JADE

JADE POV

"Yes! Like that! Oh, fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Ryland high pitched moan carried through the corridors and I winced in embarrassment for him because the maid he was railing wasn't even making that much noise.

I pushed the door open and he scrambled off her so fast that I had to look behind me to see if wild animals were coming behind me.

"Don't you know how to fucking knock" he glared, as he scrambled to get a robe to cover his unimpressive man part, while the girl tried to become invisible on the bed? What a fucking shit show.

I smirked at him. "You were squealing like a little girl, I just had to check if you were dying or something".

"Fuck you!".

"I'd rather not Ryland." I deadpan and he simmered. It was fun to get under his skin, especially since I knew it'd always been a fantasy of his to fuck me. It was never going to happen and he knew it too. He was just a pervert who didn't know when to stop trying.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice sourer than lime.

I glanced at the girl who had succeeded in clutching the huge bedspread against her naked skin. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn't already bored with the whole scenario.

Ryland turned to face her. "Well? Get out of here, what are you waiting for" he shouted, clapping his hands. "Scram, get out of my room".

The girl rushed out of the bed, dragging the bedspread with her.

"You're not taking that with you. Leave my room in the same way you came into it".

The girl glanced from him to me almost in trepidation. I was definitely not getting into it. She made her bed, so she had to lie in it, or in this case get out of it naked.

The girl let go of the blanket, tears welling up in her eyes as she stood before us naked. I waved her off with a warning in my gaze. The girl batted out of the room before I could say zap.

"Whore" Ryland murmured under his breath.

"Stupid man whore" I said, making my voice loud enough so he heard it clearly.

His frown deepened, his eyes almost disappearing Into his skin.

"Can we just get this over with" he snapped, his gaze darting around the room? What was he looking for? Was he hiding something?

"Father wants you involved in the next operation that I'll be handling," I informed him, even though I didn't want him anywhere near my business. Ryland was stupid, but he was also a scheming, conniving bastard. He was always looking for ways to stick any weapon he could get his hands on into my back because he wanted to be the next in command.

Ryland stared at me for a while, his head cocked to the side. "I still have clean-up duty for another two days".

"Not anymore. Father wants you to meet Marion Don Telli. We've been working with him for years, and the next deal we'll be making will make us a lot of cash if everything goes as planned, and if you don't act like a fucking pussy and ruin everything like you always do".

Ryland's eyes blazed as he heard the insult. "I'm not a fucking pussy. I've always handled my business with no problem".

"Of course, you have," I answered on autopilot because this was not the first time he was trying to defend himself. "You managed to gamble one hundred billion away without making a cent in profit. I'm truly amazed by your prowess in handling business".

"Sarcasm is not a good look on you".

"I didn't come here to exchange words. We leave tomorrow morning by five on the dot. Don't make me come for you".

"You didn't have to come here and ruin my morning in the first place. You have your fucking phone, why can't you text me".

I sighed, rubbing circles at the side of my scalp to ease the tension." I don't have time for your stupidity Ryland. It's too early for your bullshit". I turned away from his door amidst his screaming of profanities. I had to admit, it was a pastime of mine to make his life miserable.

Stepping into the familiar territory of my room put me at ease. The black-painted walls reflected my mood, which was always dark, and the weapon laid out on my dining table gave me peace of mind. Meeting Marion always put me on edge because he was not a trustworthy person. For the right price, you could acquire his services, his loyalty, and his organization. I always had to triple-check everything when it came to him. He was just too shady and most of his deals were laced with risks.

I also didn't like that he'd chosen such a remote spot for the exchange. Granted, that was his modus operandi every time we met up, but something about Etral forest didn't feel right. It was out of the country and laws had been put in place warning people to stay off the land. I also didn't like his associates. They were handsy and made derogatory comments about me, which was why I haunted each one of them down. They died of unnatural causes, and I was sure Marion suspected foul play. It didn't matter, he should get better business partners. It would also be good if he worked on garnering a few acceptable values and business ethics.

I pulled on my boots and then stashed my weapons into the different compartments I'd mapped out on most of my getup. Staring into the mirror revealed a leader ready to do battle.

The electric buzz of my phone on the dressing table got my attention even though I'd been planning on being radio silent for the whole day. It was Taviano, my father's right-hand man. I answered.

"What do you want?".

"Your father is already in the meeting with Gracias Johan and he needs those documents in an hour. Your time is ticking away".

Argh! The fucking old man was trying to sabotage our deal. He'd promised me the seat if I could complete whatever task he assigned to me, and now he wanted to play slick.

"The meeting was scheduled for next week".

"It was moved forward. You're wasting time Jade. This is also part of your test, if you fail now, you might lose everything" he said, then ended the call.

"Fuck!" I screamed, then tossed the phone in my hand against the wall. He was always changing the fucking game, but I was going to win despite his hope for my failure. I was going to beat him at his own game.

I trudged toward the dungeon, making calls as I went. The guards at the door bowed as they saw me. pressing in the code to the torture room where I normally found relief for my tensions made my head spin. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the clock increasing with each second.

Once inside the room, my gaze searched for the man who had stolen one of our business documents that held incriminating evidence against Gracias Johan, he'd also succeeded in getting away with our billions, Ryland being the stupid bloke who was stupid enough to get scammed by him.

The man looked malnourished and his once bright smooth skin reeked. Dry blood caked one of his eyes shut, while the rest of his body bore a criss-cross of dark and light bruises. He hadn't spoken a word since he'd been taken in and despite the torture, he refused to talk.

He glanced at me from where he was tied up, and a smile spread over his lips, his teeth a bloody mess.

"They sent the angel of death again" he whispered, his shoulders sagging.

"I'm not here to kill you, Victor, not yet at least" I got out, stepping closer to him with a friendly grin. "I came to give you the last chance. Tell me where you kept those documents".

He stared at me, then his eyes darted around in fear before they landed on me once more.

"I don't know what documents you are talking about. I didn't take anything" he protested, his voice weak.

I nodded. "I'm sure you don't know, but maybe this little video call might help you decide, or let me rephrase that, help you remember".

I turned my phone on, then placed it on the table in front of him where he'd be able to watch from where he stood.

Victor gasped, his caked eyes widening as he stared at his wife, his two sons, and three daughters, all standing in a row with masked men pointing automatic weapons against their heads.

"Don't you dare touch them! Don't touch them" he screamed, rattling his chains with so much vigor, I was almost certain he'd break his bone.

"I want a location, and if I don't get one, one of their heads will be going kaboom!" I demonstrated with a smile on my face while he stared at me in horror. "You have ten seconds".

He looked at the video, the ticking of the clock growing louder with the seconds.

Three, two…

"They're at the graveyard, on my grandmother's grave, I kept it in a pot of urn" he rushed out, his breath coming out in a gasp as if he'd rub a marathon.

I smiled, turning off the video and reaching to caress his face as he sobbed out his pain sorrowfully. "There, there, it's all over now. I never wanted to put pressure on you, but it had to be done, and now that you're no longer useful, it's off to the gallows. A pity, you served the family well but I guess you couldn't help being greedy could you".

"Spare my life. My family needs me. I'll do everything I can to redeem myself" he begged, his voice raspy with pain at each catch of breath he took in.

"That option was for last week, that grace didn't extend to this week, you should have talked while I was playing nice". I said stepping away from him. The look of utter hopelessness on his face felt satisfying to watch. "I won't kill your family if that makes you feel any better" I promised.

His bloodshot eyes met mine, his lips quivering as he tried to speak.

"You're not going to win Jade Alvarez… you're going to experience all you put me through and more, and you're never going to be Don" he whispered, his voice steady and severe.

I smirked, pushing his words where they belonged:in the thrash. "I already won," I said, punching in the code for the door.

"No you haven't Jade, and all I wish for is to see you suffer, even if it's the last thing I see before I die".

I turned to face him. "Too bad you won't get your wish" I gritted out as I pulled out the gun from my holster. I aimed at him and watched as he stared at the gun, a look of resolution on his face as he gave up the fight.

"You will suffer!" He emphasized and I pulled the trigger. Two shots were all it took.

I glared at his corpse. He was wrong. My throne awaited.