Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 163089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 815(@200wpm)___ 652(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 815(@200wpm)___ 652(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
My thirty-year-old sister is trying everything in her power to keep the ring from somehow finding its way to me.
And honestly, I don’t care about rings or status. I definitely don’t give a flying fuck about the Osborn legacy that’s rejected me since the day I was born.
But Serena doesn’t need to know that. She believes she’s keeping me in check, so I won’t vie for her position as the de facto heir to the Osborn empire. It’s why she sends frequent texts and shows up out of the blue like today.
And that guard she so graciously provided? He’s basically a spy hidden in plain sight who’ll report back to her if I meet up with Dad’s people behind her back.
I don’t blame her for attempting to protect her hard work, and I would’ve done the same if I were her.
But if she believes she can use me without my using her in return, she has another thing coming.
After all, she’s my insider into their depraved world and a way for me to get access and information, as unreliable as that might be.
I’m not really opposed to her ambition, but our goals are worlds apart. She wants to rule over Dad’s empire; I want to ruin it.
But again, she doesn’t need to know that.
“I just wanted to start a conversation.” She drops her arms to her sides. “You know, I miss having younger brothers.”
“Do you?” I raise a brow. “The only reason you’re at the top is because those younger brothers died.”
“I still could’ve fought my way to the top even if they were alive.”
“Highly doubtful with a family like yours.”
She laughs again, but this time, it’s strained. “It would’ve taken more effort, yes, but I would’ve gotten here no matter what. Besides, poor Leo and Lance were sick most of their lives, so maybe it’s better they’re no longer suffering.”
“You’re no longer living in their shadows either.”
Her lips purse before she smiles. “Neither are you. How does it feel to finally be recognized?”
“It feels like nothing. That man stopped being my dad the moment I realized he doesn’t give a fuck about me.”
She tsks, shaking her head. “That’s not how you should consider things, Marcus. Dad doesn’t care about anyone or anything except for his legacy. You believe he gives a fuck about me, Leo, or Lance? No. Join the club. He only recognizes us because we’re useful for his legacy. So the smart thing to do is to go along with his wishes in order to access power.”
“Not interested.”
“Well, you should be. I told you, didn’t I? You need power to keep yourself and your mother safe.” She juts her chin in the direction of the coach’s office. “Those NHL deals lining up for you can…” She snaps her fingers “…poof—disappear in the blink of an eye if you end up in a nasty accident that kills your career.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Just painting the picture in your head so you understand that without power, you have nothing.” She pats my shoulder. “Don’t be another powerless Patient X.”
“Patient X?”
“Oh, right. Dad wouldn’t have told you about it, because you were useless to him.” She steps back and whispers, “You see, our family has a curse.”
“A curse?”
“Yeah, a rare genetic bone marrow failure syndrome called aplastic anemia.”
“Am I supposed to know what the hell that means?”
She laughs. “It means the marrow doesn’t produce enough healthy blood cells. Patients who have it need periodic transfusions or marrow infusions to remain alive. Leo and Lance had it. I’m three years older than Lance, and unfortunately, I was compatible, so I was used to keep Lance alive with constant transfusions from the time I was a child. That shit hurt, by the way. I can still feel those long, thick needles probing in my spine when I go to sleep at night.”
I pause, not knowing what to say, but thankfully, she continues.
“Fortunately for me, Lance developed a mutation that made him refuse my blood when he was around six, which was near the time Leo was born. And Leo and I were only partially compatible, so they wouldn’t risk it.” She tilts her head in my direction. “You were partially compatible, too. Lucky you.”
“I was tested on?”
“Of course you were. When you were an infant, Dad had it done under the pretext of general blood testing. Anyway, Lance and Leo were both going to die if they weren’t given their vampire essence in the coming years, so can you guess what Dad did?”
“Patient X.”
“You’re smart. I like that. And yes, he was our brother.”
“Brother?”
“Half-brother, technically. He was created in a lab.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Have you heard of genetic selection? It’s not legal or perfect, but we’re close with the Callahans’ pharmaceutical empire, which thrives on testing. And Dad was desperate enough to keep his boys alive, so he allowed them to mess around with his sperm, then they put it in a surrogate mother, and boom! Patient X was born. The savior sibling none of us know. Not even Dad.”