since he taught me how to play.
On my way out of Lord Clifford’s house, I stood outside, looking at all the windows, hoping Astrid would peek out from one of them.
She didn’t.
“I’m so sorry, Father,” I tell the king piece.
I chose the future over the past, but I lost both of them.
“Look who’s graced us with his presence.”
My shoulders droop as Uncle sits on the white King’s side. He must’ve just returned from an all-nighter in the office. Or two nights judging from his unshaven face and his missing tie and jacket.
“Care for a game?” he asks.
I sit down and re-arrange Aiden’s last game against himself.
Uncle reaches behind him and pours us two glasses of cognac.
I raise an eyebrow when he offers me one. “What did I do to receive a drink from Jonathan King himself?”
He clincks my glass. “You were born a King.”
“I’m more of a vodka person myself, but well…”
He narrows his eyes. “Now I know where all those bottles disappeared to.”
I lift my shoulder and take my first swig. The bitter taste leaves a burn at the back of my throat. Placing my drink on the side, I push my first pawn forward, mimicking Uncle’s first move. It’s good to receive the news of my fall to hell while playing chess.
“I had a call from the deputy commissioner.”
Here we go.
“I’m guessing it’s not because I beat his son to pulp?”
“You did that?” He narrows his eyes on me, twirling his drink. “What did I say about violence?”
“It doesn’t solve anything.” I grin. “But it sure answers questions.”
He shakes his head. “You’re so much like James, it’s uncanny.”
“My father wasn’t a violent man.” After a few moves of my pawns, I push my knight forward.
“Sure was when he was a punk your age.”
Huh. Maybe Father and I are more alike than I thought.
“Did you hate him for that?” I ask.
“James was my oldest brother and only sibling. I never hated him.”
“But you were always breathing down his back.”
“Because he was slowly committing suicide with all those drugs and parties and whatnot.”
“Let me guess, you’ve been keeping me on a leash so I don’t grow up to be like him.”
“Of course.” He swallows my knight in a full dick move. “What do you think it was?”
“Anyone ever told you that you have a shitty way of showing your care?”
He shrugs and takes a drink of his cognac. “I do what it takes to protect my family.”
“By being a dictator?”
“The methods don’t matter. The results do.”
I scoff. Some things never change.
While he’s drinking, I notice an opening and use my queen to kill his bishop.
He raises an eyebrow, probably since I left my king unprotected. It doesn’t matter. My rook is in place and if he makes a move, his queen will be unprotected.
“You made a mess,” he says and something tells me it’s not about the game.
“I’m ready for the consequences.”
“You know.” He chuckles with nostalgia. “I could never beat James in chess. It drove me insane.”
“No way. You actually lose.”
“I actually lose.” He brings the drink to his mouth then stops. “I was the nerd in the family while James was the popular one. He got all the attention, all the stardom and all the girls. And yet, he kept beating me at chess which was supposed to be my speciality. One day, I asked him how he does it, and then he said, You’re too uptight, little brother. Don’t play the game…”
“Play the player,” I finish for him.
He nods. “I understand the full meaning behind his words now. I shouldn’t have controlled you. It was an epic failure and I lost my holiday home because of it.”
I go to attack his queen then stop. “Sorry?”
He scoffs. “We both know you don’t mean that.”
“I would if you drop the entire case against Lord Clifford’s ex-wife.”
“There’s no case to drop. Both Clifford and I buried the accident for a reason. He didn’t want his ex-wife’s name in the press and I didn’t want the press to broadcast that my brother was drunk and high at the time of his death.” He points his glass at me. “Clifford and I agreed to make each other’s lives hell since then, though. I’m winning, by the way.”
“Of course you are. You always win, Uncle.”
“Not always, punk. No matter what I did, I lost my brother.” He pushes me back using his rook. “I won’t lose you either.”
I hesitate before clutching my bishop. If this is a tactic to make me doubt my next move, then it’s fucking working.
“You want to play professionally? You have it.”
“I… do?”
“On one condition.”
I eat his queen and grin. “Ha. I’m listening.”
“Checkmate, punk.” He grins back. “Sacrificing the queen for the king is a pleasure.”
No. It’s not.
I stare at my king surrounded by Uncle’s rook and knight.
The bastard couldn’t protect himself or his queen and now their entire kingdom is all fucking over before it properly started.
I shake my head, focusing back on Uncle. “You’ll really let me play professionally or was that a ploy?”
“Both.” He smiles. “Here’s what you have to do in return.”
Astrid
Everything ends. Even a war.
A harsh breathleaves my lips as I watch Levi’s retreating back from the window of my room.
An itch urges me to run after him and hug him.
I want to hug him so bad and not just because I need a hug myself.
When Sarah told me someone by the last name King came over, I nearly had a heart attack. It took everything in me not to go and protect him from Dad.
But I couldn’t face him.
I doubt I ever will.
Levi had a deep connection with his father and once he knows the truth about what happened three years ago, he won’t look at me again.
I hang my head against the window’s frame and hit my forehead over and over again.
A hug. I totally need a hug right now.
Fetching my phone, I open it. I’m bombarded by the notifications. I attempt to ignore them, but then I read a notification from the school’s students’ group.
‘There’s a murderer’s daughter in RES.’
My heartbeat almost leaps out of my throat as I open the original post.
Someone from the journalist group says that he received a tip that there’s a murder’s daughter studying in RES and he’ll soon reveal the name.
My breath becomes shortened and the room starts spinning.
How… How could they have found out so soon?
Only Dad and I knew.
And… Jonathan King. Could this be his way to destroy my father through me?
But wouldn’t that also sully the school’s name?
He owns most of the shares, why would he destroy it?
I’m about to call Dan when someone bangs on my door so hard, I flinch.
Before I can react, Nicole barges inside and closes the door behind her.
She’s dishevelled. Her eyes are bloodshot and tears stream down her cheeks. Her hair goes in all directions.
“What’s going —”
“I had nothing to do with whatever happened that night,” she blurts, eyes shifty. “I really know nothing about your accident, I just wanted Daniel. That’s all.”
“You wanted Daniel?” I repeat incredulous. “As in my best friend Dan?”
“Yes, yes, that Dan!”
“But… you always insult him and look down on him.”
“Defence mechanism, idiot,” she sniffles. “I didn’t mean to drug you. I gave him one shot and the other was supposed to be mine, but he had to snatch it from between my fingers and give it to you.”
Oh.
“Wait. Dan was also drugged?”
“Yes, and he spent the night with me.” She lifts her chin.
“Oh. My. God.” I stomp towards her. “What the fuck did you do to him, Nicole?”
“It’s all because of you,” she snarls back. “Since you came into my life, my house, my school, everything became fucking hell. He was mine first. I saw him first! Why can’t you just leave so everything can go back to the way it was?”
She storms out before I can say anything.
I don’t have time for her anyway.
Oh, God. I’ve been so blind this whole time.
I wasn’t the only one traumatised that night. Dan was assaulted, too. Why didn’t he say a word about it?
I call him, but he doesn’t pick up.
“Dammit, Dan,” My voice chokes. “Pick up.”
I continue calling him as I throw on a hoodie. I need to find him then strangle him for hiding this — after I hug him.